Colorado Brut IPAs to Help Ring in the New Year

2018 has been a beer-y great year in the craft beer world, with countless new releases, the emergence of more beers brewed with lactose, new beer categories added to Great American Beer Festival’s style categories and so much more. With that being said, 2018 is coming to an end. While many people cheers to the new year with champagne or other types of bubbles, as a beer lover, we have the chance to toast 2019 with a newly created beer style: brut IPAs! I don’t know about you, but I know that’s how I’ll be ringing in the new year. While I am still mulling over which one in particular, here are a few ideas of what to fill your glass with.

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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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PorchDrinking’s Best in Beer 2018 | Utah and Beyond

Chris & Sylvia Hollands and our Utah team take a look at the year in beer, 2018.

From new laws to near beers, the PorchDrinking.com Utah team covers everything from local occurrences to the national and regional scene, and that’s reflected in the picks from the crew. So, let’s take a final look at 2018, shall we?

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Maxline Brewing | Spiced Plum Ale

Ah, the holiday season. A time for cheesy movies, eating too many tree-shaped cookies, and imbibing in specialty beers that just fit perfectly with the time of year. Seasonal brews are a staple in nearly any taproom; since the colder months give brewers the inspiration to create warming and holiday dinner inspired drinks.

Maxline Brewing is now one of Fort Collins’ must-drink breweries. They have several awesome seasonal beers on tap, including their fiery Mean Heat Wheat and the childhood-cereal reminiscent Arrez Con Leche. This year, however, Maxline and head brewer Shaun Woodbury added Maxline’s Spiced Plum Ale to the rotation.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 26, 2018

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
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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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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

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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Rowley Farmhouse Ales | Chantal

Santa Fe, New Mexico, was the first capital city in North America. In this historical place with centuries of traditions, there’s a small-scale independent brewery that offers playful twists to classic beer styles. Chantal, their robust French saison, shows this brewery’s passion for brewing.

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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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Medusa Brewing | Activate!

Coffee is a huge part of my life along with beer, and I am all about having a combination of those two in a beer any day. Medusa Brewing Company has a coffee porter that I am thrilled to tell you about. If I lived closer, this would be a staple in my beer collection. I do not live anywhere near Medusa, but luckily a fellow PorchDrinker got this to me to enjoy in Florida.

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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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Preyer Brewing Co. | Undercurrant

It’s been a season of surprises in North Carolina. First, we have one of the biggest December snow storms I’ve ever seen. Then, I discover a new brewery — Preyer Brewing — that managed to fly under my radar for the past 3 years.

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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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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 18, 2018

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
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Maxline Brewing Uses Cute Dogs in Ugly Sweaters to Promote Local Mental Health Program

Maxline Brewing in Fort Collins is making a name for itself as the most dog-friendly place in town. The brewery typically hosts a fundraiser at least once a month; those fundraisers are almost always pup-centric. Puppy adoptions with a local shelter are also scheduled at least once a month and their patio is a haven for all sorts of four-legged friends. So when Terri Lee Bolles was brainstorming about where to hold the first fundraiser for her non-profit, Project Mental Health Freedom (PMHF), it was a no-brainer.

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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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First Look | Cellar West Artisan Ales Re-Opens Today in Lafayette

After over two years in North Boulder, Cellar West Artisan Ales is moving to a new home in nearby Lafayette, CO.

From the start, Zachary Nichols, the owner/brewer at Cellar … Read More