Commonwealth Brewing Company | Big Papi

When traveling, it has become commonplace in our society for people to bring back souvenirs for friends and loved ones. It could be a shirt from a local professional team or a keychain with their name etched on it (which is a sore subject for someone who seemingly always struck out as a young kid when trying to find the one with my name on it). But for those closest to me, they know to expect some samples of local beer brewed in the town or city I was visiting. Read More

Narrow Gauge Brewing Company | King Fallen Flag

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the breweries in western Pennsylvania — Dancing Gnome, Grist House, Voodoo Brewery and Brew Gentlemen, to name a few of my favorites. The craft beer served at those places, as is the rest of the craft beer served in the region, is absolutely delicious. However, every once in awhile you want to branch out and explore other breweries. That is where Narrow Gauge Brewing Company (St. Louis) comes into play, including its King Fallen Flag.

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Monkish Brewing Company | Surprise Party

I just moved to the UAE this past month for work. It’s an exciting and extravagant place to be — with the current and future tallest buildings in the world, white sand beaches, indoor ski resorts and camel’s milk ice cream dipped in gold. I thoroughly realized that I would be moving to the desert when I decamped from Los Angeles, and I don’t mean Jakku. I mean a craft beer desert almost as expansive as the Empty Quarter itself. 
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Beer Showcase | 3 Floyds Dark Lord Vertical 2014 – 2017

The Dark Lord Himself Has Arisen.

I recently had the honor of conducting a 3 Floyds Brewing tasting that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. About two and a half years ago, when I was just starting out with craft beer, I did some research and threw together a short bucket list of beers I wanted to try before I died. Well, I’ve completed that list already because, in back-to-back days, I tried Pliny the Younger and engaged in a Dark Lord vertical tasting.

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Civil Society Brewing | Fade Away

Porters are a favorite for many, and I recently tried one that tasted too good not to share with you all. Civil Society Brewing has a delicious porter that has been hopped with Chinook, Mosaic and Amarillo. Civil Society did not get their nationwide popularity based on porters, so I am happy to highlight Fade Away. This gem of an American Porter was released again last month with a one pack per person limit. Finally, a rotating beer made it back home to me. I could not wait to open one up, so I took the opportunity on a Fri-YAY (and also one of Florida’s lovely, random cooler days). Read More

Listermann Brewing Company | Call To Farms

In the late 1930s, much of the world was at war. As time marched on, and the turmoil of afar reached over the ocean to impact American society, men volunteered to serve in the military. Great navies carried American men from both coasts to fight the ideologies of totalitarian regimes while patriarchal American society now found itself reliant on a female workforce to take up the slack. Call To Farms, by Listermann Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a triumphant expression of collaboration and hard work.

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Pilgrim | Triple Blanche

The first image that pops into my head at the word Pilgrim involves folks wearing tall hats and large-buckled shoes while sharing turkey and Stove Top stuffing with the Indians at Plymouth Rock. You know, historically accurate stuff. Nonetheless, the general premise of the American story involves a pilgrimage — a significant, spiritual journey to a new, location of importance. And although the Swiss do not celebrate ye olde pilgrimage to the New World in search of canned cranberry sauce and green bean casserole, I found a brewery here that celebrates pilgrims in another way.

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Barebottle Brewing Co. | Unicorn Dust IPA

There aren’t a lot of breweries out there like Barebottle Brewing Co. in San Francisco; and when I say that, I mean a brewery that is community-inspired. Barebottle gives homebrewers the opportunity to compete for a chance to have their beer made- I mean, how awesome is that? A new theme is decided and challenges brewers to come up with a beer that fits those guidelines. From there, the head brewer at Barebottle brews up that beer and ta-da! You’ll get some sort of awe-inspiring creation that sets them apart from a lot of bigger breweries.

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Vindication Brewing Co. | India Pale Ale

Vindication—Proof that something is right, reasonable or justified.

Vindication Brewing Co. is located in Boulder, Colorado. Eric Huber, Sanjiv Patel and Marty Lettow merged their diverse backgrounds with similar beliefs in integrity and quality beer. Eric, Marty and Sanj developed the philosophy “Brewtegrity” which comes from the 1516 German Law Reinheitsgebot. Known as the law of beer purity, it mandated that all beer would only be made by barley, hops and water. Purity was as important back then as it is now for these three dedicated brewers in Boulder. They enjoy the purity of their ingredients and are open to share recipes with customers.

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26 Degree Brewing | Ziko’s Rage

26 Degree Brewing Company has a delicious imperial stout that I am stoked to share with you all. This stout with a raging flavor profile gets its name from a furious sea turtle that was rescued by the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida.

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Reuben’s Brews | Holiday Gose

I’m going to start this off by saying I am not a fan of the holiday season. Suddenly, I’m expected to be merry and in good spirits, which is just not the way I work. Bribe me with a winter warmer and we might be able to talk, slip me an Imperial Stout and we will be best of friends. Like a lot of you, alcohol makes this season bearable. To quote National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, “I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels.”

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Coppertail Brewing Co. | Oktoberfest

Although I love all styles of beer, I do look forward to this time of year when Oktoberfest is celebrated through festivals, beers and good times. I picked up a bottle of Coppertail Brewing’s Oktoberfest to try and this one was a great way to end this Oktoberfest with a bang.

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HenHouse Brewing | IPA (Incredible Pale Ale)

To HenHouse, their IPA means Incredible Pale Ale, to me their IPA means Intoxicating Pleasurable Awesomesauce. Read More

Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. | Pumpkin Harvest Ale

Some of my favorite Fall things are the leaves changing colors, pumpkin spiced foods and beverages everywhere, cooler weather, and of course pumpkin beers! Half Moon Bay Brewing Co brews up their Pumpkin Harvest Ale seasonally to delight the taste buds. Read More

Beer Showcase | Strange Craft Beer Co. & Epic Brewing Strangely Epic

Once again, for the fourth year in a row, we get to try Strangely Epic, a blend of two celebrated beers from Strange Craft Beer Company and Epic Brewing. The beer was first created in 2013 for Denver’s Collaboration Fest. Crafted at both breweries and named Strangely Epic and Epically Strange (for where each beer was brewed and blended), the collaboration brews release is eagerly awaited each year.

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Terrapin Beer Company | Dave’s Not Here

Alright hop heads, gather around! This is a good one. The flavors are apparent in the aroma alone, leaving you the only option to drink this brew from Terrapin Beer Company right away to find out how delicious it is. This bottle was poured into a pint glass on a rainy afternoon and enjoyed on the back porch. A beautiful golden amber color appeared with a thin head. I felt really fortunate to get this and was confident I would enjoy the beer.

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Funky Buddha Brewery | Fire in the Hole

While preparing for Hurricane Irma, I opened the fridge to find this interesting treat by Funky Buddha Brewery and realized it was the perfect beer for a time like this. An explosive beer, this rotates yearly in the Little Buddha Small Batch series. Fire in the Hole takes on a whole new level of spice. This red ale brewed with raspberries and habanero is too intriguing of a combination to pass up. Fire in the Hole was a drinkable distraction from all of the hurricane preparation. It is available throughout Florida in bottles and on tap for a limited time.

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Upslope Brewing | Champagne Saison with Nelson Sauvin

Sometimes tap rooms can act as testing grounds that can bring unassuming beers to the forefront, allowing for crowd pleasing favorites that otherwise wouldn’t be canned and distributed to share in some of the spotlight. Upslope Brewing’s Tap Room series is just that, offering a rotating series in which larger batches of popular tap room beer is brewed — split between kegs and cans, and then once it’s gone; that’s it for the year. Previous releases in 2017 have included Strawberry Mint IPA, Peanut Butter Porter and Hefeweizen. I was able to get my hands on its Champagne Saison with Nelson Sauvin, a beer that I like to call “fancy beer for outdoorsy folk.”

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Left Hand Brewing Co. | Fade to Black

If asked what first comes to mind when you think of Left Hand Brewing, I would guess Milk Stout and Nitro top that list. As much as I enjoy Milk Stout and the Nitro lineup of beers, one beer in Left Hand’s vast portfolio that might be overlooked is Fade to Black, their winter seasonal. Read More

Lone Tree Brewing Company | Cucumber Wheat

ABV: 5.2%

Lone Tree Brewing Company opened in December of 2011 as the first private craft brewery along C-470 in the Lone Tree/Highlands Ranch area. Since then several more breweries have opened, but Lone Tree has continued to grow strong. They recently introduced their Branching Out Series of seasonals and continue to grow their selection of canned beers. These include their Mexican Lager, Red Ale, Double IPA and Peach Pale. This spring they also started canning their seasonal beers and the first to be canned is the Cucumber Wheat, a delicious refreshing thirst-quenching summer love.

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