New Belgium #VoteVoodoo Campaign Asks Fans to Elect IPA Winner

New Belgium Brewing Voodoo Ranger IPA series continues to generate acclaim and demand due to its constant pursuit of variety and novelty. Alongside the original IPA, Voodoo Ranger’s year-round lineup boasts an Imperial IPA and two hazy-focused versions (American Haze and Juicy Haze). But the variants that consistently generate buzz are the new IPAs New Belgium releases three times during the year as part of its Rotating IPA series. Releases like Voodoo Ranger Starship IPA have made the Rotating IPA series New Belgium’s fifth best-selling brand overall. The latest edition provides a less-than-subtle nod to the upcoming presidential election, with New Belgium asking beer fans to #VoteVoodoo by casting their vote for either Agent 77 Voodoo Ranger IPA or Captain Dynamite Voodoo Ranger IPA by September 30. 

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Good People Brewing Company | Snake Handler

There is no mistaking the connection many of us feel with beer. You can likely recall memories of can art or flavor notes of memorable beers you’ve enjoyed. Sometimes this is due to rarity or place and company of consumption. Sometimes it’s just for the experience. Good People Brewing Company Snake Handler Double IPA will create those feelings and more as the memory of this beer will surely stay with you.
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What We’re Drinking | September 25, 2020

Fall is officially here and our lives are about to be taken over by pumpkin spice lattes, if they haven’t  already. Another way many beer lovers look at fall is that it kicks off Stout season with the cooler temps settling in. Seasonal food and drink can be a lot of fun and our crew here at PorchDrinking has been highlighting a seasonal beer lately — Oktoberfest beers. Check out some of our articles lately and give some seasonal offerings a try! Here’s What We’re Drinking. Read More

Cerebral Brewing Announces National Lineup for All the Stops Can Jam

Typically by this point in the year, Colorado beer fans are already knees deep in big-time hype beer releases from breweries that aren’t typically available in the state. However, with GABF going digital, and the entire industry in a state of unknown due to the on-going pandemic, it’s been generally uncertain whether the typical treasure trove of special releases would be hitting the market.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Town Brewing Rathaus Festbier Lager

Oktoberfest season is upon us and the PorchDrinking team is working their way through various Marzens, Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Beers, and anything fall themed you can imagine! Today we’re highlighting Rathaus Festbier Lager, a unique spin on the traditional malt-forward beers of the season.

Read: PorchDrinking Oktoberfest Guide & Beer Showcase Series Read More

Ultimate 6er | RuPaul’s Drag Race Vegas Revue

The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue airs tomorrow on VH1! This iteration of RuPaul’s Drag Race takes place pre-COVID, in the good ol’ days of live performances. For the very first time, Ru handpicked a team of former RPDR contestants for a traditional Las Vegas stage show at the Flamingo Resort. Drag queens are so admirable in their ability to personify a deep part of their imagination. Their queen persona is oftentimes the most authentic version of themselves: gorgeous, honest, inspiring, and unafraid. Start your engines because we’re pairing the cast with their fierce and fizzy counterparts.  Read More

Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Victory Brewing Company Festbier

Fall is steeped in tradition. It brings the change of another season, a reminder of the passage of time. The flannel shirts come out and the apples are ripe for picking. Along with that, the beer you’ll find on shelves at your local stores will replace the light, refreshingly tart and citrus flavors of the summer with the malty and more full-bodied offerings that are also a reminder of the changing of the calendar. Read More

Hailstorm Brewing Co-Founder Departs to Join Colorado’s Wiley Roots Brewing

Six years ago, Brandon Banbury founded Hailstorm Brewing alongside Chris Schiller in Tinley Park on the outskirts of Chicago. During that time, Banbury, who also served as head brewer, helped establish the brewery as a veritable force within the greater Chicago beer scene, gaining acclaim for his work with Hazy IPAs, Barrel-Aged Pastry Stouts, and even traditional-style Lagers. 

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Great Lakes Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration in Bavaria in 1810. Two centuries later in 2009, Great Lakes Brewing Company brewmaster Mark Hunger tied the knot and poured his brewery’s Oktoberfest lager at his own autumn wedding reception.

“Picking the beer for the wedding was a no-brainer. From what I can remember, it was a hit,” he says with a laugh. “We went through a keg.”

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The Midwest Guide To Märzens

Even though this summer hasn’t been like any other before due to the pandemic, it is still sad to see this season go. However, as the days change from sunshine to the darkening of leaves, there are some things to get excited about! No, we are not talking about pumpkin spice lattes (even though they are a popular guilty pleasure)–we’re talking about Märzen beers. The dark brown color and rich, malty flavor brings about a notion of nostalgia that no other style of beer can induce. There is just something special about sitting outside on a chilly day next to a campfire with a Märzen in hand. This may sound crazy, but fellow Midwesterners prefer that coziness of fall to a lazy day on the beach–it speaks to the Midwestern soul.

Luckily, breweries across the Midwest have begun releasing a slew of their own incredible takes on this German classic. Some of these beers are widely distributed and some of them are more locally found. If you see any of these magnificent elixirs at your local bottle shop, pick them up before they are gone. So get your folding chair, grab a brat, get the campfire going and enjoy a delicious Märzen. 

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier

The tradition of Hofbräu Munchen began on September 27, 1580, when Duke Wilhelm V founded the brewhouse in Munich. A little less three hundred years later on October 12, 1810, at the wedding of the Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, the “first” Oktoberfest was celebrated. Two years later the Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier was brewed.

In 2003, the Hofbräu concept crossed the Atlantic Ocean opening a mini-brewery and restaurant in the style of the original Hofbräuhaus in Newport, KY, bringing the German beer to America.

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Dogfish Head and Indigo Agriculture Fight Climate Change with Re-Gen-Ale

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is on a mission to fight climate change, one beer at a time. On September 19, Dogfish Head and Indigo Agriculture, a company intent on “harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet,” released an Earth-friendly Re-Gen-Ale to its local beer fans. As explained by Dogfish Head, the beer serves as the first traceably-sourced beer to address climate change through agriculture using Indigo Carbon, a program that provides growers with a financial incentive to store carbon in their soils.” The beer release arrives in time for Climate Week (Sept 21 – 27).

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Cincinnati’s German Brewing Heritage

It’s Oktoberfest time! For beer lovers in and around Cincinnati, Ohio, this season is pretty much made for them — the Queen City throws the second largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich, and the world’s largest chicken dance.

Sadly, COVID-19 will put a major damper on how Oktoberfest social events are handled this year. However, one of the great things about the season is the glut of Oktoberfest, Märzenbier and Festbier releases. (Check out this primer on what exactly it is we’re drinking when we have an Oktoberfest beer.) While it’s great enjoying these styles at a Cincinnati Oktoberfest celebration with an oompah band playing in the background, they’re also plenty enjoyable to relax with on a patio or porch as the summer heat wanes into crisp autumn evenings.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Port City Brewing Oktoberfest

For many German beer fans, late September doesn’t just mark the onset of autumn or the beginning of a new school year. It’s the only time of year for eating too many brats, listening to polka music of questionable quality and drinking delicious beer. It’s Oktoberfest! During any other year, many would be dusting off their lederhosen and making pretzel necklaces, while visions of frothy overflowing beer steins danced in their heads.

Yet, even though COVID-19 is, sadly, torpedoing our hopes of having in-person Oktoberfest events this year, never fear. There’s still plenty of first-rate Oktoberfest beers to be had. Here in the Washington, D.C., Beltway area, those mourning the cancellation of this year’s festivities are finding solace in Port City Brewing’s exceptional take on the classic Oktoberfest Märzen Lager. Despite only being distributed in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and some select areas of New York and North Carolina, this beer has gained international renown. It took home the gold medal at the 2014 World Beer Championships, silver at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival and is currently ranked the 27th best Oktoberfest/Märzen style beer in the world by reviewers on Beer Advocate.

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What We’re Drinking | September 18, 2020

We made it through another week, ya’ll! As we edge closer to fall and all it’s glory — spiced everything, pumpkins, dark beers, cooler weather, etc. — we should take time to reflect on the days that have passed already. It was only about six months ago that our country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses closing and people being laid off. Now, many businesses are opening for outdoor seating, craft beer is seeing an uptick in brews being delivered to your door (which I hope never goes away!) and we’re seeing lower positive test rates. Our writers are busy covering virtual events  and releases, and need some tasty inspiration — here is What We’re Drinking.

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A Classic, Repackaged: Why Oskar Blues is Bringing Back Pinner IPA

“Bring back Pinner.” It’s a sentiment shared by Oskar Blues Brewery’s biggest fans and casual beer drinkers alike. The pro-Pinner cries have spammed many an Oskar Blues’ Facebook and Instagram comment sections since it was discontinued back in summer of 2019. Pinner’s loyal following come from the beer’s ability to deliver vibrant pineapple and berry flavors with a bit of resinous hop bite in an easy-to-approach session IPA. Now, Oskar Blues’ fan-favorite session IPA, first introduced in 2014, is back by popular demand and public support, as part of the new Pack-O-Bliss Mixed Pack. Here’s a look at what Pinner fans can expect from the comeback of the classic, along with what’s new from Oskar Blues that could become cult favorites down the road. 

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Falling Rock Alternative Festival of Great Beer Aims to Fill Void of GABF

For the past 22 years, on the Monday before the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), one of the country’s most iconic beer bars has helped usher in the event with a celebratory kick-off tapping at 5 p.m.

However this year, on September 21, when Falling Rock Tap House’s GABF countdown timer would normally have ticked down to all zeros, there will be little pomp and circumstance as the festival transitions to a virtual format in response to the pandemic.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Hochzeitsbier von 1810 Brauerei Hofstetten

The concept of an Oktoberfest style beer conjures up whimsical stories similar to those about the creation of IPA and Saison. Cute stories, but not quite accurate. Read More

What We’re Cooking | Rodenbach Rote Grütze

After hours of imbibing in the finest German beers and breads of Oktoberfest, a refreshing, fruity treat is ideal way to slow down into the evening.

Rote Grütze, also known as “Red Groats” is a traditional dessert from Northern Germany that is incredibly easy, customizable, and flexible.

The Flanders Red actually provides a lot of the acidity required to cut through all the tannins from the berries. Rodenbach Alexander goes the extra mile with the character from the oak foeders combined with sour cherries.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Bierstadt Lagerhaus Oktoberfest Märzen

In a year when longstanding traditions have been upended by the unconventional, a Denver brewery is aiming to preserve one of beer’s most time-honored rituals. Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, CO, which has been celebrated since its inception for its unwavering dedication to brewing traditional Lagers, is set to release their vaunted Oktoberfest Märzen Lager. This weekend’s release will coincide with the date that the 210-year-old Oktoberfest festival in Munich was originally scheduled to kick-off before being canceled as a result of the pandemic.

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