Features
San Francisco Beer Week 2020 | Can’t Miss Events
February 6, 2020 | Constance Del Rio
We here on the Pacific Team are hella stoked on San Francisco Beer Week 2020 and enjoyed both the San Francisco and Berkeley media previews. Now that SFBW is knocking on our door, what better way to get pumped then finding some killer events to attend?! The first night, February 7th, is a no brainer – SFBW Opening Night Gala on Pier 35, put on by the Bay Area Brewers Guild. Our Team has combed through the massive amount of events being put on over the 10 day craft beer week, and honestly still looking cause wow there is a lot happening, and found some can’t miss events for ya’ll!
Event Preview | 2020 Brewbies Festival
February 6, 2020 | Jadon Flores
Of all of the beer events that are out there today, only a handful are as important and meaningful and well as educational as Brewbies. Started just about 11 years ago by Melanie (Mel) Pierce, it was the idea to help the community become more educated about breast cancer and checking for early signs while you get to support research foundations fight against the big C. (while of course drinking some rad brews!)
Event Preview | 2020 Uppers & Downers
February 6, 2020 | Mike Zoller
What started out as a beer festival for coffee beers has evolved into a full-blown celebration of coffee and all the unique ways it can be used in a wide variety of liquids.
After yet another successful event last year, Good Beer Hunting’s Uppers and Downers returns to Thalia Hall on February 23 with two sessions bringing together some of the most iconic coffee roasters, breweries, and distilleries under one roof.
The Marketing Magic Behind New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger IPA Series
February 4, 2020 | Taylor Laabs
Chances are, if you’ve perused a liquor store in the past few years you’ve passed a suspiciously sublime skeleton emblazoned on bright cardboard. Much like the aggressive hop bill inside, New Belgium Brewing Company brewed its Voodoo Ranger series to stand out both in flavor and branding. Launched in 2017, the Voodoo Ranger IPA series has quickly become a foundational pillar of the New Belgium portfolio. We asked New Belgium’s Director of Brand Marketing, Kyle Bradshaw, about the growth of the brand, how it has been able to connect so effectively with consumers and what comes next.
Dry January | A Month in Review
February 3, 2020 | Rachel Morrison
On January 1st, I nursed the worst hangover I hope to have all year. Your typical headache/nausea/gilt hangover combination only made possible by mixing all the different types of drinks as if the new year actually started with a clean slate when the clock struck midnight. I had already planned to do dry January for the second year in a row, but this helped to reaffirm my decision, fast.
San Francisco Beer Week Event Recap | San Francisco Media Preview
January 31, 2020 | Danielle Engel
San Francisco Beer Week, February 7th through the 16th, spans much larger than the name might suggest. So when the Bay Area Brewers Guild threw media events this year, they decided to split them into two. One that took place on January 21st, with a write up found here. The second taking place this last Tuesday, January 28th with representatives of their Coastal, San Francisco, and Silicon Valley chapters of the guild.
The State of Independent Hop Farming
January 28, 2020 | Max Sundermeyer
Mighty Axe Hops is an 80-acre hop farm located near Foley, Minnesota, roughly a 90-minute drive northwest from Minneapolis. It’s the largest hop farm from Michigan to Idaho and grows 13 varieties of hops.
2020 WeldWerks Invitational Initial Brewery List Announced
January 22, 2020 | Karen Mills
Last week, WeldWerks Brewing announced that tickets for their third WeldWerks Invitational beer festival will go on sale on February 8th, 2020 at 10:00 AM MST. Despite only its third year in existence the event has already risen to become regarded as one of the country’s best beer events in terms of collective talent of both breweries and beers. In the past, breweries such as Side Project, Perennial, Moksa, 3 Sons, and more have utilized the event as a platform to showcase their best and brightest. The Invitational also brings out WeldWerks’ own rarities in their Medianoches, Pastry Stouts, and Hazy IPAs. There’s so much to look forward to at this year’s event, which will take place on June 20, 2020.
Inside Revolution Brewing’s Barrel Program Ahead of Cuvée De Grâce & Ten Year Beer
January 22, 2020 | Mike Zoller
From late September through the end of February Revolution Brewing’s Marty Scott has one thing on his mind – barrel-aged beer. As the brewery’s Barrel Program Lead, he’s been … Read More
Beer School | An Overview of the Country’s Best Beer Education Programs
January 16, 2020 | Rachel Morrison
Beer School is officially in session. To ease your nerves on the first day, I’d like to remind you why you’re here – for the love of beer, of course. No matter how technical beer school can get, just keep that in mind.
Today is about answering some questions about yourself. What do you want to do with beer? Why are you here? Is this something that you’d like to use as a future fun fact about yourself during an awkward work ice breakers or would you like to use beer school as a stepping stone for your future in beer? Let’s get started.
Rhinegeist Brewery | Calfé
January 16, 2020 | Brian Haitz
This Calfé Milk Stout will lift your spirits and warm your bones. Brought to you by Rhinegeist Brewery, this brew is everything a milk stout should be: dark, roasty and creamy.
Ultimate 6er | DC Comics Heroes and Villains and Craft Beer
January 15, 2020 | Marc Beckley
From the gritty streets of Gotham to the alien world of Krypton, we decided to take a look at what the DC Comic Universe’s most renowned heroes and villains would drink after a long day (or night) of crime-fighting and chaos creating.
The main set of DC Comics characters that come to mind in a Family Feud kind of way include Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman (The Dark Knight), Bane, The Joker and his chosen Gotham City siren, Harley Quinn. Each one of these deep, complex and foreboding characters loves a good solid IPA like Eliot from Ex Novo Brewing in Portland: clean, crisp and always solid with its hop-forward citrus, resinous and dank flavors.
A Different Kind of Hangover | The Mourning After
January 14, 2020 | Seth Garland 1
It’s a rare, quiet moment in the house, about 1:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. I’ve got an understandably stressed-out wife and a brother-in-law actively dying from cancer in my home. Peaceful moments are few and far between. Selfishly, I crave these quiet moments more than anything else in life right now—the moments when we don’t hear the labored wheezing or pained moaning that stems from cancer eating through the bones of a man who’s barely old enough to be considered middle-aged.
Deschutes Announces Additions to their 2020 Release Calendar
January 10, 2020 | Karen Mills
“New Year, New Beer” pretty much sums up Deschutes Brewery‘s 2020 release announcement. The Bend, Ore., local has added many innovative offerings to its lineup, and now that we’re in 2020, Deschutes is adding even more. Deschutes will be providing new offerings to its year-round releases, limited releases, the Brewery Reserve Series, Small Batch Reserves and draft-only releases.
So, without further ado, here are the descriptions the brewery shared of what you’ll be able to look forward to in the Deschutes 2020 lineup.
Great Lakes Brewing Company Announces 2020 Release Lineup
January 9, 2020 | Karen Mills
Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) recently announced their lineup for 2020. Some of the highlights from their announcement includes canning Dortmunder Gold Lager, Great Lakes IPA, and Mexican Lager with Lime, as well as two new Legendary Series offerings and a Limited Release bottle series.
2020 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines External Events Roundup
January 9, 2020 | Karen Mills
The Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines Festival will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with their 2020 event this year. Over the years, the festival has grown to extend beyond the walls of the Commercial Tasting event, much like what happens each year with GABF. Now, the town of Breckenridge plays host to an assortment of events the week of Big Beers. So, we decided to help round-up everything happening outside of the festival itself. While you’re planning your weekend in Breckenridge, be sure to also check out the 2020 Big Beers 20th Reunion Special Pours and our breakdown of the Commercial Tasting Pour List.
Great Divide Announces New Beers and Seltzer for 2020 Lineup
January 2, 2020 | Tristan Chan
After seeing continued success with Great Divide’s Hazy IPA and last year’s addition of a Juicy Double IPA, Great Divide is adding another hazy offering to its 2020 release calendar. … Read More
PorchDrinking’s Best in Beer 2019 | Mountain Region
January 2, 2020 | Tristan Chan
It’s been an interesting year in beer to say the least. This year we set out to explore a wider array of breweries and beers and came back pretty surprised by what we discovered. And while it would be nearly impossible to break down the best beers from 2019, we looked back on some of our favorites from the past year as well as some of the most stand-out breweries, beer festivals and stories from 2019. Enough exposition, let’s get straight to the honors.
A Year Without Hazy IPAs
December 30, 2019 | Mike Zoller
At the end of last year, I wrote a piece on how in 2019 I was going to stop drinking hazy IPAs. Many people didn’t read past the headline and assumed it was just a purely negative piece on hazy IPAs; however, that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Recapping Five Trends from a Crazy 2019 In the Craft Beer Industry
December 24, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
What a decade it has been for beer drinkers. In 10 years, craft beer went from a bundle of small upstarts to a booming and cutthroat industry that has solidified itself as an important part of social culture. 2019 was a fitting conclusion to a wild decade of beer as the past 12 tumultuous months offered readers and drinkers alike a bevy of perplexing headlines, new beers, exciting new initiatives and cautious optimism for what is to come in 2020. The year offered too many topics, trends and social media flareups to count, but I thought it would be helpful to recap five of the most notable trends I observed this year.
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