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

Why Patio Season in the Midwest Means More

Oh, summer. As a native Minnesotan and current Chicagoan, I have a mixed relationship with the best season of the year. I’m used to rationalizing the cold, the rain, the snow, more cold…and even hail, endured during roughly nine months of the year, knowing that the sweet embrace of 70 degrees and sunny skies is right around the corner. Unfortunately, summer in the Midwest can be as fleeting as the last drip of Lager in your glass, which is why Midwesterners go so crazy for the nice days:  because there are so few of them. One of my favorite summer activities is patio drinking. It’s a staple pastime that tans the skin and bloats the belly as you sit outside sopping up suds and some much-needed Vitamin D. Much like its inhabitants, the breweries of the Midwest also rejoice when the first summer forecast comes into the picture. Patio season can even start before Memorial Day – I’ve seen Chicago breweries unveil their patio chairs on an unseasonably sunny day in March. And guess what? That patio was filled. We asked several Midwestern brewers why patio season is so special for their brewery and for their patrons.

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Fremont Brewing | The Gauntlet

It was quite possibly the best night of my life. What could have been better? I, and roughly 200 other Fremont Brewing fanatics, had been invited to the Heron Hunting Club’s annual get-together. The event, which I would argue is the best beer event in the city, had it all. We were being fed by James Beard award-winning Chef Edouardo Jordan of Salare and JuneBaby, taste-testing and purchasing some of Fremont’s most hard-to-get beers, and witnessing the metamorphosis of the brewery’s Frelard location. The space, which had been a packaging and brewing facility just a few hours beforehand, could now pass for a palace. Chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, vintage furniture and rugs awaited us in every corner, and Broadway-worthy props were found at every turn. Again – what could have been better?

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Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s First Ever Sour: Freedom of Speach

Chances are, the last Revolution Brewing beer you had was probably from their Hero IPA line – or even a Rosa or Pils knowing both are a staple of summer. That might not be the case for much longer. Revolution is diving head first into the sour beer trend with the release of their first-ever sour, Freedom of Speach. The session peach sour gets its tartness via kettle souring and comes in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV, meaning that it will add some variety to any cooler you’re packing this season.

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2018 Denver Rare Beer Tasting Announces Initial Brewery List, Tickets On-Sale Sunday

As we’ve articulated a few times, GABF week’s multitude of events have lately grown to the point of overshadowing the event itself. And while many of these periphery activities … 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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Summer Brew & Starting Anew | Rockyard Brewing’s Dramatic Makeover

I’ve always been a bit cynical. I’m not a rare breed in that sense; the beer world has many stubborn, cranky cynics. We’re the ones shouting at you to get off our lawns with your sour, hazy, glittery slush stouts as we rock cantankerously back and forth on the porch with our pint glasses full of clear, reliable IPA. But even the most hardened beer traditionalist among us can look forward to summer. In summer, we can rise from the ashes of our self-loathing like a magnificent, tipsy phoenix. Even if for just a season, we can crack a smile and enjoy the sun on our face while the bubbles of an unfamiliar brew caress our puckered lips.

In that spirit, Colorado’s Rockyard Brewing Company is showing us how it’s done. Shedding its skin and undergoing a major renewal of its own, the brewery has done away with ALL of its award-winning original lineup.

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Perfect Storm of Beer Events Align, Denver Livers Stand Zero Chance

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of a nearly 3 million livers unilaterally crying out in agony. They know they stand zero chance of survival. Yesterday, Shelton Brother, one … Read More

Stem Ciders | Hibiscus Session Apple Cider

Summer has finally arrived and it’s hot out. Unbearably hot. The kind of hot where suburbanites start doing silly things like frying eggs on the sidewalk. But yet the onset … Read More

Hopewell Brewing and Metric Coffee Release Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale

The collaboration beer, Hopewell Brewing x Metric Coffee Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale, marry two increasingly popular American brewing trends — craft beer and independent roasters (coffee).

Most of the PorchDrinking.com audience is well aware of craft beer’s growth in recent years. However, one may not be aware that 59% of coffee consumed daily is classified as “gourmet,” according to the 2017 NCA report on National Coffee Drinking Trends. That was the first time in the report’s 67-year history that the number exceeded 50%.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | June 13, 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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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | June 13-19, 2018

The Atlanta Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings and more!

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2018 GABF Tickets On Sale Dates Announced

Mark your calendars folks! Tickets for the 2018 Great American Beer Festival  will go on sale to AHA Members on July 31 and to the general public on August 1. As … Read More

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

More than a Name | How Service Brewing Lives its Mission

The goal of any brewery should be to produce great beer and positively impact their community. Many breweries have this similar mission, but few are as mission-driven as Savannah-based Service Brewing Co. Read More

Avanti F&B to Host Telluride Brewing’s Greensky Lager Denver Release

It’s no secret that beer and music go hand-in-hand. In Colorado alone, breweries distinguish themselves by the music played in their taprooms, from metal at TRVE and Black Sky, punk rock at Ratio and Big Choice, jazz at Spangalang, rock at Black Shirt and bluegrass at just about every other brewery in the state… only slightly kidding. That said, when your town plays host to one of the most historic Bluegrass festivals in the nation, you’re bound to have a deeper connection to pickin’ and grinnin’ music.

Telluride Brewing which first partnered with Greensky Bluegrass in 2014 will be kicking off their Denver launch of Greensky Lager on Tuesday, June 19 from 5-7 p.m. at Avanti’s outdoor patio Wolf Bar. Greensky Lager is a crispy sessionable Lager with mild notes of Mosaic hops weighing in at an easy 5.2%, with a delicious Mosaic hop backbone. Read More

Narrow Gauge Brewing | SHB: DDH Citra

One of the first things that happened on my return to St. Louis after a two year absence was a receipt of a Narrow Gauge Brewing SHB: DDH Citra. By receipt I mean it was forced upon me. And by forced upon me, I mean a friend insisted I try this new (to me) beer. Before I could ask about this acronym-soup of a beer, I had a sip and promptly forgot my crude thought on what SHB: DDH might mean. Read More

Deep Ellum Brewing Sold to Oskar Blues’ Canarchy Collective

DALLAS, TX – Deep Ellum Brewing Company has confirmed that the brewery is joining Oskar Blues Brewing Company under the Fireman Capital-backed Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective.

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Inaugural Avery Invitational Impresses with Something for Everyone

For a storied brewery so rooted in tradition, it can be difficult to deviate from familiarity. Such was the case when Avery Brewing Company announced that they would replace their wildly popular Strong Ale and Sour Fests with a new event concept. The Avery team recognized that in craft beer’s ever-evolving landscape, that change is necessary to stay ahead of the curve. It was with this impetus that this historic Boulder-based brewery introduced a fresh new festival, with the intent on maintaining elite level beer enjoyed without pretense or circumstance,  while taking great consideration into the entire festival-goers experience, enter The Avery Invitational.

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Springdale | Pearly Wit

Experiments can foster great findings. Galileo and the theory of motion, Ivan Pavlov and dogs, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and oxygen.

Enter Springdale, stage left. Springdale is the experimental offshoot of Jack’s Abby, an award-winning creator of craft lagers based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. With a close association to Jack’s Abby, I knew Springdale was a promising brewery whose beers must have a lot of potential. I’ve never been to Springdale or tried their beer before, but living just an hour away from them leaves me no excuse!

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