Event Recap | Session Beer Fest 2022

The Bay Area is known for its temperate climate; this past Saturday, it delivered. People enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day as they meandered through Snow Park, which sits adjacent to Lake Merrit. The chilled attitudes and low ABVs at Session Beer Fest 2022 all added up to a laid-back event that felt more like hanging out at one’s favorite beer garden rather than an organized beer festival. It’s one of the aspects that Lauren Young Mortensen, Marketing and Events Manager of Drake’s Brewing, loves about this event.

“Session Fest is a celebration of delicious low ABV beers, amazing people, and the good vibes that come with them. I love this festival because you can join in as new or seasoned drinker to experience amazing local craft beer, and inevitably contribute to the energy that is Session Fest. With an ABV cap of 5% or less, this fest shifts the focus from “what’s your highest ABV?” to amazing flavor and brewing talent.” As their motto says, Less is More.

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Book Review & Interview | Indianapolis Beer Stories by Amy Beers

Indianapolis, Indiana, is often overlooked among the great beer cities of the Midwest, but a brand new book by an Indianapolis author with an auspicious last name aims to change that. Amy Beers is a Certified Cicerone® and leads walking beer tours around Indianapolis with her company Drinking With Beers. She’s the author of the new book Indianapolis Beer Stories: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing, a guide to the Indy beer scene both past and present. The book takes us behind the scenes of the personalities and breweries that have shaped this underrated beer city.

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Wibby Brewing | Double Dunkel

Wibby Brewing is a craft lager brewery located in Longmont, Colorado. Their taproom has an impressive amount of outdoor seating and an overall relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. But most importantly, they have some amazing beers.

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Rabid Brewing & Bean to Barstool | Crown of Horns

Homewood, Illinois’ Rabid Brewing has combined quality beer production with a love of mythology since 2017, and a celebration of that time will arrive Saturday, July 22 with its Feast of the Goat Queen festival. Among the beers that will be released is a chocolate beer as part of a collaborative effort between Rabid and Bean to Barstool, run by the award-winning writer and podcaster, David Nilsen. The beer, a Chocolate Vanilla Cream Ale named Crown of Horns, uses ethically-sourced cacao from Ethereal Confections. Meanwhile, the festival, a “Fest for Fae Folk,” is perfect for those that to like to dawn some horns, honor their Roman gods, pet some goats, listen to live music, check out some artists, and otherwise have some fun.

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Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Melon Conspiracy

Much like ordering a flight at a new brewery, mixed packs are a great option when you want to have a variety of beers available to you. If you find yourself unsure what to bring to that summer barbecue or boat ride, variety packs can provide the perfect solution! Fortunately, Firestone Walker has a variety of mixed packs to choose from, including the new IPA Mixed Pack featuring Melon Conspiracy.

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Get Discounted Tickets to the 2022 Denver Burger Battle

Over the last decade, the American craft beer movement brought innovation and experimentation to an entirely new level, by rewriting our definition of what beer is and can be. Much like beer drinkers have refused to accept the status quo, American foodies have also proven to share a similar hunger for more inventive, experimental versions of their familiar staples. And no event better exemplifies that evolution of tastes quite like the Denver Burger Battle.

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Nighthawk Brewery & Pizza | Mid-Day Sun Mexican Lager

Nighthawk Brewery & Pizza opened in spring 2022 in Arlington, Virginia, serving unique pizza and craft beer in a 90’s themed space. Twenty taps are centered in the bar, with fast table service from a QR code outside the main bar area. Utilizing many top-tier (including Michelin Star rated!!!) local chefs, brewers and industry staff, the large family-style tables are a great place to relax while watching a game or trying to seek refuge from the humidity.
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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Indianapolis Beer with Amy Beers

In this episode of Bean to Barstool, David Nilsen talks with Amy Beers, the author of the new book Indianapolis Beer Stories: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing. Amy is a Certified Cicerone® and she leads walking beer tours around Indy through her company Drinking with Beers. In this conversation we discuss her book, the invisible history of Indianapolis beer prior to Prohibition, and the vibrant modern beer scene in central Indiana.

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Event Preview | Session Fest 2022

It’s been three years since Drake’s Brewing Co. has been able to throw their summer classic with Bike East Bay. But Session Fest is finally back for its eighth year, this Saturday. With no beer over 5% being poured, it is meant to be an easy going afternoon where you get to sample the lower-end ABVs that breweries have to offer. Hopefully, this makes for hangover-free Sunday the next day.

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Coffee, Cacao & Boundless Creativity | Hi-Wire’s 10W-40 Lineup

Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina, brews a wide range of classic styles ranging from Lagers to IPAs to barrel-aged Sours. Their 10W-40 lineup of Imperial Stouts, however, have allowed them to play with high concept flavor combinations on a familiar Stout foundation, pushing flavor boundaries while staying true to the beer’s classic base style.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 7/14

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

As expected, now that we’ve gotten clear of the 4th of July, we’re seeing a little lull in new packaged beer releases. But don’t fret! There are still plenty of brand new releases along with a few surprise returns for you to enjoy. Take your pick to help you beat the heat this summer, but make sure to keep it local as always!

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California Craft Beer Week Returns This July

California craft beer week returns! Craft beer guilds across the state have come together to bring California Craft Beer Week (CCBW) to fruition. Read More

Bean to Barstool Podcast | Trust Your Dopeness: Hannah Ferguson of D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery

In this episode of Bean to Barstool, David Nilsen talks with Hannah Ferguson, a brewer of beer, a maker of cider and wine and the founder of D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery, which will open soon in Youngstown, Ohio. Hannah Ferguson was the first Black female professional brewer in the state of Ohio and only the second Black female cidery owner in the entire country. Her enthusiasm and positivity have helped her push through the challenges involved in following her dreams. I know you’ll find her story inspiring and encouraging.

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Ultimate 6er | WBC Winners from Wisconsin

Cheese, brats, football, beer… with a claim-to-fame list like this, it’s no wonder that breweries in Wisconsin took home six medals at the 2022 World Beer Cup. The WBC coincides with the Craft Brewers Conference, which took place in Minneapolis May 3-5.

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2022 Great American Beer Festival Tickets Go On-Sale TOMORROW

It’s finally BACK! That’s right folks, after two years of shifting to a virtual format, the Great American Beer Festival returns this October 6-8, 2022 for a fully in-person festival experience yet again.

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Texas Keeper Cider | Grafter Rosato 2022

Texas Keeper Cider is one of South Austin’s best kept secrets. A stunning 19 acre Hill Country ranch with a lovely rustic wood-paneled taproom just minutes away from the SoCo tourist bustle, the tight, dedicated team have been creating sophisticated small-batch hand-crafted cider since 2013. Blending career expertise in wine-making, brewing, fermentation and, of course, cider making, Texas Keeper offer a refreshing alternative to the sweet fruit-flavored canned fizz that is most commonly associated with both macro and craft ciders.

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Pathlight Brewing | Kha Point Rice Lager

The past two decades have seen lagers in American culture take a backseat to IPAs, stouts and sours. For some brewers, it is a pristine accomplishment to make a clean, crisp lager with no flaws. For others, they specialize in seeking out the newest hop, or see themselves as the Gordon Ramsey of pastry stouts and sours, crafting concoctions that explode with flavors of your favorite food and desserts. Then there are brewers like Tanner Vaughn of Pathlight Brewing that embody the ideals of both styles of brewing. Kha Point Rice Lager is his newest food-inspired beer.

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Walker Brothers Kombucha | Tell Me I’m Pretty High Gravity Kombucha

Nashville’s Walker Brothers Kombucha, brewers of high-gravity (i.e., alcoholic) kombucha, have an exciting new product: Tell Me I’m Pretty High Gravity Kombucha. As with their other category-bending brews, Tell Me I’m Pretty isn’t technically a beer, but shares a lot of commonalities with Fruited Beers, Sours and Lambics.

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Spice Trade Brewing Co. | Palm Springs: Iced Tea & Lemonade Kolsch

Summer is heating up, and the competition for the most crushable hot weather beer is fierce this year. With the hottest days of summer yet to come, the parade of pilsners and lagers will only last so long. For that crisp beer on a hot day craving, Spice Trade Brewing Company’s Palm Springs: Iced Tea & Lemonade Kolsch, is a refreshing and unique spin on a classic non-alcoholic summertime favorite that won’t disappoint.
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Westbound & Down Opens Taproom in Denver’s Dairy Block

Idaho Springs brewery, Westbound & Down, is now serving its beer inside the Free Market building in Downtown Denver’s Dairy Block. Patrons will have ten beers available on draft and seven beers available to-go in four-packs.

Excitingly, the opportunity to have an opening in Denver started with an invitation by id est hospitality and BRUTØ. The new taproom exists in the BRUTØ space.

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