The Veil Brewing Company | Broz Night Out

Is anyone reading this a fan of Stranger Things? Have you heard of it? Okay, I’m probably crazy for even asking that question. My point, of course, is not about the show on Netflix. However, if you’ve seen the show, then you would most likely recognize the label of a particular beer, Broz Night Out, made by The Veil Brewing Company.
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16 St. Louis Beers That I Loved in 2017

2017 was a banner year for St. Louis beer, and I say this based on how much of it I drank. Between festivals and brewery visits, my Untappd account topped 200 different beers in 2017. Is that a lot of beer? It is for me, but who is really counting?

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Sprecher Brewing Company | Winter Lager

Like many of you, I get a lot of beers and beer accessories for Christmas. This year my boyfriend went with a monthly beer club – with the extra promise he won’t have more than 2 of the 12 every month. As a bonus, they were nice enough to deliver before my PorchDrinking deadline, so I get to share my haul with you guys! While I was familiar with one of the breweries from the east coast, the club introduced me to Sprecher Brewing Company and their Winter Lager.
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Uinta Brewing Co. | Stompin’ Grounds Coffee Stout

ABV: 8.1%

2017 left as swiftly as it came. Year after year, the clock seems to tick more rapidly. Repeating the daily grind of the morning wake up, leaning on a java and finishing the night with a great beer. Did that a few times and BAM! There we were–drawing gape as the Patriots won the Super Bowl, experiencing a total solar eclipse and then suddenly watching the ball drop on the broadcast of New Years’ Rockin’ Eve. Okay, the time lapse may be a bit of an exaggeration, but for real—the past 365 days flew by like no other.
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2018 Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines Pour List

Perhaps I’ve become a bit spoiled, or maybe even a little jaded, but its become few and far between that I’ll get downright giddy when it comes to the prospect of attending a beer event. However each year, there’s one event that rivals the level of excitement experienced on Christmas morning as a kid, Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines.

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26 Degree Brewing | Ziko’s Rage

26 Degree Brewing Company has a delicious imperial stout that I am stoked to share with you all. This stout with a raging flavor profile gets its name from a furious sea turtle that was rescued by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 27, 2017

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 | December 27, 2017

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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Our Favorite Chicago Beers From 2017

2017 will undoubtedly go down as the year of the tap room for Chicago craft beer. Big names that have become synonymous with beer in the city finally opened their doors to the public. Off Color Brewing, Metropolitan Brewing, Maplewood and Half Acre’s new production facility are just to name a handful of places you can now go drink where you couldn’t before. Read More

Renegade Brewing Company | The Night Flight

We’ve mentioned Renegade Brewing Company several times here at PorchDrinking. Since 2011, Renegade has been gifting the Denver Arts District with exciting and unique brews. From their Peanut Butter Cup Milk Stout to the Pancakes Maple Porter, you’d be hard-pressed to find something you aren’t intrigued by on the taproom menu.

On my most recent visit to Renegade, which also happened to be my first, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. As a sucker for dark beers with malty, roasty flavors, I don’t often find taprooms that have a large variety of these drinks on the beer list. However, when I walked into Renegade, I was pleasantly surprised by the vast array of stout and porters on the list. I knew I wanted to highlight one of their beers, but I simply couldn’t pick. So, you lucky readers get a five-for-one in this beer showcase, as I was a lucky drinker of what I’ve taken to calling the Night Flight courtesy of Renegade Brewing. Read More

Imperial Oak Ragnarok | The Culmination of Craft in One Rum BA Baltic Porter

The physical manifestation of American Craft Beer’s evolution exists with Imperial Oak Brewing Ragnarok Rum-Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter. It’s not just a craft beer; it’s a crafted lager. It’s not just any lager; it’s a Baltic Porter. It’s not just barrel-aged or aged in the bourbon barrels; it’s aged in rum barrels. I doubt even Ken Grossman could have envisioned a beer such as this back in the late 1980s. But, this is 2017, and this is how far craft beer has come.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 21, 2017

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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Wit’s End Brewing | The Last Jed-IPA

I’ve learned a few cardinal truths in my years of craft beer fandom. Most fall into the category of brewing basics, such as the fact that Brettanomyces imparts a funky flavor or that fresh-hop season begins in late August. But there are some cultural observations, too—like the industry’s fanatical penchant for Star Wars.

Denver-based Wit’s End Brewing owner Scott Witsoe is no exception to this axiom. Witsoe and his crew unveiled three limited-release beers to coincide with the latest installment of the inter-galactic saga: The Last Jed-IPA, Stay On Target Southern English Brown Ale and Kyber Kristallweizen Pale Kristall Weizenbock.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | December 20, 2017

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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Tröegs Independent Brewing | Wild Elf

Tröegs Mad Elf is a legendary beer during the holiday season, especially in Pennsylvania. However, I convinced myself very early on that I wouldn’t like it. Don’t ask me why. I don’t even know. Mad Elf has since spawned a whole line of variants, and it was this year’s special Mad Elf Grand Cru that finally got me to pull the trigger and give these brews a try. A week later, a bottle of Tröegs Wild Elf fell into my lap and really impressed me.
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Kannah Creek Brewing Co. | Hop Citrus Zest Sour

Personally, one of my favorite beer styles is sours, but not everyone feels the same way I do. I could go on for days about all the different reasons that I like sours, but that still wouldn’t change the opinion of someone that doesn’t like the style. I believe that sours are like IPAs for people that haven’t tried very much of the style. When someone first tries IPAs they tend to be overwhelmed by the hoppiness and intense bitterness, and the same concept applies with sours. Not all beer drinkers are used to the mouth-puckering sourness you get from some sours and that can turn people off. By creating the Sour Beer Project Series, Kannah Creek Brewing Company set out on a mission to help introduce people to sour beers. Read More

Inside the Tank | Alarmist Brewing

Whenever I thought of Alarmist Brewing, its Entrenched IPA can stuck out. It’s probably the brewery’s most highly available beer and is distributed in the city. Located in the Sauganash neighborhood of Chicago – an area I typically don’t visit often, I had never been to the brewery before.
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First Look: Oskar Blues LoDo Marries Music & Beer in Downtown Denver

I am not a fan of Market Street.

Chalk it up to too many nights downtown where one of my friends convinced me to go to the latest trendy club and by the end of the night, I have spent too much money on drinks, got mean mugged by a ton of bros, and had multiple women literally look through me on the dance floor. Short, glasses, and a beer belly doesn’t attract women as well as every romantic movie I have ever seen where the awkward guy can steal five minutes of intelligent conversation with the woman to eventually convince her that he is funny, sexy, and charming. Nope. I’m the guy that hangs out at breweries off Broadway or tap houses off Blake and avoids downtown.

Until tonight.

I arrived around 6:30pm and parked in the lot down the street for $10, then walked a few blocks to preview the upcoming Oskar Blues LoDo (downtown) location. This is Oskar Blues’ second foray into downtown Denver, since first planting their CHUBurger flag in RiNo last year. Located in what formerly housed Crocs, an Ohio State alumni sports bar, the bar bookends a set of narrow brick buildings that include Two Fisted Mario’s Pizza and Double Daughters. This isn’t the part of town I typically frequent, but neither was RiNo three years ago. Read More

River North Brewery | Nightmare Fuel

With the weather in Denver finally beginning to think about becoming cold, I wanted to take the time to review one of my favorite local beers to share with friends and family in front of the fire. I remember being introduced to this beer during a weekly Friday-morning meeting. I was listening to a brewery talk about a new specialty release, and, since we were not allowed to talk during presentations, a new message appeared on my computer screen from the coworker sitting next to me. It read, “that is one of the few beer names that I am upset that I did not come up with first.” The brewery was River North, and the beer was Nightmare Fuel.
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New Belgium Brewing | Honey Orange Tripel

When you think of the holidays, what memories come to mind? I think of the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies with burnt edges because my mom left them in the oven too long. I remember the Christmas presents constantly needing protection from our 100-pound Golden Retriever, who had a particular proclivity for shaking and tearing the wrapping paper off the gifts like he was hunting live game. Most of all, I love bringing fresh, delicious flavors of the season to all of the holiday festivities, for everyone to try. This year, I have found my beverage of choice for our new annual Christmas party beer sampling – New Belgium Brewing’s delicious Honey Orange Tripel.
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