Monday Night Brewing | Lay Low

The weather is warming up and whether you are now adventuring outdoors to hike or kayak or just drinking on the porch, it feels like summer.

There’s no shortage of IPAs available to craft beer drinkers, but one IPA to keep an eye out for is Monday Night Brewing Lay Low. Even though Lay Low is a low-calorie IPA, at just 90 calories, there is a heavy presence of big hop flavor.

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Orpheus Brewing’s Diversity Program Teaches Tomorrow’s Craft Beer Leaders

Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia, is launching a new paid internship program to improve racial inclusion and equity within the craft beer industry. The Leadership Diversity Program will hire one applicant at a time for six-month periods and train them in all aspects of brewery operations, with the goal of those graduating from the program going on to leadership careers in the craft beer world.

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Ultimate 6er | Summer Lawnmower Beers

Summer is here. Yes, it’s a pretty weird summer, but it’s here all the same. Even with all of the craziness going on in the world these days, the grass needs to be mowed, there’s yard work to do, and the garden needs to be … gardened. It’s time to drink some lawnmower beer!

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New Image Brewing & King State | Cignature

The music and beer industries attract a lot of the same personality types. People who are laid back, artistic in nature and like doing things their own way. It’s no surprise this spawns unique collaborations between great brewers and their favorite musicians. When New Image Brewing teamed up with King State out of Tampa, Florida, it was a convergence of two brewers that truly appreciate what each other have to offer.

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Beers For Gaming | Dungeons & Dragons

Beginning a new hobby—whether it’s immersing yourself into a board game or getting into the craft beer scene—can be a daunting task. As I was learning the ropes of Dungeons & Dragons, I found myself reminiscing on my early craft beer adventures. Experiencing and exploring new beer styles, breweries and beers was unfamiliar but exciting; the thrill of these new discoveries was truly unmatched. The same emotions are felt when adventuring through a quest in Dungeons & Dragons as unpredictable and diverse journeys shape each session.

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Bay Cannon Beer Co. | Aleena Pineapple Hibiscus Sour

Not every beer from Bay Cannon Beer Company has a name. In fact, most brews available in the West Tampa, FL taproom are simply listed with their ingredients. “It’s about the beer,” said Matthew Juaire, co-founder and COO. He, along with fellow co-founder and head brewer Joe Simmons, believe that beer names are trivial and the focus should be what’s in the beer and how the beer tastes. Read More

Divine Barrel Brewing and Vitamin Sea Brewing | Perception is Spoonfed

What happens when you have a beer collaboration planned and then COVID-19 hits? Divine Barrel Brewing and Vitamin Sea Brewing decided to do a virtual collaboration and created Perception is Spoonfed Berliner Weisse.

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Pontoon Brewing Company | Extra Extra Irish Extra Stout

Imagine going to your favorite local liquor store, before COVID-19 or even now (as safely able), and standing in front of the beer wall. It’s a beautiful sight. There are seemingly hundreds of options from every color to any design imaginable. Some simple, some intricate. This was my experience with Pontoon Brewing Company’s Extra Extra Irish Extra Stout as the simplicity of the label grabbed my attention among the plethora of options. 
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Examining the Oskar Blues Can-O-Bliss Series

In this new COVID19-driven world, to-go options and canning have taken center stage in the craft beer industry. So it’s no surprise that the first brewery to put craft beer in cans, Oskar Blues, is still producing and distributing a variety of beer styles. One such collection is the Oskar Blues Can-O-Bliss IPA series, a rotating release of IPAs the brewery unveiled in 2019. The idea behind the project is to “showcase unconventional combinations of exceptional hops.” The result for beer drinkers is a series that celebrates the diversity of hop flavors and aromas.

The brewery sent PorchDrinking a few samples to try: Tropical IPA, Hazy IPA and Citra DIPA. The Tropical will return next spring, but the seasonal Hazy IPA is available now and the DIPA is a year-round treat. Oskar Blues will also release a new Citrus IPA in September 2020.

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Birds Fly South | Virtual Mystery Bag Bottle Share

As we all know, breweries have been affected by the current pandemic that has swept our towns and cities across the country. Many local breweries have had to quickly evolve and adapt to the changing landscape, closing taprooms and offering to-go beer purchases.

A standout during these trying times is Birds Fly South in Greenville, SC. The booming “funk first” brewery’s 2020 plans came to a screeching halt, but that didn’t stop them from finding fun ways to serve up their award-winning beer. In order to evolve, shift and engage their community, the brewery has developed a series of virtual beer events to keep people connected in new ways, pioneering how we can all enjoy beer together. Read More

Edge City Brewery | #squadgoals Berliner Weisse

Opening a new brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina, is already a risky business move. In a city with more than 30 breweries, it’s hard to stand out and generate the revenue and clientele necessary to survive. But opening a new brewery during a global pandemic in any city is an even riskier business move. Edge City Brewery tossed both of those fears to the wind and opened in Charlotte on April 16, 2020. Read More

Creature Comforts Brewing Co | Automatic

Pure excitement. That’s one of the many emotions that Athens, Georgia, beer lovers are feeling as Creature Comforts announced Automatic, their seasonal Pale Ale, was finally joining the ranks of their year-round offerings. Creature Comforts chose Automatic as their sixth year-round beer as part of their six-year anniversary celebration. 

Automatic has been a staple of summer since its first splash onto the Georgia craft beer scene more than four years ago. Now, summer never has to stop. Read More

Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. | Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

Since there is always something new to try in the golden age of craft beer, some folks (this Porchdrinker included), rarely drink the same beer twice. However, in a time of great stress and fear of the unknown, it can be comforting to revert back to things that are familiar and comforting, and this consistently satisfying beer has earned its rightful place in your beer fridge. Read More

Bayboro Brewing | Teufel Hunden Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout

In the current state of affairs of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders, breweries and taprooms from all parts are working hard to stay open, keep their businesses afloat, and promote their beer to consumers during the pandemic. Most Tampa Bay-area breweries have moved to to-go sales in order to keep tapping kegs and selling great beer to anyone who ventures into their taprooms.

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Newgrass Brewing | Balloonhead Berliner Weisse

Newgrass Brewing opened its doors in July 2015 in the quaint town of Shelby, NC. They are located between Charlotte and Asheville, just off of Highway 74, making it a convenient stop when traveling between the two cities.

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Brewery Showcase | Salud Cerveceria

I’ve been to over 550 breweries so it is pretty rare for a taproom to “wow” me at this point. When I walked into Salud Cerveceria for the first time a little over a year ago after moving to Charlotte, my jaw dropped.

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Birds Fly South Ale Project | Rustic Sunday

What’s better on a Sunday afternoon than kicking back with a craft beer? This rye farmhouse ale by Birds Fly South will make you wish that every day was a “Rustic Sunday.” Read on to discover what makes this beer so approachable, crisp, and tart, and why it calls for soaking in every moment on laid back, lazy afternoons. Read More

Brewery Showcase | Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Company

Heading into March, it’s likely that some of your New Year’s resolutions are still going well, and routines are finally getting back on track. Whether your normal schedule is an organized onslaught of meetings, deadlines for work, or even procrastinating with assignments, we can finally slow it down and grab a beer to enjoy throughout the workweek. Fittingly, one of my go-to grabs anytime is Everyday Black Porter from Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Company.

From the road, Printer’s Ale Manufacturing Company might look like any number of other breweries in warehouse industrial spaces that have sprung up across the country en masse over the last decade. The exterior boasts a well-kept lawn which connects to a covered, picnic table-filled canopy, strands of lights hanging from the exposed rafters and around the space. There’s also a dedicated area for lawn games, spaces for local food trucks, and plenty of hop bines, which add a touch of authenticity to the brewery’s aesthetic. Step inside the taproom, however, and a two-hundred-year history of innovation and tradition comes alive on an imagistic timeline that wrap around the interior from wall to wall.
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First Magnitude Brewing | Ursa American IPA

It’s not often that I find myself traveling back to my old college town of Gainesville, FL but when I do I make it a point of stopping into at least one of the breweries on each trip. First there was Swamp Head, but then First Magnitude Brewing Company came onto the scene in 2012 and the Gainesville brewery scene continues to grow. I was delighted at my first stop in First Magnitude’s tasting room: It was just so versatile and inviting! There is a large warehouse-style brewing area where they have some picnic tables, an intimate (and air-conditioned) indoor tasting room and bar and a spacious outdoor area where kids can play and their parents can sit and catch up under the shade. I sat down with Ursa, their flagship IPA, and took in the surroundings.

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Olde Hickory Brewery | Flanders Red

Beer hunting is most fun when digging up long-forgotten, buried treasure. Recently, I had the pleasure of discovering Olde Hickory’s Flanders Red Ale. This beauty was aged for 30 months—a full two-and-a-half years!—in bourbon barrels before bottling on Halloween 2016. I found it in late 2019, hiding in plain sight on the shelf at Carrboro Beverage Company. That means this Bad Larry was aging for more than five years before I picked it up. Today, I have the pleasure of sharing it with you, our lovely PorchDrinking readers. Read More