Ultimate 6er | Presidential Election

I think we can safely say that our Presidential election is in the Tyson Zone.

On the one hand we have Hillary Clinton. I’ve heard some folks don’t like her. (That’s a real story about a presidential candidate in 2016.)

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GABF 2016 | Our Favorite Beer Names

There were more than 3,500 beers being poured at GABF this past weekend. You probably did’t try them all. In fact you probably didn’t even stop to look at every single beer being poured at the festival. Well I definitely didn’t try all of the beers either, but I did do some extensive investigating of the beers at GABF and compiled a list of my favorite beer names.

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UPDATED Event Preview | Chicago’s 6th Annual Beer Hoptacular

Chicago’s Beer Hoptacular enjoyed tremendous success and popularity its first five years..and then it vanished. Seemingly in its prime, it went away for a year. But, drawing on its inner Michael Jordan, HopTacular can announce to the world, “I’m back!”  

(Edit: Back, indeed! The Pour List is located at the bottom of this article. More than 150 beers from around the country.)

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2 Days, 2 Nights | South Bend Craft Beer Scene

Notre Dame isn’t the only source of gold in South Bend; there are plenty of pint glasses filled to the brim with golden lagers and ales, too. Not to mention, barrel-aged barleywines, stouts, and everything else one can imagine are all being served in Northern Indiana.

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Off Color Brewing & Miller High Life Releasing Collaboration Saturday

Big meets small. Corporate meets…well whatever the most opposite of corporate can be. That was my initial thought when I heard that Off Color Brewing and Miller High Life were collaborating on a beer together. The result – Eeek! an American Wild Ale set for release this Saturday at Off Color.

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The Best Pumpkin Beers of 2016

Featured image courtesy of: Adam Barhan (Flickr)

Ah, pumpkin; such a polarizing flavor. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, pumpkin beers are rearing their squashy, spicy heads for fall – but not all are created equal. From mildly-flavored to spice bombs, and from drinkable to over-the-top boozy, we’ve found a pumpkin-laced brew for almost everyone in this diverse list of the best pumpkin beers of 2016! Read More

Goose Island Announces Variants, Changes for Bourbon County Stout

With the announcement of the 2016 Bourbon County Brand Stout line-up Goose Island is metaphorically closing the book on a rough 2015 for the iconic barrel-aged beer series.

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Ultimate 6er | Austin Breweries to Try at GABF

The problem with Austin beers is that most of them never make it out of the state, (unless you have a good beer mail connection), due to the sheer size of the state and the ravenous consumption here. Several Austin breweries will be pouring at GABF this year and many of them are pouring beers that you can rarely even get in Austin. So get your pencils ready and mark down these Austin staples on your list of must-try beers!

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Event Recap | Goose Island Clybourn’s Belgian Fest

Quality over quantity can be a beautiful thing for a beer festival. It seems that every festival nowadays boasts that they’ll the most breweries and the most beers. But at this past weekend’s Belgian Fest at Goose Island Clybourn, it wasn’t the number of breweries that people were talking about; it was the quality of the beer being poured.

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Roughtail Brewing Co. | Hoptometrist Double IPA

If you know many people from the great state of Texas, you know they can be pretty prideful about their homeland. It’s almost as if state pride runs in the water for those who are born and raised in the Lone Star State. There was a time, before I had moved away, where I wasn’t sure anything good could come from one of the other 49, especially our step-cousins to the north, Oklahoma. However, over the years, I’ve come to realize that Oklahoma was not all I once despised. Heck, many wonderful things have come from there – Garth Brooks for instance! My wife! Prairie beer, the electric guitar, Chuck Norris, and now? Roughtail Brewing Co. Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Proper Brewing Co.

This place really is an adult playground. Looking to the left, we see Bill & Ted and to the right, we’re greeted by Wayne & Garth (all tanks have been given names of pop culture icons.) In the middle of it all, Jack is making beer on a home brew setup and today is in charge of the tunes at Proper Brewing Co. In between watching the boil, he takes a moment to set the next song.  Read More

Trillium Brewing | Skimpy Sparrow

ABV: 5.4%

Two months ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston with my wonderful girlfriend. It was our very first time going and we were able to stay with our amazing friend, Jackie. The great thing about Jackie, besides having two super adorable dogs and living in Salem, is the fact that she is a beer lover just like us. So we spent the better time of five days exploring the East Coast for craft beer and fresh lobsters; yum! Nothing pairs better on a hot day than fresh caught lobster and a cold beer. Throughout our mini vacation we were able to try numerous new breweries and even attended the Microbrewery Invitation. All brews considered, one brewery stood out to us above all others: Trillium Brewing (including its Skimpy Sparrow American Pale Ale, or APA).

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Guinness Brewery | Antwerpen Stout

ABV: 8%  |  IBU: 52

In the U.S., for the longest time, when you heard Guinness you thought of only the iconic stout that is a staple at every bar. But over the past few years the brewery has been dedicated to branching out and highlighting other beers to become known for more than the stout with the unique tap handle. Guinness‘ latest release, Antwerpen Stout, is just one of several beers that are hitting shelves in the U.S. to help diversify the Guinness name.

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Old Irving Brewing Co. Opens in Chicago

The week has finally come for the much-anticipated opening of Old Irving Brewing Company. OIB is located in the sneakily densely populated Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago just off the Edens at 4419 W. Montrose. The brewery is also only a couple blocks from the Montrose Blue line stop, making it very commuter friendly. Right now only street parking is available, however, a parking lot is in negotiations. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago is well known for many things. Second City, The Great Chicago Fire, Italian beef sandwiches…

But perhaps the most famous item to come out of Chicago is deep dish pizza.  We came up with our Ultimate 6er of local Chicago beers that pair well with some of our favorite local Chicago pizza places.

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Event Recap | California Craft Beer Summit

Sometimes, you go to an event with the highest expectations and walk away disappointed. Not because it was bad, but because it couldn’t live up to your lofty expectations. The California Craft Beer Summit is absolutely, positively, without a doubt, 100%, not one of those events. Read More

Illinois Craft Brewers Guild Announces New Executive Director

After a search that lasted most of the summer, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has announced they have hired Danielle D’Alessandro as their new executive director. D’Alessandro replaces Justin Maynard who left the guild back in June and is now working at Baderbräu in Chicago.

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Old Bust Head Brewing Co. | English Style Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 21

Old Bust Head Brewing Co. has appeared on taps throughout bars in my new hometown and because it’s made in Warrenton, which isn’t far from me, I knew I had to give it a shot. At my glorious Harris Teeter, I bought a 6-pack of their English-style pale ale, interested in both the beer but also the beer category itself — I’ve circled around English pale ales, but never dove into the style. Read More

Event Recap | Utah Beer Festival 2016

As the gate opened, it revealed a welcome invitation into the belly of the beast. Salt Lake City Weekly’s 7th Annual Utah Beer Festival 2016 was ready to rage. We prepared to soak up some sun, listen to solid tunes, gobble great eats and drink world class beer. Read More

Dogfish Head | SeaQuench Ale

ABV: 4.9 | IBU: 10

Dogfish Head has a knack for marking time — 60, 90 and 120-minute intervals. But, in the case of SeaQuench Ale, it’s not mere minutes that matter, it’s centuries. Five hundred years ago, the German brewing purity law, or Reinheitsgebot, gave birth to the prominence of the German lager we’ve all come to know and love. Sea Quench Ale honors that anniversary by simultaneously celebrating German brewing and ignoring that law.

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