Logsdon Farmhouse Ales- Fresh Hop Seizoen

This past weekend I volunteered pouring beers at the Portland Fresh Hops Festival. The event is an annual tribute to our love of lupulin-laden libations that are crafted within hours of the hop harvest. While the vast majority of breweries showcased their share of lagers and pale ales, IPAs and CDAs, there was one beer that really stood out to me. Logsdon Farmhouse Ales’ Fresh Hop Seizoen piqued the interest of my taste buds in a way that no other fresh hop beer has. After about ten 4 oz. samplers of hop-forward beers, a subtly-hopped Belgian Saison was just what the doctor ordered. The Fresh Hop Seizoen from Hood River, OR is 7.5% ABV and really opened up a new perspective on fresh-hopped beers for me.

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Roundtable Discussion – Pairings

While a lot of breweries are now stating suggested food pairings for their beers on either the bottles or their website, we here at PorchDrinking have decided to make similar pairing suggestions, but this time with activities. So we polled our staff: “What are your favorite beer and activity pairings?” Read More

2013 GABF Must Try Beer List

From our extensive pour list, a few of our resident beer geeks have put their heads together to compile a list of “must-try” beers at GABF. These are beers that we have either tried ourselves and give the highest praise or are from breweries that we have come to know and love who’s beer intrigues us enough to hype it up! So here we go, make sure you taste your way through some of these beers at GABF, and if you manage to catch one of our staff at the same booth, be sure to throw up a high-five! Read More

Mørke – Pumpernickel Porter by Beer Here

Beer Here – Mørke (Pumpernickel Porter)

ABV – 7.5% Read More

2013 GABF Fantasy Brewery Draft Results

Beyond the Beer – Wednesday – Battery 621

Join us this Wednesday night as Denver-based companies Crafting a Nation, Business of Fun, and PorchDrinking.com come together for the Inaugural event “Beyond the Beer Panel Discussion and Craft Beer Showcase.” The event will take place at Battery 621, 621 Kalamath Street, Denver, CO 80204; on October 9th, 2013. Doors to “Beyond the Beer” Hangout open at 6pm followed by a showcase featuring unique craft beers, reserved for this tasting event, at 8pm.

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2013 GABF Pour List – Full Regional Breakdown

For the past month we’ve been calling and e-mailing breweries in order to provide you with a list of what your favorite breweries will be pouring at this weekend’s … Read More

Out of the Kitchen and into the Tap House: Women in Beer

By now it is obvious that craft beer is exploding across the nation. New breweries are opening up often, especially in Colorado, and the community continues to support the growing … Read More

Highland Brewing Company — St. Terese’s Pale Ale

ABV:5.1% IBU: 24

Sometimes I forget that Highland Brewing is an Asheville brewery, mostly because there are so many breweries drowning the small mountain town in booze.

And then I … Read More

2013 GABF Fantasy Brewery Live Draft

Welcome to the 2013 PorchDrinking.com 2013 GABF Fantasy Brewery Live Draft.

A few details:

The draft will run very much like a fantasy football snake style draft, meaning that the last person to pick in … Read More

Ultimate 6er for Your Government Shutdown

Well, Congress has done it again: managed to completely frak up everything. And this time, they have managed to shut down almost the entire government (yes, that thing they are supposed to keep running). So this unfortunate turn of events leaves a lot of feds and Congressional staffers sitting around at home without a paycheck. So what will they do? What will the rest of us do to support them and stand in solidarity? Why, drink beer of course! Here are some PorchDrinking pro-tips on the best beers to drink during the government shutdown:

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Ballast Point Sculpin India Pale Ale

Ballast Point Sculpin India Pale Ale

ABV: 7%

IBU: 70

My usual process of discovering a new beer to review generally involves perusing through the beer aisles of my favorite stores and picking out new, interesting brews (confession: I’m a sucker for fancy labels). I also tend to gravitate toward more local brands (which for me is the DMV area). Tonight, however, was an exception. My roommate, who has not yet developed the taste for beer (the cause is not yet lost! I will be victorious!), picked up a bottle of Ballast Point Sculpin IPA out of San Diego, CA from the Whole Foods shelf and brought it home. Another confession: I had already enjoyed a glass of red wine before delving into the Sculpin. Though I doubt this ruined my palate, I feel full-disclosure is called for.

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Homebrewing: Brewing with Fruit

For many brewers like myself, brewing is a creative outlet. Water is the blank canvas on which we play with malt, yeast and hops. While many of the worlds best beers are made with those four ingredients, there are many avenues for furthering creativity. In this week’s post, titled Homebrewing: Brewing with Fruit, I will discuss the ways of imparting fruit flavors to your homebrew. Read More

Denver Beer Fest Tapping with Mayor Michael Hancock

Yesterday Denver Mayor Michael Hancock met a host of reporters and craft beer lovers at The Source to kick off the 2013 Denver Beer Fest. The Source is a new … Read More

Jolly Pumpkin – Fuego del Otono

6.1% ABV

Some people drink for education, some drink for relaxation, some drink for inspiration. I have never understood the idea of drinking for any purpose other than pleasure. Sure, I write about the beers, but I only review beer that I enjoy, the beers that I want others exposed to as well. Ron Jeffries, Brew Master at Jolly Pumpkin, says, “We create beers to lighten the spirit and soothe the soul.” Preach on, brother. This is a philanthropic venture on the brewing end and a hedonist venture on the consumption end. Share the joy! And what brings more joy than beer? Well, fire. But fire and beer together. Whoa, whoa, whoa, it’s magic. Literally translated, Fuego del Otono means “fire of the fall” (or “Autumn Fire” as they call it at Jolly Pumpkin). Read More

Ultimate 6er – Big Ten Football Part I: Leaders Division

By now you all are used to me basing my Ultimate 6ers on popular TV shows. This time around, I’m doing something a little different. Inspired by the Ohio State v. Wisconsin game that took place this past Saturday, I’ve decided to do a beer for every team in the Big Ten. Lucky for me the conference actually has 12 teams split into two divisions, Leaders and Legends. This week’s six pack will focus on the Leaders, and you’ll notice each team is matched with a beer made in its state. Read More

Hair of the Dog – Adam Old Ale

Hair of the Dog Brewing – Adam Hearty Old World Ale – Batch Number 88
ABV: 10%
IBU: 50

When Alan Sprints first started Hair of the Dog, he was given the ancient recipe for Dortmunder “adambier” by fabled beer writer Fred Eckhart. The Hair of the Dog Adam Old Ale is now an American Craft Beer legend. The flavors are dark and chewy, with a big berry/spice character, and the 10% ABV definitely warms you when the weather’s chillin’.

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New Belgium – Lips of Faith Coconut Curry Hefeweizen

ABV: 8%

IBU: 14

Curry and beer sounds like a terrible idea. Curry is such a unique, robust flavor that is very unforgiving. But curry is also full of familiar … Read More

Elevation Beer Company Engel Weisse

Elevation Beer Company Engel Weisse

ABV: 2.5%

Berliner Weisse is a cloudy, sour wheat beer native to northern Germany. Historically one of the most common styles in Germany, it nearly … Read More

Bear Republic Brewing Co. – Big Bear Black Stout

ABV: 8.1%
IBU: 55

Now that it is slightly chillier outside, it finally feels socially acceptable to be drinking stouts and porters until the cows come home, which makes today’s showcase possible. Getting as excited as possible for the upcoming hockey season and already interesting football season, I mistakenly associate dark and heavy with session-able, whether it be Yeungling Black and Tan, Dogfish Indian Brown Ale or Smuttynose Baltic Porter.

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