Features
Ultimate 6er | Central Texas Dark Lagers
December 2, 2020 | Ruvani De Silva
As the rest of the country slides into winter, Central Texas is still very much in fall mode – and a very welcome fall it is after a scorching summer locked down without the reprieve of our pools and swimming holes. Fall in Central Texas is full of fluctuation – you may need three different outfits in one day, with the temperature taking on the desert-like tendency to drop dramatically once the sun goes down. For weather like this, we brew up a fine selection of Dark Lagers – beers versatile enough to warm us when we’re being whipped by the wind but light enough to refresh us on those remaining sun-drenched days.
Braxton Brewing’s Annual Dark Charge Release Goes Virtual
December 1, 2020 | Kindsey Bernhard
Like every event in 2020, Braxton Brewing Company’s Sixth Annual Dark Charge Day is going to look different this year: The annual release of their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout, Dark Charge, will be held online.
The good: Instead of waking up early on a Saturday with your BA Stout loving friends and waiting in line in the cold, you will be able to purchase Dark Charge variants from the comfort of your couch. The bad: There will be no big celebration at the Covington, KY taproom.
Lifelong Friends Open Indian-Inspired Brewery in Chicago
November 26, 2020 | Kindsey Bernhard
When longtime friends Ray Schrand (Gator) and Bhavik Modi decided to open yet another brewery in Chicago—a city with close to 80 breweries—they knew their brewery needed to set itself apart. Thankfully, they didn’t have to do a lot of thinking.
Azadi Brewing Company opened its doors November 14 inside Pilot Project Brewing in Chicago’s Logan Square. That day also happened to be Diwali, India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. Azadi opened with two beers on tap: Kavi, a Cardamom Golden Ale; and Gir, a Kesar Mango IPA.
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Bee to Bottle | All Abuzz About Honey Beers
November 26, 2020 | David Nilsen
“Brewers like to craft things, so we ask them, ‘What is it you’re looking to do?’”
Whatever the answer, Keith Seiz likely has good advice to offer any brewer or distiller looking to incorporate honey. Seiz is a representative of the National Honey Board, and—along with honey sommelier Alison Conklin—recently presented information on honey beer and spirits for a group of industry writers and editors.
5 Questions with Bunkhouse Brewery Owner Andy Stohlmann
November 26, 2020 | Justin Pennel
There are currently well over 7,000 breweries in the U.S., each of them have a unique story to tell. Bunkhouse Brewery in Bozeman, Montana is a unique nano-brewery located steps away from the campus of Montana State University and the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. Bunkhouse is what many would consider a neighborhood brewery. They only distribute to a couple accounts and heavily rely on taproom foot traffic and sales. These types of breweries have been hit hard during the COVID pandemic and have had to get creative and adjust on the fly. Fortunately, Bunkhouse is producing as much beer as ever and is still focusing on the community aspect of the brewery.
Ultimate 6er | Colorado Beers to Pair with Thanksgiving 2020
November 25, 2020 | Tristan Chan
There’s no sugar-coating the fact that for many across the country, this year’s Thanksgiving might not inspire the same level of festive joy, gratitude, and goodwill as in previous years. And while most are likely scaling back their Thanksgiving feasts this Thursday still gives us an opportunity to reflect back on the positives that have emerged through times of adversity, while also giving us hope toward a better new year. And hey, perhaps the positive might just be that you get to avoid talking politics with family members.
Ultimate 6er | A Beer For Each Family Member This Thanksgiving
November 25, 2020 | Emma Wargolet
With a deep love for family and friends and food, Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday (until someone brings up politics). It also means that afterwards, I can blast All I Want for Christmas Is You as much as I want and no one can say anything.
Indulgent Beer Series | Hill Farmstead Samuel
November 25, 2020 | Karl Kalinkewicz
Everyone has their own definition of indulgent. It could be a decadent chocolate cake that pushes the boundaries of your sweet tooth and your waistband. It might be a 5-star spa day or a vending machine that distributes gold bars. There may be no clearer measure of an indulgent purchase, however, than seeing the facial expression of a beer non-connoisseur when you tell them you have spent $50+ on a single bottle of beer. Hill Farmstead Samuel becomes the latest release to stress-test the wallet, especially in the midst of a pandemic that is making us reevaluate our financial priorities. Read More
Little Fish Brewing Comes to Dayton
November 24, 2020 | David Nilsen
Little Fish Brewing Company is coming to Dayton, OH.
When the news broke last week, beer fans across the Gem City let loose a celebratory cheer. The Athens, OH-based brewery known for its mixed-fermentation sour and farmhouse-style beers (they just won their first GABF medal for Cleft) has been distributing bottles to the Dayton market for years and has long been one of the most respected breweries in the state. Still, the two-and-a-half-hour drive along Ohio’s winding back roads was always a lot for Dayton beer fans who wanted to visit the Athens taproom. Now, Little Fish will be just a short walk from downtown.
The Blackest Friday with Black Calder Brewing Co.
November 24, 2020 | Emma Wargolet
Black Calder Brewing, a new brewery opening in Michigan, launches on Black Friday. As the first Black-owned brewery in Michigan, owners Terry Rostic and Jamaal Ewing recognize how significant this is for representation and diversity in craft beer. PorchDrinking chatted by email with Rostic and Ewing to find out more about Black Calder Brewing and what to expect from the brewery.
Brewery Showcase | Chimera Brewing
November 18, 2020 | Kindsey Bernhard
When the opportunity became available to take ownership of False Idol Independent Brewers, V-Grits owner Kristina Addington was ready to combine her two passions; vegan food and craft beer.
False Idol worked in partnership with V-Grits inside the same building in Louisville, KY, but both the brewery and vegan restaurant operated under two different ownerships. Addington took ownership of False Idol brewery in October and rebranded it as Chimera Brewing.
Indulgent Beer Series | New Holland Brewing Company Dragon Milk Solera
November 18, 2020 | Jessica Spengler
New Holland Brewing Company Dragon’s Milk is something of a legend. Not only was it one of the first Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stouts, but it has crushed the competition since it’s release, remaining the #1 best selling BBA in the United States. It was unsurprising, then, throughout the years, when the brewery released its Dragon’s Milk and Dragon’s Milk Reserve lines, all focusing on variations of the original stout. However, legends evolve, and often the result of that evolution is unexpected. The newest addition to the original line, Dragon’s Milk Solera, shows just that. Although it fits the high expectations of a Dragon’s Milk beer, it’s not a stout.
Lakewood & Intrinsic Breweries Collaborate on “Zombieland”-Themed Halloween Stouts
November 17, 2020 | Ruvani De Silva
One takeaway from 2020 is that when it comes to surviving an apocalypse, we all need a reason to keep going. For many of us, beer has been a saving grace in this most trying of years but back in 2009, cult horror-comedy movie “Zombieland”’s Tallahassee (aka Woody Harrelson) got his motivation in the form of a Twinkie – the classic American cream-sponge cake produced by Hostess. These “spongy, yellow, delicious bastards” have, in turn, inspired a Halloween tag-team brewing project from Lakewood Brewing and Intrinsic Smokehouse and Brewery – a salute to the “Zombieland” opening scene in their home town of Garland, TX. In the “Zombieland” franchise, the Twinkie acts as a beacon, a signifier – a sign that survival is indeed possible. And when the world is coming to an end, there are certainly worse things to do than hunt for your favorite snack.
Opening in a Pandemic | Here Today Brewery & Kitchen Eyes Spring 2021
November 17, 2020 | Tristan Chan 4
Over the past eight months, we’ve heard many stories of creativity, resilience and perseverance throughout the on-going pandemic. For many in the beer industry, this period has called for the necessity to adapt in order to survive. But for those ambitious entrepreneurs who had just barely begun working toward their dreams of launching a brewery, these past few months have been just as trying in different ways.
Cheers, Yinz! A Beer Fest That Gives Back to Breweries
November 13, 2020 | Aaron Gore
The culture of craft beer has always had a strong connection to the communities in which it thrives. For many of us, our neighborhood brewery is far more than merely a place that produces the things we enjoy drinking–it is a community center, a gathering place, and an intrinsic part of our daily lives, not to mention a foundational element for hobbies, relationships, and fostering a sense of place. Enter Cheers, Yinz!, a beer festival built to help beloved local breweries weather the economic (and emotional) effects of decreased sales and temporary closures.
Faces in Beer | WeldWerks Brewing Co.
November 12, 2020 | Jaclyn Menendez
Welcome to Faces in Beer, one of PorchDrinking’s most ambitious projects ever.
Normally when a new writer joins our team, they go through a process where they cut their teeth on some easy first assignments–a beer showcase, or maybe an Ultimate 6er. Not Erik Stabile. Our newest writer pitched his onboarding project without hesitation: “I want to take film photographs of brewers and develop the film in the beer they brewed.”
Intrigued? So were we. Stabile explained he had been experimenting with developing photos in unconventional mediums and was ready to try craft brews. The pH of every beer is slightly different, and therefore each photo would theoretically reflect the unique makeup of that beer. It was going to be a temperamental process and potentially a giant failure, so naturally we were totally on board.
First Taste | Cruz Blanca’s 2020 Luchador Series
November 12, 2020 | Mike Zoller 1
Each year, Chicago’s Cruz Blanca continues to get bolder with its barrel-aged series, Luchador. In 2019 the brewery released six different variants and in 2020 upped that number to eight different masked bottles that will be released this Saturday.
Ultimate 6er | The Gloom Index of Radiohead
November 11, 2020 | Seth Garland
“We live in strange times,” Thom Yorke said to Stephen Colbert in 2019. “It’s not my fault.”
If you’re a Radiohead fan to any degree, please read on. You may be fond of this article, but not in love. Calm. Read at a better pace; slower and more calculated. Become an informed member of society. No longer empty and frantic. Be prepared to nerd out.
Wild Leap Brew Co. | Birthday Month Triple IPA
November 11, 2020 | Dave Drury
Wild Leap Brew Co. decided that just one day wasn’t enough for their birthday so, instead, the LaGrange, Georgia brewery decided to celebrate their third anniversary over the entire month of September.
An Interview with GABF’s Biggest Winners, Sun King
November 10, 2020 | Aaron Gore
When one thinks about the state of Indiana, a few things may immediately come to mind. Corn, basketball and the show “Parks and Recreation” are all likely answers but for many, craft beer is not necessarily one of them. That is a shame, considering that at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival competition, the Hoosier State picked up an impressive 10 medals and was home to the brewery with the highest number of winning beers overall: Sun King Brewing.
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