Vindication Brewing Co. | India Pale Ale

Vindication—Proof that something is right, reasonable or justified.

Vindication Brewing Co. is located in Boulder, Colorado. Eric Huber, Sanjiv Patel and Marty Lettow merged their diverse backgrounds with similar beliefs in integrity and quality beer. Eric, Marty and Sanj developed the philosophy “Brewtegrity” which comes from the 1516 German Law Reinheitsgebot. Known as the law of beer purity, it mandated that all beer would only be made by barley, hops and water. Purity was as important back then as it is now for these three dedicated brewers in Boulder. They enjoy the purity of their ingredients and are open to share recipes with customers.

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A Look at What Minnesota Craft Brewers are Doing for Super Bowl 52

Next Sunday, the champions of the NFC and AFC will convene on Minnesota’s U.S. Bank field for Super Bowl 52. And while the Eagles and Patriots are sure to provide a lot of on-field entertainment, the trip to Minneapolis will also offer both fervent fan bases a chance to experience Minneapolis’ dynamic craft beer scene. Whether you’re a football fan or just a lover of craft beer, a variety of downtown breweries will be rolling out the red carpet to impress this sudden surge of visitors. Here’s a quick look at what to expect.

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Brewery Showcase | McClellan’s Brewing Company

Fort Collins is what some would consider the genesis of craft beer. Names like Odell, New Belgium, 90 Schilling and Fat Tire are synonymous with the craft beer movement and the renaissance of delicious drinks that have flooded the United States in recent years. The volume of newcomers to the brewing scene increases while the available real estate decreases, meaning it can be hard to set your new entry into the game apart from the rest. Rookies and veterans alike are trying to poke their heads out of a large crowd, which leads to the question: what separates a brewery from all the rest? That is a question McClellan’s Brewing Company has begun to answer.
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Blackberry Prairie Wheat | Moeller Brew Barn

Maria Stein, Ohio, is not the first place you expect to find a great brewery. The tiny, unincorporated town in rural Mercer County is home to only a couple hundred people, and the cattle in the area likely outnumber them. This region of west central Ohio, just north of the midline of the state, was heavily settled by German Catholics in the 1800s under the spiritual leadership of Francis de Sales Brunner, a missionary priest who established parish churches in the area. The region is now known as The Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches due to the unusually high number of Catholic worship structures in this rural area. When driving through this flat, agricultural county, you can see for miles in every direction, and no matter which way you turn, a tall steeple is silhouetted against the horizon. However, just outside of Maria Stein sits Moeller Brew Barn.
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Green Feet Brewing Company | Holly Jolly

Now that the holidays have come and gone, I’m sure many of us can look back and reminisce about some amazing food and beers we had. One of the beers that was the highlight of my holiday beer drinking, was Holly Jolly (AKA Christmas in a glass) from Green Feet Brewing Company. Green Feet has been open since the spring of 2016, so 2017 was Green Feet’s second time around brewing Holly Jolly. They somehow managed to up the ante from the 2016 batch, which was the best pecan beer I had tried.
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Texas Craft Brewers Guild Forms CraftPAC

Beer Laws in Texas are Broken. That is the headline of the newly formed Political Action Committee aimed at protecting the rights of Texas breweries and championing for constructive, common sense legislative reforms. CraftPAC was established by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild earlier this week to raise funds that will be used to support various political initiatives designed to improve job growth and the economic impact of the Texas brewing industry.

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The Avery Invitational to Replace Strong Ale & Sour Fest this Summer

In craft beer, the old adage of “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” doesn’t necessarily apply. Even the most successful breweries, and industry events must continue to innovate in this most competitive and fast-evolving landscape.

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Harmony Brewing Company | Los Conejos

When a beer stands out to me, it is usually because the brewer has taken the time to think about how that beer will be received by his or her customers. Too often, brewers, in a bid to stay on trend or create a beer that shocks or hits the scene running, don’t consider whether or not the end product will be something their customers will enjoy. Seldom does Harmony Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan fall into that trap. Of all our local breweries (and there are more than 50), their beers are the most complex, thoughtful and well-constructed. This is never more apparent than with their winter warmer Los Conejos, a nitro sweet stout designed around Mexican hot chocolate with a little extra heat.

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Staff Picks: Colorado’s Best Stouts

Much to the dismay of Colorado’s powder hounds, its taken a little longer than expected for the Centennial State to feel full effects of winter this season. However, as we’ve inched toward February (Colorado’s official Stout Month thanks to the Mountain Sun Breweries), temperatures have dropped, and it’s finally time to embrace the bounty of prolific dark and roasty stouts this state has to offer. As we look back on all of the tremendous beers consumed in 2017, our staff took some time to share their picks for Colorado’s best stouts from the past year.

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Brewery Showcase | 7Sisters Brewing (San Luis Obispo)

I’ve seen some environmental friendly breweries before, but nothing quite compares to the level of commitment to sustainability that 7Sisters Brewing has. The moment you walk through doorway you see a tasting room filled with repurposed materials. My favorite piece is their bar. It was built from school lockers and topped with zinc-wrapped wood from the shipping crate the lockers arrived in. Throughout the tasting room you will see lighting made from Cal Poly lab lamps and tables that used to be shop benches from LA technical college. Heading out to their patio you can see the patio railings that were repurposed from the wood forms used when pouring the concrete.

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Land Grant Brewing | Beard Crumbs

You can’t deny the prevalence of beards that exist in the craft beer world. I’ve got one, so I can’t really complain or dispute the association. Sometimes I wonder if some get into craft beer just to justify their beard. Well, Land Grant Brewing Company isn’t afraid to express its love of beards either, and they’ve done just that with their winter seasonal Beard Crumbs Oatmeal Stout.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | January 24, 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 | January 24, 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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Fast Facts on Surly Brewing’s First-Ever Variety Pack

Coming off a strong 2017, Minnesota’s Surly Brewing is betting on its growing momentum with the release of an ambitious 2018 release calendar. Along with two new year-round offerings, Hopshifter IPA and +1 Golden Ale, Surly also intends to appeal to the curiosity of the average craft beer drinker with their new Innovation Series, which will feature the likes of Damien and Furious Black in tall boys, and the announcement of their first-ever Variety Pack. The Variety Pack has become a popular format for other large Midwest brewers like Revolution and Summit, so it makes sense that Surly would dip their toes into this popular packaging venue. Here are the details.

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SweetWater Brewing Co. | Second Helping IPA

SweetWater Brewing Company’s latest limited release, Second Helping, is on the surface an interesting IPA, but it also shows a community focus. “Buy this brew, we’ll donate for you” is printed around the top of the can, but dig deeper and you’ll see they mean it! SweetWater Brewing Company takes their community focus seriously by donating 100% of their profits from Second Helping to The Giving Kitchen charity.

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Midwest Drinking 2018 | Mark Twain Brewing News

As we finish up another year of beer, it’s time to look ahead to what we’ll be pouring, sipping and loving around the Midwest in 2018.  I’ve reached out to a few of our town’s best brewers to see what we can expect from them in the next Year of Beer.

Up in Hannibal, MO, the team at Mark Twain Brewery is gearing up for some serious growth. Read More

Inside the Tank | Open Outcry Brewing

One day on Twitter I asked our followers which brewery we should visit for the next Inside the Tank. Almost immediately my notifications went off with people telling me to visit Open Outcry Brewing. I’ll admit I had never even heard of the brewery, but the support they got on Twitter got me curious.

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Creature Comforts Brewing Co. | Koko Buni Milk Porter

Athens, Georgia-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. has made a name for itself through by creating artfully balanced beers. The beer they brew is not intended to be overpowering, but is instead focused on highlighting each element of the beer—in perfect unison. A testament to their mission is their popular winter seasonal, Koko Buni Milk Porter, which promises balanced notes of coffee, cocoa nibs and toasted coconut.

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Upland Brewing Announces Limited Colorado Distribution

One of the country’s most well-established markets for sour and wild beers is about to get more robust with a little help from the Midwest. Upland Brewing, announced this morning that it would begin limited distribution to Colorado through Elite Brands beginning in March.

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Lone Tree Brewing Company | Horchata Stout

After a bit of time in hibernation, Lone Tree Brewing’s Horchata Stout comes back for a third year—this time with refreshed artwork. Horchata Stout is part of the brewery’s Branching Out series which consists of experimental, super limited beers in large format bottles that are great for sharing. On a side note, I was able to capture a photo of Horchata Stout not only resting on a lone tree but also nestled among branches. How’s that for art in the most literal sense? Okay, now back to the beer…

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