903 Brewing’s Voted Beer Series | A Bipartisan Call-To-Action

With National Voter Registration Day just behind us and a mere seven weeks until the 2020 Presidential Election, there couldn’t be a more appropriate time for a brewery to highlight the need for all U.S. citizens to get out and vote. 903 Brewing, based in Sherman, Texas, is in the process of brewing its second bipartisan call-to-action I Voted beer. The blueberry-raspberry-cherry Berliner-Style Weisse follows the raspberry-blueberry sweet Cream Ale that kick-started the project during the May Primaries. 

The I Voted beers sport equally red-white-blue packaging and are designed to encourage voters of all persuasions to make themselves heard on Election Day. With the original batch of I Voted having sold out swiftly, 903 is releasing an expanded run of its new Berliner-Style Weisse. The latest release will hit supermarket shelves in mid-October in time for early voting, and should be available for Election Night consumption.

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Epic Brewing | Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager

A quick calendar check might suggest that now isn’t the ideal time to sip a Señor Pepino Cucumber Lime Lager from Epic Brewing. As days get gobbled up by night and swimsuits give way to sweatshirts, craft beer drinkers tend to move away from beachy summer refreshers.

Of course, another look at the calendar provides proof that this is still 2020. And if there’s one thing the year’s made clear, it’s to expect the unexpected.

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WeldWerks Brewing Releasing Prost Malone to Celebrate Nuggets Season

On March 11, 2020, when the NBA season was postponed due to the COVID pandemic, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was asked about his plans for the NBA hiatus during … Read More

The PorchCast Ep 70 | Drew Watson – Hops & Pie 10th Anniversary

In episode 70 of the PorchCast, we welcomed Drew Watson, co-founder of Hops & Pie and Berkeley Donuts in Denver to talk a little about how the iconic beer bar … Read More

Good People Brewing Company | Snake Handler

There is no mistaking the connection many of us feel with beer. You can likely recall memories of can art or flavor notes of memorable beers you’ve enjoyed. Sometimes this is due to rarity or place and company of consumption. Sometimes it’s just for the experience. Good People Brewing Company Snake Handler Double IPA will create those feelings and more as the memory of this beer will surely stay with you.
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Cerebral Brewing Announces National Lineup for All the Stops Can Jam

Typically by this point in the year, Colorado beer fans are already knees deep in big-time hype beer releases from breweries that aren’t typically available in the state. However, with GABF going digital, and the entire industry in a state of unknown due to the on-going pandemic, it’s been generally uncertain whether the typical treasure trove of special releases would be hitting the market.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Town Brewing Rathaus Festbier Lager

Oktoberfest season is upon us and the PorchDrinking team is working their way through various Marzens, Oktoberfests, Pumpkin Beers, and anything fall themed you can imagine! Today we’re highlighting Rathaus Festbier Lager, a unique spin on the traditional malt-forward beers of the season.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Victory Brewing Company Festbier

Fall is steeped in tradition. It brings the change of another season, a reminder of the passage of time. The flannel shirts come out and the apples are ripe for picking. Along with that, the beer you’ll find on shelves at your local stores will replace the light, refreshingly tart and citrus flavors of the summer with the malty and more full-bodied offerings that are also a reminder of the changing of the calendar. Read More

Hailstorm Brewing Co-Founder Departs to Join Colorado’s Wiley Roots Brewing

Six years ago, Brandon Banbury founded Hailstorm Brewing alongside Chris Schiller in Tinley Park on the outskirts of Chicago. During that time, Banbury, who also served as head brewer, helped establish the brewery as a veritable force within the greater Chicago beer scene, gaining acclaim for his work with Hazy IPAs, Barrel-Aged Pastry Stouts, and even traditional-style Lagers. 

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Great Lakes Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration in Bavaria in 1810. Two centuries later in 2009, Great Lakes Brewing Company brewmaster Mark Hunger tied the knot and poured his brewery’s Oktoberfest lager at his own autumn wedding reception.

“Picking the beer for the wedding was a no-brainer. From what I can remember, it was a hit,” he says with a laugh. “We went through a keg.”

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The Midwest Guide To Märzens

Even though this summer hasn’t been like any other before due to the pandemic, it is still sad to see this season go. However, as the days change from sunshine to the darkening of leaves, there are some things to get excited about! No, we are not talking about pumpkin spice lattes (even though they are a popular guilty pleasure)–we’re talking about Märzen beers. The dark brown color and rich, malty flavor brings about a notion of nostalgia that no other style of beer can induce. There is just something special about sitting outside on a chilly day next to a campfire with a Märzen in hand. This may sound crazy, but fellow Midwesterners prefer that coziness of fall to a lazy day on the beach–it speaks to the Midwestern soul.

Luckily, breweries across the Midwest have begun releasing a slew of their own incredible takes on this German classic. Some of these beers are widely distributed and some of them are more locally found. If you see any of these magnificent elixirs at your local bottle shop, pick them up before they are gone. So get your folding chair, grab a brat, get the campfire going and enjoy a delicious Märzen. 

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier

The tradition of Hofbräu Munchen began on September 27, 1580, when Duke Wilhelm V founded the brewhouse in Munich. A little less three hundred years later on October 12, 1810, at the wedding of the Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, the “first” Oktoberfest was celebrated. Two years later the Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier was brewed.

In 2003, the Hofbräu concept crossed the Atlantic Ocean opening a mini-brewery and restaurant in the style of the original Hofbräuhaus in Newport, KY, bringing the German beer to America.

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Dogfish Head and Indigo Agriculture Fight Climate Change with Re-Gen-Ale

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is on a mission to fight climate change, one beer at a time. On September 19, Dogfish Head and Indigo Agriculture, a company intent on “harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet,” released an Earth-friendly Re-Gen-Ale to its local beer fans. As explained by Dogfish Head, the beer serves as the first traceably-sourced beer to address climate change through agriculture using Indigo Carbon, a program that provides growers with a financial incentive to store carbon in their soils.” The beer release arrives in time for Climate Week (Sept 21 – 27).

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GABF Passport | Illinois Breweries

It’s tempting to bemoan the fact that the industry remains in a lengthy pandemic-induced pivot. However, it’s time to start focusing on what is instead of what isn’t happening. For this year’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF), beer drinkers will have a chance to purchase a GABF Passport that gives them access to a host of good deals (an idea similar to Chicago and Illinois Craft Beer Weeks held in previous years). One can purchase the $20 GABF Passport and start enjoying brewery deals October 1 through October 18. As well, the passport gives beer drinkers an opportunity to attend (view) the star-studded Virtual GABF Festival (October 16-17) (which includes the awards ceremony).

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Cincinnati’s German Brewing Heritage

It’s Oktoberfest time! For beer lovers in and around Cincinnati, Ohio, this season is pretty much made for them — the Queen City throws the second largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich, and the world’s largest chicken dance.

Sadly, COVID-19 will put a major damper on how Oktoberfest social events are handled this year. However, one of the great things about the season is the glut of Oktoberfest, Märzenbier and Festbier releases. (Check out this primer on what exactly it is we’re drinking when we have an Oktoberfest beer.) While it’s great enjoying these styles at a Cincinnati Oktoberfest celebration with an oompah band playing in the background, they’re also plenty enjoyable to relax with on a patio or porch as the summer heat wanes into crisp autumn evenings.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Port City Brewing Oktoberfest

For many German beer fans, late September doesn’t just mark the onset of autumn or the beginning of a new school year. It’s the only time of year for eating too many brats, listening to polka music of questionable quality and drinking delicious beer. It’s Oktoberfest! During any other year, many would be dusting off their lederhosen and making pretzel necklaces, while visions of frothy overflowing beer steins danced in their heads.

Yet, even though COVID-19 is, sadly, torpedoing our hopes of having in-person Oktoberfest events this year, never fear. There’s still plenty of first-rate Oktoberfest beers to be had. Here in the Washington, D.C., Beltway area, those mourning the cancellation of this year’s festivities are finding solace in Port City Brewing’s exceptional take on the classic Oktoberfest Märzen Lager. Despite only being distributed in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, and some select areas of New York and North Carolina, this beer has gained international renown. It took home the gold medal at the 2014 World Beer Championships, silver at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival and is currently ranked the 27th best Oktoberfest/Märzen style beer in the world by reviewers on Beer Advocate.

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Falling Rock Alternative Festival of Great Beer Aims to Fill Void of GABF

For the past 22 years, on the Monday before the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), one of the country’s most iconic beer bars has helped usher in the event with a celebratory kick-off tapping at 5 p.m.

However this year, on September 21, when Falling Rock Tap House’s GABF countdown timer would normally have ticked down to all zeros, there will be little pomp and circumstance as the festival transitions to a virtual format in response to the pandemic.

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Revolution Brewing | Thundertaker Perfectly Blends Spice & Sweet

Perfectly balancing spice and sweetness, Thundertaker, the first release in the 2020-21 Deep Wood Series from Revolution Brewing in Chicago, IL sets the bar high for what’s to come.

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Oktoberfest Beer Showcase | Bierstadt Lagerhaus Oktoberfest Märzen

In a year when longstanding traditions have been upended by the unconventional, a Denver brewery is aiming to preserve one of beer’s most time-honored rituals. Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, CO, which has been celebrated since its inception for its unwavering dedication to brewing traditional Lagers, is set to release their vaunted Oktoberfest Märzen Lager. This weekend’s release will coincide with the date that the 210-year-old Oktoberfest festival in Munich was originally scheduled to kick-off before being canceled as a result of the pandemic.

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Brewdacris Oktoberfest Beer Tasting

As someone who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Oktoberfest is not just a type of beer or a festival in Germany; it’s a state of mind. With the cancellation of many Oktoberfest events, people have to be creative in their celebration. Personally, give me a day where I can justifiably drink beer and eat sausage all day and I’ll be a happy camper.

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