GABF Spotlight | The Best Pacific Northwest Beers

Going to the Great American Beer Festival, or GABF, is like going to another giant establishment with  four letters: IKEA. If you don’t have a plan, things are going to turn out ugly. You end up with a shopping cart/stomach full of things you didn’t need, and because of your inability to resist the siren’s call you’re going to cover your home with all sorts of terrible colors.

Here at PorchDrinking.com we’re playing the Jedi to your beer Padawan, guiding you through the overwhelming forest of malts to beer nirvana. Our experts have selected a few noteworthy beers from their region that you need to seek out. So make a list, stick to the plan and do not be distracted by the beautiful celebrities. Here are seven great beers to try, all hailing from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

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Ultimate 6er | Easy-Drinking Beers for Football Season

Now that the last NFL pre-season game is in the books, it’s time to get serious. Week one starts this week, and it’s game on! The Packers take on the Bears for Thursday Night Football and wraps up with the Broncos playing the Raiders on Monday. Needless to say, the lineup in between will be awesome! As you’re completing your Fantasy Football drafts or simply reaching for a nice, cold craft beer to sip on as you’re cheering on your favorite team, here’s a few beers that will go great with the games as week one is set to begin.

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Pike Brewing Company | Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale

We are in the midst of a craft beer revival in this country. The excitement and allure of the newest brewery or beer is tantalizing. However, this array of ever-expanding options can easily steal focus from the foundation of this revolution. One such brewery is Pike Brewing Company in Seattle. Pike Brewing was founded by husband and wife team Charles and Rose Ann Finkel in 1989. This October they will celebrate the brewery’s 30th anniversary.
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Stemma Brewing Co. | Chateau de Stemadia Brut IPA

One of the greatest pleasures in writing for PorchDrinking is the opportunity to introduce new breweries to PorchDrinking.com readers across the country. Today, we’re honored to introduce you to Stemma Brewing Co., a new brewery out of Bellingham, WA and their collaboration with Vancouver, WA-based Brothers Cascadia Brewing. This result, Chateau de Stemadia Brut IPA, weighs in with a 6.5% ABV and 15 IBUs.
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Benedictine Brewery | St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale

This summer has been a filled with near constant travel to celebrate the weddings of those nearest and dearest to me. As such, they know exactly what info I need when I get to each place. Just as fate joins two strangers to cross paths and join each other in marriage, fate placed my friend’s wedding in Mt. Angel, Oregon; which is home to one of three true monk-run breweries in the nation, Benedictine Brewery. Obviously I had to check it out – as well as sample the namesake, St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale.
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Migration Brewing | Patio Pale Ale

Summa, summa, summa time!

Portland, Oregon, is known for its beautiful summers: warm temperate climate, no real bugs or humidity, lush green landscapes, and the mountains, rivers, oceans and valleys all within a short drive of city life. … Read More

Fort George Brewery | Matryoshka

It’s not every day that you get to taste a truly marvelous beer – a beer that defies expectations across flavor, aroma, body; that leaves you “oohing and ahhing” at every sip. Personally, when this happens to me, I feel the need to share it, to sing its praises. I send texts, take notes and, as demonstrated with this post, divulge all the details here on PorchDrinking. The Matryoshka, from Fort George Brewery, is such a brew – and is perhaps one of the best beers that I’ve been able to get my hands on this year.

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Great Notion Brewing | Superstar Hazy IPA

By now, Great Notion Brewing in Portland, Oregon, has solidified its place nationally as an innovative brewery providing a wide array of high-demand beers. With its lineup of coveted “juicy,” fruit-forward, hazy IPAs, pastry stouts and barrel-aged sours, all … Read More

Kenai River Brewing Company | Peninsula Brewer’s Reserve

Alaska needs to be on everyone’s travel list. One region in particular packs a bunch of the distinct traits that makes Alaska such a unique and special place into one area. With delicious and freshly sourced salmon and halibut on menus throughout the area and the home of the Kenai Fjords National Park, the Kenai Peninsula is a where you can experience a truly authentic Alaskan adventure! Read More

Urban Family Brewing Co. | Winter Heart

There is no shortage of beer in Seattle—which, at least in my mind, translates to no shortage of creativity, innovation, passion and artistry in Seattle. Breweries here do not brew beer simply to pay the rent and keep on the lights—though those are, I’m sure, welcomed consequences of their craft. Instead, breweries here brew beer to present their patrons with new ways of thinking about ingredients, flavors, colors, textures and mouthfeel. They brew to make people question what is or isn’t possible for their favorite beverage.

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Official Beer of Seattle Beer Week: Aslan Brewing Co. | Washington Gold Pils

Seattlites have tolerated a lot of Mother Nature this year. We endured the snowiest February ever recorded followed by the hottest winter day ever recorded. Then April gave us the longest rain streak we’ve ever seen. Thankfully, the month of May is here to bring us relief in the form of Seattle Beer Week! The event, now in its eleventh year, was created to celebrate and showcase the close, collaborative beer community of the Northwest. This year’s Seattle Beer Week runs from May 9-19 and features hundreds of events across the city of Seattle and beyond, including camel visits, Battle of the Beer Bands, and dozens of beer dinners and tasting events. Read More

5 Questions with Deschutes Brewery’s Director of Product Development, Veronica Vega

Consistency is hard to replicate in any industry; it’s especially difficult in the craft beer market. Churning out a consistently excellent product that resonates with consumers and drives a positive bottom line is no small feat; even for the most established brewers, like Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery.

Amidst the sustained success of their hallmark IPA, Fresh Squeezed, Deschutes has brought new beers and new branding into the fold to better compete with a slew of newcomers and new beer styles. Amidst all of this market churn, it’s important to have a consistent element; which is where Veronica Vega, Deschutes’ Director of Product Development comes in.

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Top 10 Vegetarian Friendly Breweries and Brewpubs Across America

My wife and I recently reached our milestone of traveling to all 50 states, ensuring we visit the local brewery in each of the places that we visit. While I am an avid meat eater, my wife is vegetarian. So, the places we choose to eat during our travels had to be well researched in advance to ensure they have a vegetarian menu that met the expectations of my wife, who can be quite a picky eater. Luckily, nowadays, that isn’t hard. Many breweries and brewpubs offer at least one vegetarian option on their menu, to various degrees of success and creativity.

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Fremont Brewing | Head Full of Dynamite v.8

What do you call these hazy IPAs that seem to be everywhere? This style goes by many names; NEIPA, Juicy IPA, Hazy IPA. But whatever you call these juice bombs it seems they’re here to stay and in full effect from coast to coast.
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Portland’s BridgePort Brewing Closing Their Doors in March

Image courtesy of the BridgePort Brewing Facebook page.

The year after I graduated college, I visited Portland, Oregon for the very first time. To celebrate my arrival to the Pacific Northwest, I immediately commenced my visit with a stop at BridgePort Brewing Company. I vividly remember sitting on their outdoor deck, ordering a sampler tray, and blissfully working my way through their varieties – being taken by each brew that I tried.

Six years later after that visit, BridgePort Brewing has announced that they are closing their doors.

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Portland’s Widmer Brothers Brewing Announces Pub Closure

One of America’s founding fathers of craft beer, Portland, OR’s Widmer Brothers Brewing, announced yesterday that they have closed their North Portland pub as of Sunday, January 20. First opened 22 years ago, the full-service restaurant pub underwent a renovation … Read More

pFriem | Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout

pFriem (pronounced “reem”) Family Brewers is a German and Belgian-inspired brewery in Oregon, a location where breathtaking views of the mountain and rivers make you wonder why you haven’t moved to the Pacific Northwest. Josh Pfriem devoted his career to learning as much as he could about crafting delicious beer and, in 2012, he achieved his lifelong dream of opening an artisanal brewery in Hood River with partners Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner. Today, they have several award-winning beers pouring from their taps along with a well-earned, loyal following.

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PorchDrinking’s Best in Beer 2018 | Pacific Northwest

2018 was another exciting year to be a member and supporter of the Washington beer scene. From highly anticipated new openings to heartbreaking brewery closures, PorchDrinking’s PNW team is grateful for the opportunity to cover it all. In honor of our beer-obsessed, flannel-wearing, hop-loving region, we present PorchDrinking’s Best of the PNW Awards for 2018:  Read More

Anchor Brewing | Old Foghorn Barleywine

We’re finally feeling the weather changes here in Northern California. It’s beautiful, and my favorite time of the year. Not only because of the crisp air, but because it’s now barleywine season. Don’t get me wrong, I can drink barleywine anytime of the year; however, it’s difficult to find someone to crush the strong stuff with in the middle of summer. 

I attended the 25th annual barleywine festival at Toronado in San Francisco a few weeks ago. 50 taps flowing, sweaty bodies crowding the bar, and the smell of future hangovers filled the room; I was in heaven. Soon I was sampling with other malt enthusiasts. A ton of great and not-so-great examples of the sweet stuff were tried, but one was particularly delightful. 

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7 Seas Brewing | Boobytraps Cascadian Dark Ale

7 Seas Brewing Cascadian Dark Ale has been one of the premier representations of the Black IPA style within the Pacific Northwest for quite sometime, however it was only recently that this fall gem was packaged for the first time.

Named “Boobytraps” with inspiration coming from the 80’s PNW cult classic film about kids searching for treasure, this Black IPA style beer starts off with nuances of orange marmalade fleeting across the palate. Then a wave of pine and sticky resin comes rushing through with a restrained bitterness and a touch of roasted coffee. From beginning to end this one is velvety smooth.  Read More