Brewery Ommegang | Gnomegang

ABV: 9.5%

IBU: 26

Everyone’s journey into craft beer begins differently. Perhaps you favored light beers and then one day stumbled upon a particularly refreshing Kölsch that made you look towards beers not readily available in the supermarket coolers. Or maybe it was a break you took from Blue Moon to try that German hefeweizen. For me, the turning point came with my first taste of La Chouffe. There was just something about that gnome that changed me. So when I learned that Brewery Ommegang teamed up with my favorite little gnome to brew the adorably named Gnomegang Belgian Blonde Ale, I knew great things were ahead.

Read More

CBC 2014 Recap | The Events

The week of the Craft Brewers Conference was so jam-packed with incredible events that it was simply impossible to catch all the good stuff. We have only so many hours in the day and sadly, only one liver. However, I did my best given these unfair limitations – here’s where I spent my evenings April 7th-11th. Read More

CBC 2014 Recap | The Seminars

In the second week of April, over 9,000 brewing professionals traveled to Denver, CO to attend the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference. Aside from beer and networking, what could lure brewers from all around the world to the mile high city? Well, fortunately PorchDrinkers Tristan, Cory, Chris, and Phil were on hand to find out. Below is our coverage of some of the 80+ educational seminars presented during the conference.

Read More

Deschutes Brewery | Fresh Squeezed IPA

Deschutes Brewery

6.4% ABV | 60 IBU

What a mouthwatering beer, this one! The next best summer beer. I was strolling past one of my favorite quaint Wicker Park patio bars only to be pleasantly lured in by their $4 Beer of the Month, Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA. Read More

Ultimate 6er | The Walking Dead

Many of you may be thinking, “Doesn’t this guy know that the 4th season of The Walking Dead ended a month ago!?” As with many shows, I am hardly the patient type who waits week to week for a new episode just to sit through the incessant commercials, so coming into this show just last month was the perfect way for me to get all set for season 5! It has definitely been enjoyable, and I could hardly contain myself while watching with some of these delicious IPAs in hand, getting me ready for hop season. Anyway, enough rambling and on to the pairings! Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat

Hey there PorchDrinkers! Native to the city and looking for events to tide you over for the week? New to the city and looking for the best place to find tasty suds? Visiting and looking for events to hit while you are in town? Check out this week’s Denver Beer Beat . . . did we miss any events in this week’s? Let us know.

Read More

De Struise Brouwers | Pannepot

De Struise Brouwers

ABV:  10%

IBU:  27

Style:  Belgian Quadrupel

Belgium-based De Struise Brouwers produced this beautiful baby gem known as the “Pannepot.” Since 2003, this beer has been their signature brew among other delightful beers such as the Struisse Rosse and Red Haired Jeanne. I was told by a friend that it was “the best beer the world has to offer,” and after that, I could not refuse. (I mean, how could I?)

Read More

Brooklyn Brewery | Summer Ale

Brooklyn Brewery

ABV: 5.0%

So let’s dive right into summer and talk about Brooklyn Brewery’s annual Summer Ale because omg this winter. This winter has been like that kid in Problem Child or North Korea – it just won’t effing quit! While I know that we may technically still be in spring, summer brew taps are already being installed at all our favorite bars, and pictures of Oberon are littering Instagram feeds everywhere, so maybe, just maybe, if we collectively signal to the gods of the seasons that we are ready for change by toasting them with lovely summer beer, they may finally let us break free from these wintery shackles. Yes? Yes. Cheers to summer, sunny picnics, patio brunches, and the delightful countenance of a Brooklyn Summer Ale. Read More

BruFrou Craft Beer + Culinary Pairing Event | A Recap

Building upon the local celebrations, BrüFrou aimed to elevate craft beer to the next level by pairing it with culinary excellence.

BrüFrou [broo-froo] is the craft beer and food pairing event for foodies who appreciate the nuances of tastes, scents and textures… but there’s more to BruFrou than meets the eye…and the tastebuds.

Read More

Great Lakes Brewing | Chillwave Double IPA

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Chillwave Double IPA – 9.4% ABV

I honestly had no idea there were people who willingly went onto the chilly lake in the dead of winter off the shores of Cleveland to surf. My ignorance lasted until I watched the Cleveland episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Bourdain was brought to the rocky shores, snow blanketing the sand, and he got to watch the surfers out on the ice-cold lake attempting to catch a few waves, before needing a couple beers themselves.  Read More

Bad Tom Brewing

Bad Tom Brewing Co., formerly Double Barrel, is a new brewery in Cincinnati that offers a delicious array of beer and a history so deep, so ruthless, and so bad that you are immediately captured in the infamous tale every time you visit.

Read More

Founders | Kentucky Breakfast Stout

I haven’t had this beer before.

I figured I would try Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout eventually, but I didn’t know when. I’ve heard stories of lines, of drives, of cases purloined from delivery vehicles. No beer should have a story this big. It’s almost unfair for a product’s reputation to balloon like the KBS brand has. Wouldn’t it be too much, almost inherently?

On April 1st, my home-brewing friend sent me a text: “You may want to swing by Liquor Barn on lunch. It’s Founders KBS day.” I looked at my phone, and I dismissed the idea out of hand.

But then I looked again.

Read More

Beer and Food | Crooked Stave Vieille finds True Love

Welcome back to the delicious world of beer and food. We are off to an exciting start as the pairing with Westbrook last week was very inspirational for Alewise, and … Read More

Deck & Donohue: Monk brown ale

ABV 5.3%

Mike Donohue and Thomas Deck are friends who managed to go from drinking the beer they love to making it. Open just over a month, their brewery, Deck & Donohue, is already making waves in Paris. Located in the Parisian suburb Montreuil, the brewery is one of the few close enough to Paris to bike to. I made it out there during a Saturday open house to taste their Monk brown ale and see what else was on tap. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Welcome to Chicago!

I finally did it! After about six years of daydreaming and talking my friends’ ears off about it, I finally packed up my entire life (which is basically just my records, my cats and my beer collection) and hauled off to Chicago. Being a lifelong Florida resident, I feel as though I now live on an entirely different planet. I am using public transportation for the first time ever, attempting to navigate a completely new music scene and trying all kinds of beers I’ve never even heard of. It’s pretty awesome! Here are six of the amazing brews I’ve come across so far. Read More

You don’t want to ‘Passover’ this Brisket | Cooking with Beer

Happy Passover, Jews and non-Jews! If you’re a shiksa like me, you’ll probably be forced to celebrate one way or another. What is a shiksa, you ask? Oh, just a non-Jewish girl trying to temp a Jewish boy into marriage (I think it might be working). Whoever you are, its always fun to celebrate Passover and all Jewish holidays because they usually require a constant supply of food. And whenever food is involved, there’s always a way to incorporate beer. Along with the latkes and kuge, I decided to slow cook a brisket in beer for 6 hours. The beer of choice was Trippel by New Belgium. This ale is brewed with coriander, which makes it the perfect herbal addition to the dish. It’s also the perfect addition to your belly. Since this recipe requires three bottles, you’ll be forced to buy a six-pack.  I won’t force you to drink the rest but I highly recommend it.

Read More

Left Hand Brewing – Black Jack Porter

English Style Porter
ABV: 6.4%

I’ve realized over the past year that porters, stouts and dark beer in general is where my taste buds find their happy place. And Left Hand Brewing seems to have my number as every brew I find from them becomes the liquid heaven we all search for in a beer. Plus, they seem to have more than enough choices in the deep, dark colored arena. So when I noticed this previously untasted option on the shelf, it was an easy choice. Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat

Hey there PorchDrinkers! Native to the city and looking for events to tide you over for the week? New to the city and looking for the best place to find tasty suds? Visiting and looking for events to hit while you are in town? Check out this week’s Denver Beer Beat . . . did we miss any events in this week’s? Let us know.

Read More

Sol | Summertime Cerveza

4.5% ABV

Mexican Golden Lager

Craft beer has been my pride and joy over the past year and the beers just keep on coming. The only problem with this is that I find myself only buying craft beers – meaning I hit the title of “beer snob”. This is not an entirely bad thing, but I feel like I am not being fair to all the other beer out there – which is just not cool. Now, I do realize that Sol from Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, S.A. de C.V. is not a typical beer that we would write up on PorchDrinking, but it is one that I personally enjoy, and absolutely love on a hot summer day. Sol, which means sun in Spanish, is a Corona-like beer, but is one that not as many people have learned to love and enjoy. For a brief history click here.

Read More

Perennial Artisan Ales

Having recently moved to the St. Louis area, I’ve been looking forward to checking out the craft beer scene. My best friend Dave was on a cross country road trip from New Jersey to San Diego and planned to spend a couple days here. Naturally beer was on the menu and we ended up one evening at Perennial Artisan Ales. Hooray! Read More