Ultimate 6er | DC Swamp 6-Pack

The DC crew of PorchDrinking.com actually doesn’t get together terribly often; you all know that we’re important young professionals who wine and dine on K Street each evening. When we do get together, notably to welcome a new writer (hi, Emily Gallt!), we sip and taste beers, both old and new favorites.

Featured image is the Southwest Waterfront in DC on a muggy, sticky summer night. All other images courtesy of corresponding breweries. 

We recently met at Penn Commons, a great restaurant and bar in Chinatown that boasts a solid beer list. It was a sweltering day, so we were aching for anything to cool us down. Here’s our picks. Read More

Ultimate 6er | The Literary Beer Collection

Brewers get their inspiration from a great deal of sources. It is by no surprise that we see beers giving the proverbial nod to great literary works and writers. Both are art forms in their own right that tend to fuel our imaginations. In my opinion, our respect for the literary imagination rivals that of any other creative art. Second only to really good beer, of course! Read More

Ultimate 6er | Summer Seasonal Beers

I was brutally reminded yesterday that it’s almost August. Not only did that mean rent was due, but summer is flying by fast. If you live in the Midwest, you know that means you are soon going to be slapped in the face with 4-8 months of winter, depression and an overall desperation for spring to arrive to save you from the depths of Hell.

Instead of focusing on all that nonsense, I will try to embrace the rest of the summer, and take advantage of all the great seasonal summer beers, some you can still buy all year round, and some you can’t. Either way, any of these beers will add a little sparkle to the remaining summer.

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Ultimate 6er | National Picnic Month

It seems that the list of “holidays” has grown to epic proportions of nonsense these days. I’m not talking about legitimate fiestas that trace their roots to ancient pagan traditions like Easter, Halloween and Groundhog Day. I’m talking about those Instagram hashtag holidays like Sibling Day, No Pants Day and National Cheeseburger Day. Full disclosure, I am a card carrying celebrant of these three festivals but surely In-n-Out had a hand in creating at least one of them.

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Ultimate 6er | Texas Beers to Beat the Summer Heat

With summer upon us, days in Texas can be brutal – rising temperatures heading into the triple digits call for ways to stay hydrated. What could be more appropriate than a cold brew on a hot day? Those perfectly suited for the Texas scorching heat that can equally be enjoyed all day or even poolside. So put aside the lemonade and water, here is the Ultimate 6er of Texas beers to beat the summer heat. Read More

Ultimate 6er | 2016 Presidential Contenders (Part II)

When I wrote the original Ultimate 6er for 2016 Presidential Contenders list, there were only four confirmed presidential candidates across the political spectrum. To my delight, 15 candidates have announced since then, making it high time for a second round of the Ultimate 6er: 2016 Presidential Contenders.
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Ultimate 6er | Obama’s Big Week

Given the increasingly gridlocked landscape of American politics it’s kind of astounding that anything ever happens in Washington. But amazingly, President Obama’s administration strung together a big week of victories. Here are six brews I hope he’s sipping while celebrating the outcomes.
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Ultimate 6er | Bottle Share Shakedown

It’s always a good start to the weekend getting a group text from your friend: “Hey, I brought back a different beer from each of the countries I’ve visited in Europe and I’d like to host a bottle share.” Granted, this friend would be flying back that morning! So, round up the troops, snag a couple of brews from our stash and head on down the way.

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Ultimate 6er | Summer Treat Beers

We may be 2 weeks away from the official start of summer. But for a majority of the country, there’s already been at least a couple days of some back sweat and sunburned noses. Which of course means it’s more than appropriate to break out the summer treats. Instead of getting sticky with melting snow cones or the sadness of losing a scoop of vanilla to the ants, grab one of these summer inspired beers instead. Or even throw them in the freezer for a frozen beer treat!

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Ultimate 6er | Carolina Cans

Today, we’re going on a little adventure with six new (to me) North Carolina beers, all of which come in cans. There are brews representing the piedmont cities of Raleigh, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, and Fuquay-Varina; those in the foothills, Hickory and Morganton; and the Land of the Sky, mountainous Asheville. We’re gonna see a lot, so hang on and please enjoy.

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Ultimate 6er | Fruit Beers II: Taste the Rainbow

While gay acceptance has been steamrolling through America in the last three decades, gay bars haven’t been as quick to welcome the plethora of new options in craft beers, sticking mostly to your tried and true macro brews with an occasional hometown hero in the mix. I personally blame vodka lobbyists and a vast lite beer Illuminati conspiracy for the dearth of options.

With that in mind I thought the time was perfect to create a Rainbow Collection of fruit beers to keep you cool in the heat and keep the party going wherever you are, be it parade route, dance floor, sports bar, hanging out at home or in line to buy a genuine silver buckle at Charlie’s Denver. Real Talk: who’s buying a belt buckle at 1 a.m.? Inquiring minds want to know.

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Ultimate 6er | Brewnuts

This week’s Ultimate 6er is a little different. Over the weekend my friend Christine was in Cleveland for a wedding, and she sent me the above photo of the most amazing looking doughnuts I’ve ever seen. The best part? They’re made with beer! Read More

Ultimate 6er | River Beers

There’s no feeling quite like hearing the whir of your fly reel while the brown trout you’ve hooked makes a run—except for the feeling of drinking a tasty cold one with the fresh memory of landing that lunker. This Ultimate 6er, River Beers, keeps your thirst quenched before, during, and after a day on the water.
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Ultimate 6er | FRIENDS Beers

Your early 20s brings a lot of surprises, doesn’t it? A few that come to mind immediately: It really isn’t that easy to find your lobster, rent is way … Read More

Ultimate 6er | 6 Southern Beers to Shoot the Hooch

Summer in Atlanta means three things: drenching humidity, the annual 4th of July Peachtree 10K Road Race (which is held in the drenching humidity), and Shooting the Hooch.

While Shooting the Hooch may sound a little NSFW, we promise, it’s not. “Hooch” is short for the Chattahoochee River, and “Shootin’” means you’re leisurely floating down said river in an inner tube — and trust me, you’re going to need a beer for that. Read More

Ultimate 6er | 2016 Presidential Contenders

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We still have a long, expensive, and amusing campaign season ahead of us before the 2016 presidential election, so I thought it would be wise to make sure we’re all aware of which beers pair best with each candidate’s shenanigans. I think you’ll find that each of the beers in this list will have its own time and place to be enjoyed in the next 18 months as the as the pool of candidates grows, fights with itself, and ultimately shrinks to a few shrewd (or lucky) frontrunners. So read on for the only source of political news you’ll need today, the Ultimate 6er for 2016 Presidential Contenders. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Super Trooper Sixer

ABV: A LOT
IBU: Not bitter at all really

In college, after a night of fun, my roommates and I came home to a choice of two movies. Caddyshack or Super Troopers? Always a difficult decision, though I can say Super Troopers took the advantage by about 120 or so watchings. Between this time spent burning the script, verbatim, into my head, and the relatively equal time spent doing the same with my brother, its not unreasonable to state that 75% of the words exchanged between myself and my brother are 1 liners from Super Troopers. So, when the rumor mill started churning about a sequel, I may have gotten excited.

Once the rumor was replaced with fact, the chaps of Broken Lizard (the guys in the movie) told the world that the studio would produce it but not pay for it. So they launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo with a goal of $2 million in 30 days. And they hit that goal in ONE DAY. With perks like “one of the cop cars from the movie” and tickets to “join us at Beerfest,” it’s not exactly surprising.

The Lizards note that on a daily basis they are asked the question “Who wants a mustache ride?” Though Super Troopers was a low budget, indie film, there is clearly a rabid fan base here. So, in honor of the Troopers rocking success ($3.2 million as of this writing), today’s Ultimate 6er will be wrapped around the characters that made the first movie so damn funny. Read More

Ultimate 6er | March Madness Beers

I think you can tell from the shredded scraps of paper you hold in your hands you used to call your bracket, the first weekend of March Madness has come … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Alliterative Ales

I’m incredibly intrigued and enamored by alliteration. Rapid repetition rewards readers, requires readiness and reaps reward. Wow, it is tough to keep that up. With so many beers that have incredibly creative names, I thought I would focus on breweries that utilized my favorite stylistic literary device. I’ll allow my inner word-nerd to come out to say that alliteration has multiple forms, but I am going to focus on the repeated sound of the first consonant in a series of words. While I would love to put Founders Peter Piper Peppered Pale Ale on my list, I was not fortunate enough to try this taproom-only creation from a few years back.

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Ultimate 6er | Wood-Aged Beers Worth Bragging About

A month after the Super Bowl, Budweiser’s infamous, widely-derided “Brewed the Hard Way” advertisement is still polluting our commercial breaks, eliciting groans and chuckles from anybody who likes to fuss over their beer. During this pathetic, moronic, and unoriginal 60-second viewing experience, one of the most eye roll-worthy moments is their mention of beechwood aging. In a triumphant, chest-thumping, knuckle-dragging celebration of all things mediocre, I suppose it’s appropriate, because the process is all about speedy lagering and filtering, not taste. After being processed in sodium bicarbonate, the beechwood chips they use contribute no flavor whatsoever. In contrast, I’d like to showcase six wood-aged craft brews using woods that actually contribute something to the beer.

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