Bay City Brewing Co. | Fiesta Island German Pilsner

“We serve great beer with the freshest ingredients all across the county,” said Rob Vetere, chief operating officer for San Diego, California-based Bay City Brewing Co. He believes the brewery has something for everyone — from its Fiesta Island Pilsner on a beach day, to their Jucci Gang Double IPA when it’s time to crank it up a bit.

“There’s a broad spectrum of beer styles we offer,” Vetere said.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Narragansett Life Barleywine

It’s been nearly three months since the last installment of Collaborating for a Cause. This newest collaboration with Narragansett Brewing and their Life barleywine is the perfect place to pick the series back up, highlighting a very special beer that had two iterations bottled exclusively for PorchDrinking.

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Colorado’s Primitive Beer & Cellar West Brewery Team Up for Special Sunday Release

The nature of a beer collaboration is working together with (hopefully somewhat) like-minded people to create a harmonious product that reflects the ethos of both breweries. For Primitive Beer, a brewery only making spontaneous barrel-aged sour beer, this process often involves guest blenders tasting through different barrels to determine “what works together and how they want to emphasize different ingredients,” explains Brandon Boldt, half of the duo running the brewery alongside his wife Lisa Boldt. Creating a collab is a journey that involves drinking and finding the right mix, and a frequent co-conspirator in this process is Zach Nichols of Cellar West Brewery. Together they have made many a beer, and today we will highlight one old and one new collaboration of theirs: SuperMoon SuperFriends and Meager Portmanteau (Blend 2) respectively available this Sunday.

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Incantation Brewing Opening New Taproom & Coffee Shop

The taproom model of brewery expansion has proved to be a popular means for breweries to open new locations while keeping profit margins higher through on-site sales. However, as craft beer sales have slowed and the public is not drinking beer like it used to, breweries must adapt to the changing landscape by offering patrons options beyond beer.

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Mountain Toad Brewing | Golden Stout

In a small town with nine craft breweries it takes a lot to stand out, but Golden, Colorado’s Mountain Toad Brewing’s Golden Stout does just that. The brew may seem a strange choice for summer, but its lighter body and color paired with robust flavors actually make it an all-season brew. Read More

Event Preview | 2024 Denver Rare Beer Tasting

Denver Rare Beer Tasting (DRBT) is back for its 15th edition, and this year it features a brand new location that is sure to excite all beer lovers. For the first time ever, Denver Rare Beer Tasting (DRBT) will be held at the combined space of Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Deep Roots Winery, an intimate environment allowing for the close interactions DRBT is well known for. 

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Former Uhl’s Brewing Owner Revives Denver’s Renegade Brewing

Aaron Uhl is no stranger to taking the road less traveled. The former founder of Boulder’s now-shuttered Uhl’s Brewing took an unconventional path toward realizing his dream of owning his own brewery. And while Uhl’s ultimately shuttered its doors almost exactly a year ago, Uhl himself has announced his return to the Colorado brewing scene by teaming up with new business partner, Dan Colbourne, to revive the Renegade Brewing brand, which announced its own closure just three months prior. And while it’ll be a few months before the revamped Renegade re-opens, they’ll be making a splash by pouring some special beers at this weekend’s Wibby’s Hooplagers Festival on Saturday, July 19.

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Brewery Showcase | WestFax Springs

WestFax has officially opened its second location, located in Colorado Springs! Be sure to stop by to check out the great beers and awesome space!

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Lariat Lodge Brewing | Hiwan Hefeweizen

As a way to spend an idle summer afternoon along Colorado’s Front Range, nothing beats sipping a Lariat Lodge Hiwan Hefewizen while enjoying the valley view from their hilltop deck. This Hefeweizen contains all of the tasty components of the traditional German brew, while the taproom’s prime location offers a mountain-like getaway close to Denver. Read More

Sneak Peek: Pulpit Rock | Barrel-Aged $ticker $hock Imperial Stout

It’s alarming at how quickly time has passed since highlighting Pulpit Rock Brewing Co.’s EIGHT Imperial Stout, one of a handful of beers released as part of its eighth anniversary celebration last August. Year nine for the small Iowa brewery has mirrored this fast pace, as it has continued to grow in popularity and also increased its barrel-aged production. On April 16, the brewery announced a save-the-date for its highly sought after $ticker $hock barrel-aged Imperial Stout. $ticker $hock hasn’t seen a new vintage since 2020, and we’ve collaborated with head brewer Justin Teff and the team in Decorah to provide PorchDrinking readers an exclusive sneak peek at the 2024 iteration ahead of its July 13 public release.

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Shifting Lanes: How Craft Breweries Are Changing Business Structures

Times are tough for craft beer. Once the darling of the tap walls and shelf sets, double-digit sales growth and taprooms springing up on every street corner like that green and white coffee giant. Things seemed like good times would never end, but every party has a pooper, and 2024 is looking like one of the most brutal years so far for craft brewery brands since 2020.

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Hop Seasons | What Happens at a Small Hop Farm Throughout the Year

In the year-long agricultural cycle of beer’s main ingredients, hop harvest gets all the glory. Fresh hop and wet hop beers fill shelves and taplists every fall, a celebration of craft beer’s trendiest ingredient. Brewers flock to the Pacific Northwest (or their local hop yard) to evaluate the season’s best lots and choose hops for the coming year. Most of our “seasonal” beer styles today are nods to tradition rather than agricultural dictate, but these beers are different, a hold out from a time when brewing schedules and beer styles were guided by the growing calendar.

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Fort Point Beer Company | KSA Kölsch

There are many different things you can see and do while visiting San Francisco. Perhaps you take a tour to check out the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge, or maybe while sightseeing, you are able to see Alcatraz Island, which was home to the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. You could even spend time catching a cable car around certain areas of the city. While San Francisco offers a multitude of attractions and things to do, we want to recommend a place for you to visit!

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Event Recap | HOMES Nucleate Fest

HOMES Brewery hosted Nucleate 2024 on June 8 at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The festival was a well-executed event benefitting charity, full of fun times and delicious beers.

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Lua Brewing | Lua’s Birthday Blend Barleywine

A curious question that arises frequently at brewery bars is “How’d you decide on the name?” Sometimes there’s quirky, meaningful backstories, sometimes it’s a spin on the founder’s names, sometimes it’s inspired by their geographic location, or it’s one of a million other possibilities. For Lua Brewing, owners Scott and Whitney Selix found no better namesake for their passion project than their beloved pup. Lua turned 13 years old on March 14th of this year, and a month later the team in Iowa released a very special birthday blend in her honor.
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Anchorage Brewing | Sister, Mother, Daughter Barleywine

For many, craft beer and brewing provides a creative outlet—a unique method of expression. Every day, a different brewery releases a new and exciting beer to share with their consumers, hoping that the quality of their ingredients, brewing expertise and distinct marketing can lead to a successful, conversation-worthy beer. But sometimes, a beer represents so much more. The story and blend of Sister, Mother, Daughter and its inspiration needs to be shared.

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Barrique Brewing | Static Between Worlds Vienna Wine

Those who have extensively followed Barrique Brewing and Blending know that they’re in for a treat whenever a new “wax top” release is announced. While often high gravity and brewed in small batches, one thing that always holds true is that these releases are particularly special to the team in Nashville. Static Between Worlds was no different. A collaboration with former Orpheus Brewmaster—and current owner and Head Brewer of The Hollows in Amsterdam, Netherlands—this massive Vienna Wine sought to capture the essence of the past and promise of what’s to come through a complex tapestry of flavors.

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Most Outstanding Beers from the 2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival

As throngs of attendees patiently huddled shoulder to shoulder in a scene more reminiscent of the starting line to a marathon than the kick-off to beer festival, an palpable buzz … Read More

Taking a Look Back at the 2024 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival

Beer festivals had a long run of relative stability. Many festivals could rely on the same venue to come through year after year, at relatively predictable prices. Core volunteers would be in place each year and many of the same sponsors and breweries could be expected to attend each season. Critically, attendance at these festivals was almost a guarantee. The pandemic blew that all up. Beer festivals are still plenty popular, but now organizers have to contend with a far wider range of potential changes from year to year. It has been a more ruthless and unforgiving world for beer festival planners over the last few years.

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Bringing Culture to the Cup: NB2A Revolutionizes Craft Beer

Craft beer has always been a staple of local communities, serving as a gathering point for people to share stories over a pint. The sense of belonging and support from local patrons fueled the growth of craft beer during its peak years. However, there’s a significant opportunity yet to be fully realized—the untapped potential of Black consumers and brewers in the craft beer industry.

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