Angel City Brewery Releasing Double IPA Cans in Honor of IPA Day

All the other “National ___ Day” celebrations can go home. I don’t need National Hot Dog Day or National Maple Syrup Day or National Hug a Cat Day (that’s a real thing and it’s June 4, by the way). What I need – what we all need – is National IPA Day. I plan on celebrating IPA Day with at least one of the two IPAs from Angel City Brewery, which is one of my favorite LA-based breweries and its IPAs are part of the reason.

To honor the special day, one can stroll into the Public House and order its DIPA  and, as part of the celebration, get it in cans on August 6. (A few days late, but isn’t every day National IPA Day?)

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Firestone Walker Brewing Co. | Sour Opal

Amongst the haze craze that has taken over the beer world this past year, I find myself gravitating towards sour ales more often than not; they are tart, refreshing, packed with flavor and tend to run a little lower in ABV—okay, I also don’t feel like I’m weighed down by tons of sugar! Don’t get me wrong, I love me some hazy IPAs but… when the temperatures are creeping up to 100 degrees I can’t pass up a sour beer!

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Brewery Showcase | Drake’s Brewing Co.

Drake’s Brewing Co. was founded back in 1989 by Roger Lind in what was half of an old Chrysler Dodge factory powerhouse in San Leandro, CA. Back then, the brewery was named after Lind, Lind Brewing Company, and he brewed English-style ales. Lind built the original gravity-fed brewing system himself (10 barrels) but he left the brewery in 1998. Drake’s was owned by JBR Coffee Company from 1998-2008 and then John Martin, who Lind used to previously work for at Triple Rock Brewery, purchased Drake’s in 2008.

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Brewery Showcase | Burning Barrel Brewing

Burning Barrel Brewing is the vision of a father/son duo; Jack and Duncan Alexander. Jack, a longtime homebrewer, and Duncan are leading the way on the build-out of the brewery located within the Barrel District of Rancho Cordova, a city just east of downtown Sacramento. Rancho Cordova has embraced the “Maker Spirit” by creating its Barrel District, streamlining the process of opening a brewery — and more. The Barrel District currently includes six breweries, two distilleries, and one meadery.

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BREAKING | Three Weavers Brewing Joins Oskar Blues’ CANarchy Collective

Los Angeles-based Three Weavers Brewing has announced today that it will be joining Oskar Blues Brewing Company under the Fireman Capital-backed Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective. Today’s news comes less than a week after the announcement that Dallas-based Deep Ellum Brewing would also be joining the CANarchy family.

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Fast Facts on Lagunitas’ New THC-Infused Sparkling Beverage, Hi-Fi Hops

It’s not any sort of industry secret that Lagunitas Brewing Co. has been known to have an affinity for dankness. The Petaluma, CA-based brewery has had a storied history combining hops and cannabis into beer, which makes their recent announcement that much more exciting. Lagunitas has decided to take their groovy talents to the booming sparkling water market, with the introduction of their Hi-Fi Hops sparkling beverage. The new carbonated water drink is IPA-inspired and blends together hops with both THC and CBD, two chemical compounds found in cannabis.

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21st Amendment Brewery | Watermelon Funk

It almost feels strange to discuss a beer that’s been around for more than a year, but who says beer writers must concentrate solely on new releases? So, as summertime reaches its apex, it seems fitting to discuss 21st Amendment Brewery (21A) Watermelon Funk.

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2 Days, 2 Nights | San Diego’s Craft Beer Scene

Anyone that’s familiar with the craft beer scene knows that San Diego is one of the best places in the country to go for a beercation. The official number of breweries constantly fluctuates, but there are approximately more than 150 operational breweries in San Diego County. That number doesn’t count the numerous satellite taprooms that many breweries have around town.

One thing that’s great about the San Diego area is that with the seemingly endless amount of breweries there isn’t a bad place to start your brewery tours, regardless of where you’re staying. Many breweries you probably already know, such as Modern Times, Coronado, Karl Strauss, Stone Brewing, Pizza Port and, well, there are so many it’s hard to name them all. San Diego offers several, diverse beer experiences. For instance, North Park has smaller, cozier taprooms and Miramar has larger (and sometimes massive) production breweries. So, here is a quick guide to just a small number of the area’s numerous breweries — some you know, some that may be new to you. We hope it helps you when you visit San Diego.

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Urban Roots Brewing & Smoke House | Luna de Miel

If you were to ask someone in the Sacramento area if they’ve had a chance to visit a new brewery lately, you would most likely get the response, “Which one?” The rampant growth in U.S. breweries has not been lost on Sacramento. At last count, there are more than 70 breweries, tasting rooms and/or brewpubs open or in planning in the greater Sacramento area. You’ll get thirsty just trying to keep track. Read More

21st Amendment Brewery | El Sully Mexican-Style Lager

There comes a time where something light is needed. Something airy for lakeside Saturdays or something just enough to take the edge off a stressful Wednesday without incidentally starting the weekend early. With the latest boom of IPAs, a sessionable IPA typically comes to mind. However, on my most recent Taco Tuesday outing, I decided to return to the first style of beer I eventually fell in love with: a light, golden lager. Or in this case, El Sully, the Mexican-style Lager from 21st Amendment Brewery.

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Firestone Walker | Luponic Distortion IPA Series #10

I just got back from a weekend of epic proportions. World class beer, informative talks, great music,  new friends, and an impressive brewery tour. The Firestone Walker Invitational is definitely … Read More

Event Recap | 2018 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest

“The BEST beer festival I’ve ever been to!,” Seriously amazing breweries here!” and “I haven’t had a bad beer all day!” – these are just some of the quotes we heard from attendees during the 2018 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest this past weekend. In an attempt to crush the media coverage, the NorCal PorchDrinking.com team survived the 97+ degree Paso Robles heat during the Invitational weekend, but also drank some tasty beers. Now, onto some of our favorite moments, beers, and bites!

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Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery | 747 Belgian Strong Golden Ale

This year was supposed to be the year of me trying new things—I was going to take a break from my IPA and sour obsession, find new beer loves and explore my palate. Well, sometimes old habits die hard. If there is one style of beer I shy away from the most, it’s anything in the Belgian realm, but this beer from Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery definitely gave me something to talk about!

So maybe we’re halfway through the year and I still have yet to discover my next new beer love but can I get a pat on the back for drinking a golden strong ale from Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery?! Baby steps, you guys. Read More

Event Preview | 2018 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest

Summer is upon us and that means there are at least 1,000 beer festivals already announced, or at least it seems that way. However, when you’re one of the country’s preeminent breweries, you’ve got the ability to handpick other elite level breweries to join for an invitational; enter the Firestone Walker 2018 Invitational Beer Fest. We hope you were able to snag your tickets before they sold out (no tickets will be available at the door) and you have started to hydrate because this year is going to be a doozy.

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Firestone Walker | Mocha Merlin: Who Says Winter Has to End?

Firestone Walker Brewing Company, California’s Central Coast brewing behemoth, has become a frequent visitor to the Colorado craft beer scene. With hazy memories of tasters at past beer festivals, I eyed a can of Mocha Merlin with hesitant hope.

Sure, the hearty coffee-infused stout is a beer intended for the cold season — a great beer to warm you up as you sip from your chalice in the (Game of Thrones’) Winterfell Great Hall — but why must winter ever end? Recent posts on various “beer check-in” websites show that the beer continues to be enjoyed, even as the weather turns more summer-like each day.

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Ultimate 6er | Best Monkish IPA Releases of 2018 (so far)

With warm weather approaching, the time has never been better to track down the best crushable IPA you can find. Monkish Brewing has easily established itself as one of the best out there at creating top quality New England Style IPAs, and this 6er will guide you through the best cans that have graced us with their presence so far this year. Read More

Modern Times Beer | Fruitlands

Peanut butter and pretzels. French fries and ice cream. Gose and fruit. These are just some perfect sweet and salty pairings; and if you have never tried fries with ice cream go to the store now!! It’s just one of nature’s torrid love affairs that stands the test of time. Modern Times Beer Fruitlands marries this divine pairing in a delightful way.
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Monkish Brewing Company | Surprise Party

I just moved to the UAE this past month for work. It’s an exciting and extravagant place to be — with the current and future tallest buildings in the world, white sand beaches, indoor ski resorts and camel’s milk ice cream dipped in gold. I thoroughly realized that I would be moving to the desert when I decamped from Los Angeles, and I don’t mean Jakku. I mean a craft beer desert almost as expansive as the Empty Quarter itself. 
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Altamont Beer Works | Green Collar Pale Ale

As I write this, the Oakland Athletics are celebrating their 50th year in Oakland. Sadly I wasn’t able to make it to the game, but luckily I snagged a few cans of Green Collar. While the players were at Spring Training, an all-star team was brewing. Serious A’s fans, Altamont Beer Works and Mraz Brewing teamed up to create this home run of a pale ale. Read More

Bottle Logic Brewing | Roll For Initiative

It is important to first realize that Bottle Logic Brewing was founded only five years ago in 2013 and they have been doing big things ever since. Their tasting room opened its doors just a year later, and in 2015 they were ranked up on BeerAdvocate’s ‘Best New Beer’ list. It’s no surprise that their initiative and passion has led them to plans for a tasting room expansion later this year to accommodate the beer heads that come from all over to try their stuff.

Bottle Logic has never been afraid to rewrite the rules and live on the edge with their beers. Their mantra is “Process and Science Reduced to Art and Magic,” and they have lived up to it without a doubt. Easily their most popular and most sought after series is the Stasis Project. Focusing on barrel-aged masterpieces, Stasis has released some of the most incredibly complex and sought after stouts in the secondary market. It may only be less than a week until Space Trace releases, but people are still reeling over the last and newest addition to the Stasis lineup, Roll for Initiative. I did not miss this release, and I knew before it touched my lips that this would be my next beer showcase. Here’s why…
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