Cincinnati Brew Fest Recap

As we often encourage, one of our PorchDrinking followers wanted to join us on the porch. So when Jason Behler requested to share his take on this year’s Cincinnati Brew Festival we were more than happy to give him the floor. Please welcome his contribution! Read More

PorchDrinking Fall Beer Preview 2012

One of the greatest things about fall along with football, leaf piles and apple cider is the stable of fall seasonal beers available. Honestly the multitude of pumpkin and spiced beers on the market can be a bit overwhelming so we tasked our writers with coming up with a fall beer preview. Here’s the variety of fall samplings they came up with. Read More

Inaugural Boulder IPA Festival Part 2

Scott and I originally went into the inaugural Boulder IPA Festival believing that we would only receive 16 four oz. pours. So, when we arrived, we studied the list of 90 beers to star the must-drinks and quickly weeded out the beers we have had over and over again. However, once we checked in and dropped the completely badass “we’re on the guest list” line, we found out that we were VIPs.

Very. Important. Persons. Read More

Inaugural Avery IPA Festival Recap

Here’s the challenging aspect of taking notes while drinking—the more you drink, the more incomprehensible and terse your notes become. You start out detailed, taking into account every distinct characteristic. After several beers, the notes become more brief. Maybe they’ll just list your first impression, if you’re lucky. Several beers later, you’re fortunate to have a listing of the beer you’ve tried. Read More

David Markham’s Avery IPA Winning Homebrew Recipe

We caught up with David Markham, the winner of the Avery IPA Fest homebrew contest, and he was nice enough to share some tips for starting your own homebrew as well as some info about his winning homebrew recipe. David’s Belgian Pale Ale had prominent yeast flavors, but it finished clean. It was not so strongly hop forward nor was it very citrus-y which differs from most traditional American IPAs, but matched well with it’s subtle malty flavors in the background. It would work well as a fall seasonal. Read More

Beervana: Portland, OR (Part 2)

Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF from here on out): So let’s first go over some of the logistics of OBF.  As I said in my previous post, there were about 80 or so breweries present, and it’s all outdoors. Unlike other beer fests, you also choose how much beer you get at each booth. Do you only want a sample? That’ll be one token. A full mug of beer? Four tokens. It’s really a beautiful system. Read More

New Belgium Tour De Fat 2012 – Fort Collins

On a sunny summer Saturday, it’s only 8am and the mercury is already over 80 degrees; today is going to be a hot one. I dug into the bowels of my closet to find whatever mismatch of clothing and/or flair I could get my hands on, grabbed a backpack full of water, sunscreen, and PBR and hopped on my bike. This, my friends, is the beginning ritual for thousands of beer enthused, fun lovers all around the country when New Belgium Brewery’s Tour De Fat rolls into town. Read More

Beervana: Portland, OR (Part 1)

“I gave up clowning years ago.”

“Well in Portland, you don’t have to.”

Easy intro, I know. But here’s the thing—Portland is that hipster. This isn’t a knock against the city. I love Portland. Fantastic public transit, fantastic food, and the beer … my God, the beer. But yes, it’s a very hipster city. More so than Denver. More so than even Boulder. The house we rented on the east side of the city was actually called the “Urban Cabin.” Placard and everything. Read More

Climbing a 14er and Drinking a 12 Ouncer

Typically, Mike Tolliver serves as our resident outdoorsman who hikes, bikes, camps, climbs, rappels, grapples, boulders, skis, snowboards, what not and what have you, all while enjoying a celebratory beverage, after spiking the proverbial flag into mother nature’s ass. Afterwards he’s nice enough to transpose those travails on PorchDrinking while making us all feel like lesser beings. I on the other hand, went on my first camping trip this June. Yes, my first camping trip. However, like most transplants in Colorado, I’ve quickly acclimated to the rest of this great state’s lifestyle by diving head first into the rugged outdoors. The most recent of these adventures involved completing my second 14er. Read More

Fantasy Draft List

Armchair quarterbacks, it’s time to move your recliners to the porch. Nothing goes better together than football and beer —for proof, look no further than the advertisements during any football game ever. And since there’s no shame in having a cold one during a game, it stands to reason that you might as well drink beer during fantasy football too, right?

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Picking Hops With Wynkoop Brewery

On August 9, I was invited to join the Wynkoop brewers and staff to pick locally-grown hops for their beer Belgarado. It is a Belgian style Pale Ale made with all Colorado grown ingredients, except for the yeast. Fresh cut Chinook hops were shipped over to the brewery from Voss Farms in Arvada, CO. One of my friends from Kentucky, Andrew, was in Denver for the week and he was thrilled to be a part of this process. Plus, we were goaded with the promise of free beer.
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Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha 2012

50 Comedians, 100 Beers, One Million Laughs

For six years now, Sawyer Point has turned into a beer haven for two days over the summer. It’s an event that pulls from all demographics and introduces people to new things, something that always gets me excited. With 100 beers to choose from and 35 breweries represented, chances are there are a few brews that weren’t on your radar before.
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I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream! And Beer!

My dad (like most dads I would imagine) has a thing for beer, so every time he comes to visit, we take him to Flipdaddy’s, a burger joint that’s anything but ordinary. Not only do they have amazing burgers (you can even create your own!), but they also have 24 beers on tap, all craft brews. The last time we were there, he had a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and then he ordered a pint of The Poet.
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Epic Ways to Open Beer

It seems like opening a bottle of beer is always an ordeal. For some reason people still haven’t caught on to the concept of a key chain, a sandal, a door, a skateboard, a buzz saw … yes we said a buzz saw. Our friend Kim Rose decided to get creative one day and show us all the way he and his buddies found to open a bottle of beer. Enjoy!

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How to not look like a douchebag about beer

For starters, I apologize for anyone offended by my use of the term douchebag to describe people of unsatisfactory behavior. In all honesty, I thought long and hard about … Read More

The Joys of Summit Drinking

“How long did it take you to acclimate to the thin air?” Coloradans hear this from visitors, from bands we catch at Red Rocks, and from people who have lived … Read More

Beer Olympics … More Coverage

Our friend Halley O’Brien over at Sunday Waffles bring us her outrageously hilarious take on Saturday’s Beer Olympics.  U-S-A, Spain, U-S-A, Spain!

For more from Halley check out halleyobrien.com or … Read More

Beer Olympics … the Beginning of the End

Beer Olympics Logo Created By Erin Horn

I never thought that I’d participate in another Beer Olympics after graduating college. But then again I never thought I’d ever actually graduate … Read More

Race Report and the Bouquet of Beer

Mountain bikers can be grouped fairly easily into two categories: those who finish a ride and talk about how many calories they burned, and those who finish a ride and … Read More

Avery 19th Anniversary Party

I’ve often described the beer industry as a community, but when it comes to the people who work at these establishments, it’s often more fitting to call it a … Read More