Karl Strauss Brewing Co. | Queen of Tarts

You know the scene in Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure where he’s saving pets from the burning pet store, and he keeps passing over the snakes because they gross him out? Eventually he bites the bullet, grabs the snakes and runs out screaming. Sometimes that’s how I feel about the Sours in my cellar. I know I’m going to drink them all eventually, but aren’t there any Barrel-Aged Stouts I can rescue first?

That’s probably a little dramatic. Just like with Sours, some snakes are pretty cool. I used to have an empty field by my house where we’d go and collect garter snakes to take to school and put them in teachers’ desks. That’s not really relevant other than now you know I was kind of a dick as a kid. I’m sure I’ve outgrown that through the years. Anyway, to push myself out of my cozy, hoppy, comfort zone, several times a year I like to sit down and get personal with a bottle of funky tartness. This month’s offering to the Sour Gods is Karl Strauss‘ fan-favorite Queen of Tarts.

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Toasted Barrel Brewery | Barrel Aged Flanders Red

This past summer a trip ended with good luck and bad. The good started with a layover in Las Vegas. You can probably guess we met success at the airport slots. Not a jackpot, mind you, but enough to cover dinner and drinks! The bad luck started at our destination, Salt Lake City. Because our schedule was full with stuff like ziplining and hot air balloon launches, we had enough time to visit just one brewery. One. Read More

Fair State Brewing Cooperative | Spirit Foul

It’s baaaaaack. At the beginning of the month, Fair State Brewing Cooperative reintroduced its highly regarded seasonal collaboration with San Diego’s Modern Times Beer – Spirit Foul, a double dry-hopped hazy IPA for the ages.

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Chapman Crafted Beer | Hazy Like Sunday Morning

Chapman Crafted Beer is located in Old Towne in Orange, California. It’s a family-owned brewery that’s, in their own words, “community focused.” This includes brewing beers honoring the local university’s homecoming and the city’s festival. Read More

Firestone Walker’s Terroir Project | An Experimental Crossover

For many people, the expectation is that breweries must always be innovating to be relevant. While smaller breweries have the luxury of chasing a trend and nimbly playing the field, many larger and established breweries find this a challenging task. Firestone Walker, though one of the larger craft breweries, has continued to find a way to create their own space. Whether it’s through unique beer releases or highly curated events, they always seem to be up for the challenge. Read More

Suave Fest and Raíces Brewing Shine Light on LatinX Brewers

The communal nature of the craft beer industry naturally lends to a general sentiment of inclusiveness. Race, gender, sexual orientation, doesn’t matter to most in the beer community as long … Read More

Modern Times Beer | Blanc On Blanc On Blanc On Blanc

In a craft beer market that’s ever-growing and becoming harder and harder to stand out from the competition, Modern Times continues to find ways to push the envelope and garner massive interest. It definitely helps attract customers when you have creative, out-of-the-ordinary beer names and one-of-a-kind label/can art. Modern Times isn’t the only brewery out there that can come up with clever names and awesome art; however, not all of those breweries can back up those aspects with a high quality beer—over and over again. One of their beers that checks the box on all of those categories is Blanc On Blanc On Blanc On Blanc. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Six Beers to Celebrate Labor Day

Labor Day is unfortunately overlooked as a day most people are just happy to be off work. The irony of it is that the first Monday of September represents those same hardworking Americans. All of the social and economic achievements of American workers deserve acknowledgment, and Labor Day is a humble way of thanking and serving tribute to a history of hard work and positive contribution towards a stronger, more prosperous nation.

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The Best Beers to Pair with the Umami Burger

Las Vegas is the definition of excess. From swanky pool parties to bougie night clubs and incredible hotels, Sin City is never one to lack in any type of entertainment. I recently took my inaugural trip to Vegas and came back with more than a few stories—with one in particular I’m keen to share.

Vegas has a world-renowned dining scene that offers cuisine that appeals to every palate. Every hotel on the strip boasts a bevy of great fine dining options but tend to lack in their craft beer offerings. While many house robust wine lists that you can’t find anywhere else, the beer pairings are typically not up to par. So, when I checked into my hotel for the trip, the SLS Las Vegas, I pinpointed one dining and beer experience that I was excited to try: The Umami Burger, Beer Garden—and Sports Book (it’s Vegas after all).

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4 Noses Announces Boulder Taproom and Sour Barrel-Aging Facility

Joining the likes of Oskar Blues, Upslope, Great Divide, Denver Beer Co, Odell, Periodic, Resolute, Spice Trade, WeldWerks, Grist, 14er Brewing and more, Broomfield’s 4 Noses Brewing is preparing to … Read More

Alvarado Street Brewery | Tayberry

Picture this: It’s a warm, sunny day out and you have a beer in hand. Which beer could fit that bill, you might ask? Well, that’s an easy answer if you’re a fan of something slightly tart, yet fruity. Alvarado Street Brewery‘s Tayberry is the beer you’ll want in your hand. It’s the perfect pairing for spring weather, or, as we like to call it, porch drinking weather.

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Top 10 Vegetarian Friendly Breweries and Brewpubs Across America

My wife and I recently reached our milestone of traveling to all 50 states, ensuring we visit the local brewery in each of the places that we visit. While I am an avid meat eater, my wife is vegetarian. So, the places we choose to eat during our travels had to be well researched in advance to ensure they have a vegetarian menu that met the expectations of my wife, who can be quite a picky eater. Luckily, nowadays, that isn’t hard. Many breweries and brewpubs offer at least one vegetarian option on their menu, to various degrees of success and creativity.

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Modern Times Beer | Hyper Halo Berliner Weisse

No matter where you live in the nation, you’re always itching to get your hands on the exclusive beers you can’t get through your local distribution. We’ve all seen the “ISO,” “Looking Out For” or “Will Trade For” posts on craft beer Facebook groups, but some choose to use some other less conventional ways to get their hands on new beers. Personally, I use Tavour when I want some really amazing beers from “sea to shining sea,” and even beyond.

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Wild Barrel Brewing | San Diego Vice w/ Passion Fruit

It may be the dead of winter in Colorado, but there’s just a special pull to wanting to enjoy a bit of sunny San Diego. Wild Barrel Brewing Company‘s San Diego Vice (Passion Fruit, specifically) brings images of a tropical paradise with every sip. This beer is one of many in Wild Barrel’s lineup of San Diego Vices. Needless to say, having one will leave you wanting more.

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Lagunitas Adapts its Packaging to Evolve its IPA Portfolio

Lagunitas Brewing Co. is a massive brewery with a global reach. Yet, they still remain nimble enough to adapt to the changing drinking preferences of today’s craft beer consumers. From draft, to bottles, to cans, the preferred drinking vessel for many in America has changed over the past decade. Largely because beer became more intertwined with the unplanned outings and weekend activities of enthusiasts. With an eye on appealing to consumers on-the-go and in the midst of day-drinking activities, Lagunitas has decided to make two drastic updates to their canning portfolio. Their bellwether Lagunitas IPA arrives in 19.2oz stovepipes and sessionable DayTime IPA comes to 12oz cans. We asked Lagunitas’ Communications Director, Karen Hamilton, about the news.

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Event Preview | Karl Strauss Brewing Company Turns 30

On February 2, 1989, Karl Strauss Brewing Company opened their first brewery on Columbia St. in downtown San Diego, CA. Thirty years later, they are still going strong with 10 brewpubs scattered from San Diego to Orange County and two locations in Los Angeles County.

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The Bruery | Weekday Stout Lineup

Exclusive…Brues? I love lists. With craft beer, it has never been any different. When I first started drinking craft, The Bruery’s Black Tuesday quickly came onto my radar. With its exclusive nature, only being available once a year on the final Tuesday in October, I made it a mission to get a hold of one. I quickly discovered that not only was there Black Tuesday, but The Bruery brewed arguably even more exclusive Stout releases for other days of the week, using Black Tuesday as the base beer and then adding different adjuncts to each other day. These other variants were available to Reserve Society Members only.

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Drink Beer, Protect the SF Bay with Anchor Brewing | Baykeeper IPA

Is there a better way to kick off the new year with a new brew that makes a fierce impact on the environment? Probably not! Anchor Brewing Company is doing just that. They’re proud to release Baykeeper IPA, which is made in collaboration with a local non-profit. The San Francisco Baykeeper has been defending the Bay from pollution for 30 years; so, Anchor teamed up with them to create this bright and delicious IPA.

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Stone Brewing | Xocoveza

I think everyone can agree that January is the worst month of the year. For the entire first week, you’re nursing your holiday hangover. The second and third weeks you spend frantically trying to catch up on all the work you avoided during December. The last week, you fully realize how long it is until you get another holiday. I guess what I’m trying to say is that good beer is what will help you get through January.

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What We’re Drinking | December 28, 2018

We are officially in the middle of the holiday week, and it’s probably time for a nice break from all the festivities. Here is what your favorite PorchDrinkers are enjoying this holiday season, it’s time for another installment of What We’re Drinking.

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