PorchDrinking’s Best in Beer 2018 | Chicago Metro Region

What a year for Chicago (and it’s neighboring suburbs). Amid winning a bevy of medals from high-profile events like GABF and FOBAB, the Windy City also took home the title for most breweries (167) within the metro region – an impressive feat indeed. With so many breweries making so many amazing beers, it’s safe to say Chicago beer drinkers were more than spoiled this year as they indulged in some of the best barrel-aged stouts and hazy IPAs in the U.S.

PorchDrinking’s Chicago crew diligently drank through many amazing beers this year. Some wowed us, others impressed with their creativity and several just made us warm and fuzzy.

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Schlafly Final Ibex Cellar Release of 2018 | Barrel Aged Barleywine

Schlafly is releasing a Barrel Aged Barleywine, the last “From The Ibex Cellar” series of 2018. The Schlafly Ibex Cellar series is one for which I’ve grown antiquated since my first visit to the Ibex Cellar in 2017, located beneath the historic Schlafly taproom in downtown St. Louis with friend and local brewing legend, Stephen Hale.

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Ultimate 6er | Snowed-In in Michigan

Growing up in Michigan, I have always found myself amazed at the power of snow. An overnight snowfall has the strength to shut down roads, schools, businesses, and any plans that I have for the day. As an employee of the public school system, I am one of those blessed adults who is still able to enjoy the thrill of having the phone ring at 5:30 a.m. to tell me that it is a snow day. My favorite winter days are those where the snow falls so quickly and in such great amounts that we have no choice but to stay home cozied up under blankets by our fireplace. With West Michigan’s “lake-effect snow,” it is not uncommon to have blizzards that last for several days in a row, making even a simple run to the grocery store a hazardous undertaking. Therefore, from November through March, I have learned to always be prepared by stocking our home with the essentials: a space heater, frozen pizzas, and of course, a few beers to keep us warm and cozy throughout these snowy days.

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Saugatuck Brewing Company | BBA Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout

Living in Michigan as a beer lover is pretty much the best. You can’t throw a beer bottle without hitting a brewery, particularly in West Michigan. Because of this, our standards are quite high, and we do not suffer bad beer to live. In the same note, to stand out, breweries must be more than above average at something. Saugatuck Brewing Company is one such brewery, and what they excel at is making layered, complex and all around tasty beers. One of their mainstays is Neapolitan Milk Stout, a beer I particularly like, and have said so on this website. Because of my nice profile, Saugatuck contacted PorchDrinking.com and asked if we’d like to profile the barrel aged version of Neapolitan, their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Neapolitian MIlk Stout, to which I immediately said hell yes. Read More

Brewery Showcase | BiXi Beer

When brewmaster Eymard Freire first joined the BiXi Beer project he wasn’t married and had no kids. But by the time BiXi opened, Freire was married and his daughter was six months old. Plagued by multiple setbacks, BiXi finally opened in August 2018. The wait was worth it.

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Deep Wood vs. Bourbon County | Who Won in Chicago?

With Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout now fully released and Revolution’s Deep Wood series with one more small release in January, we can take a step back and see how these beers stacked up against one another this year.

In no way am I saying that these are the best and only barrel-aged Stouts coming out of Chicago that we should talk about this season. However, when you have two behemoths like Revolution and Goose Island in one city, it’s hard not to compare them side-by-side with their biggest releases.

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Brewery Showcase | Oswego Brewing Company

The addition of suburban-Chicago’s Oswego Brewing Company (May, 2018) further demonstrates that the craft beer industry is far from “too crowded.” Oswego Brewing has fit in nicely, thank you, and is drawing in its own new loyal crowd of craft beer fans. Operating out of spacious building — the town’s former fire station — and under the direction of the multi-award winning head brewer, Marc Wilson, Oswego Brewing deftly balances the art of offering sophisticated special releases alongside solid, versatile year-round and seasonal choices.
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Great Lakes Brewing Company Releases 2019 Beer Lineup

Born in 1988, the 30-year-old independent and employee-owned brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) has announced its 2019 lineup. Alongside favorites such as Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and Burning River Pale Ale, GLBC unveils its new, year-round Great Lakes IPA, an IPA that honors its employee owners. As well, GLBC has a new cocktail-inspired Buckin’ Mule Moscow Mule Ale, and the Moses Mix Variety Pack, which features Holy Moses White Ale alongside two variants. But, that’s not all. New cans, new branding and new beers highlight the schedule for next year.
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Moody Tongue | BBA Chocolate Barleywine

Given the fact that its buried in snow and doesn’t see the sun for 6 months out of the year, It comes to no surprise the Chicago doesn’t even rank in American’s top 50 fittest cities. But where Chicago lacks in fitness, friendliness, honest politicians, and low taxes, it makes up with its food and beer scene.

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Guide to New Year’s Eve Parties at Chicago Craft Breweries

New Year’s Eve is a time for renewal, a time for hope. And, a time for beer and drinks. Don’t miss out on some of Chicago’s best craft-brewery NYE events. Each one invites drinkers to have some food, beer, fun activities and, of course, a midnight countdown. This summary gives you the scoop, but we encourage you to click on the links to read some of the finer print.

Here’s to 2019!

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Here’s Where to Find Founders Brewing CBS & KBS in Colorado

When we first broke the news back in August that Founders Brewing would finally be arriving in Colorado for distribution, the immediate flood of questions we fielded from readers centered … Read More

Surly Brewing Announces 2019 Beer Release Calendar & Boxed Six-Packs

Surly Brewing has announced its plans for 2019, which include (among other items) the return of its Brooklyn Center Small Batch series and Seasonal Variety Packs.

The popular Minnesota brewery also announced several new items for 2019 such as boxed six-packs (12 oz. cans) and a new, year-round hazy IPA in 16 oz. cans.

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Dovetail Brewery Releases Helles as First Can

Almost one year after releasing its first bottled beer, Dovetail Brewery brings its signature Helles to cans. Beginning this week, locals can pick up a four-pack of the 16-ounce cans at the brewery’s North Center taproom. Read More

Wooden Cask | Corruption

When it comes to defining the character of a brewery, there are a lot of decisions to be made, the most important being the type of beer that will be brewed. And Wooden Cask Brewing knew that providing the same modern styles as other breweries wouldn’t make them stand out; it also didn’t represent who they are.

So to gain recognition and embrace their favorite styles, Wooden Cask brews traditional styles that are often overlooked as other breweries are making hazy IPAs and pastry stouts.

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Getting Insight into the Brut IPA Trend

Beer fans routinely face a learning curve when presented with new beer styles, including variations on IPAs, such as New England, Milkshake and the latest trend—Brut IPA. So, to be better understand “Bruts,” Rob Abel, head brewer at Ferguson Brewing (St. Louis area) offers insight into the increasingly popular style of IPA.

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Schlafly Beer | The Variant II Brandy Barrel & Sour Cherry Aged Stout

On Saturday, December 8, at 11 a.m., Schlafly Beer will release The Variant II at its taproom in St. Louis and, in limited fashion, to the broader market. The Variant II is a sophisticated blend of two different variations of the base 9.4% Imperial Stout, receiving flavor from barrels that once held brandy (usually made by fermenting wine), as well as with sour cherries. The elegant beer suits anyone seeking to indulge during the holidays, especially those who possess a mutual love of craft beer and mixology.

“Tart cherries are soaked inside a generous stout and aged in brandy barrels—it’s enough to make you skip right to dessert,” explains founding Brewer Stephen Hale. “Imperial is the right word. This rich, creamy, luxurious experience brings a taste of extravagance, sip after sip. All is right with the world.”

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Founders Brewing 2019 Beer Release Calendar Teases Return of CBS

Just as Santa prepares to deliver toys across the globe, Founders Brewing has announced what gifts it has in store for beer drinkers throughout 2019. Founders, which recently expanded its distribution to a total of 47 states by adding Colorado, has unveiled its 2019 Beer Release Calendar. One item that jumps off the page involves the inclusion of its increasingly popular Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS).

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Chicago Quick Sips | Dec. 3 Chicago Beer News & Events

Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].

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BrewDog’s DogHouse Craft Beer Hotel is Disneyland for Drinkers

Craft beer is always best enjoyed locally, straight from the brewery taproom. But if you can drink at the source, why not sleep at the source, too?

While Columbus, Ohio, has seen a craft beer renaissance in recent years, it has never reached the status of a beer destination that Portland, Oregon, or Asheville, North Carolina, have achieved. That quickly changed once BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt stepped foot in the heart of the Buckeye State. Impressed with the midwestern city’s hospitality, he and his BrewDog team set out to build the world’s first craft beer hotel, raising funds through a crowdfunding website. It didn’t take long before they had more money than they knew what to do with, and the rest is history.

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5 Beer Instagram Tips and Discoveries for a Better Beer Blog

November marks one full year since we kicked off our beer blog, Ale Adventures. In that time, we’ve had a lot of incredible opportunities and highlights which we shared about in our last post. But we’ve also learned a lot about beer blogging and utilizing social media.

Here are five things we’ve learned in our first year of beer blogging that might just help you on your own journey.

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