What We’re Drinking | October 12, 2018

Festival season is in full swing, and the PorchDrinking staff has been busy putting together a collection of the week’s finest brews. Festival season in fall can mean unpredictable weather, and in some parts of the country the unpredictable weather is serious; we don’t take that lightly. We hope everyone is staying as safe as possible with friends and family.

Read More

Beer Lover’s Guide to Paris: French Friends & Belgian Beer

It’s hard to believe it’s already been over two months since our summer 2018 Europe trip. It still feels like just a couple weeks ago we were walking the black sand beaches of Iceland, gazing out over the Cliffs of Moher and admiring in revered silence the beauty of Westminster Abbey. We talk about our trip all the time and are already dreaming up our next one. But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s one more country and ale adventure story to tell…

Read More

4 Hands Brewing | City Museum Pilsner

The inspiration for craft beer can come from anywhere: famous historical figures, inside jokes between brewers and a host of other items, serve as inspiration and backstory for the craft beers we drink. One of the nice things about the hyper-local nature of the craft beer scene is its ability to provide insight into the local area — that was the case for me with 4 Hands Brewing’s City Museum Pilsner.
Read More

Brewery Showcase | Burning Barrel Brewing

Burning Barrel Brewing is the vision of a father/son duo; Jack and Duncan Alexander. Jack, a longtime homebrewer, and Duncan are leading the way on the build-out of the brewery located within the Barrel District of Rancho Cordova, a city just east of downtown Sacramento. Rancho Cordova has embraced the “Maker Spirit” by creating its Barrel District, streamlining the process of opening a brewery — and more. The Barrel District currently includes six breweries, two distilleries, and one meadery.

Read More

Firestone Walker | Luponic Distortion IPA Series #10

I just got back from a weekend of epic proportions. World class beer, informative talks, great music,  new friends, and an impressive brewery tour. The Firestone Walker Invitational is definitely … Read More

Sly Fox Brewing | Alex’s Lemon Wheat Ale

Let us start at the very beginning — with a lemonade stand.

The story starts with a little girl named Alexandra “Alex” Scott. Just before her first birthday, Alex’s parents were given the diagnosis that Alex had neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer.

Read More

Hayes’ Public House | Where Irish Hospitality Meets Minnesota Nice

Located in the heart of Central Minnesota — a state known for its fierce Scandinavian pride — is a small Irish pub that almost seems out of place.

Hayes’ Public House provides the most authentic Irish experience some Minnesotans may ever have. And that’s the point. Owner and Head Brewer Pugs Hayes and his wife spent two months touring Ireland, absorbing as much of its culture as they could. With the help of friends and family, they recreated what they saw, heard, felt and tasted in a small brewery that has become the hub of Buffalo, MN.

Read More

2 Days, 2 Nights | A Complete Guide to Chicago’s Craft Beer Scene

Chicago has always been a weekend destination as people look to explore the city’s rich history, culture and of course, have a slice of deep dish pizza. It’s also now a place where craft beer fans can indulge in the wide array of breweries that the city offers. If anything, it might be overwhelming when trying to think of how to tackle all the breweries within the city limits. Spoiler alert—it would be virtually impossible to visit every single brewery in a weekend.

So if you’re coming to Chicago for a weekend, here’s a guide on how to get the most out of the Chicago craft beer scene in a limited amount of time. Understand that like I said above, it would be virtually impossible to do every brewery, so I had to leave some out. It’s nothing personal and you can alter this itinerary however you like. You’ll also notice that there are no suburban breweries on this list. I’ll be doing another itinerary in a couple of weeks that will focus on just suburban breweries—don’t worry guys, I didn’t forget about you!

Read More

Tree House Brewing Company | Lights On

“Shipping up to Boston!” is a phrase that was uttered more times than I dared to count during my most recent trip — an overnight stay in the famed New England coastal city. It was St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and I snagged two tickets to see Dropkick Murphys perform the first night of their hometown holiday show at the House of Blues in Boston. The idea of expanding our trip to include lobster rolls, “chowdah” and amazing beer was too sweet to pass up, and drinking Lights On from Tree House helped put this trip over the top.
Read More

2018 Collaboration Fest Ticket Giveaway & Brew Days Photoblog

The 5th Annual Collaboration Beer Festival returns this Saturday, March 31st to be exact! With over 200 breweries from 42 states and six countries descending upon the Hyatt Recency, we … Read More

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

Chicago Chefs Talk Pairing Food with Craft Beer

Will you serve food? It’s a question every brewery that’s getting ready to open a taproom will be asked.

In Chicago, there are a lot of taprooms. Food is a necessity when drinking, and taprooms handle this issue in all different ways. While some have a full menu, others work with food trucks to stop by on a regular schedule and others are simply BYOF (bring your own food).

Read More

Marz Community Brewing Officially Opens a Taproom in Chicago

Just minutes before Marz Community Brewing Company was set to open for the first time this past Saturday, a line stretched from the door and around the corner with craft beer fans ready to welcome the long-awaited taproom to the Chicago beer scene.

Read More

Baere Brewing Company | Unknown Parentage

Baere Brewing Company had never done an open fermentation before, nor had the three-year-old Denver brewery made a beer using grapes. In Unknown Parentage, they did both—with a dry, funky and all-around delicious result.

Read More

Brewery Showcase | 7Sisters Brewing (San Luis Obispo)

I’ve seen some environmental friendly breweries before, but nothing quite compares to the level of commitment to sustainability that 7Sisters Brewing has. The moment you walk through doorway you see a tasting room filled with repurposed materials. My favorite piece is their bar. It was built from school lockers and topped with zinc-wrapped wood from the shipping crate the lockers arrived in. Throughout the tasting room you will see lighting made from Cal Poly lab lamps and tables that used to be shop benches from LA technical college. Heading out to their patio you can see the patio railings that were repurposed from the wood forms used when pouring the concrete.

Read More

Brewery Showcase | Brewability Lab

Many breweries begin with a familiar story: a homebrewer who’s tired of a desk job and decides to make a go at scaling up.

Brewability Lab is not one of those stories. Founder Tiffany Fixter had neither brewing experience nor a business background. What the former special education teacher did have, however, was an ambitious—even radical—idea. Why not tap into Denver’s affinity for craft beer to create jobs for adults with special needs?
Read More

Cypress Brewing Company | 17-Mile IPA

2018 is finally upon us! For my New Year’s resolution, I am determined to check out more up and coming breweries and continue to sample new beers that I have not yet had. With it being only a few days into 2018, I’m already hard at work on my resolution. On a recent trip to New Jersey, I noticed there was a brewery only a few minutes away from my hotel. Since there’s nothing better than spending a chilly Saturday afternoon warming up with some tasty beers, I started on my way to Cypress Brewing Company. Read More

Inside the Tank | Alarmist Brewing

Whenever I thought of Alarmist Brewing, its Entrenched IPA can stuck out. It’s probably the brewery’s most highly available beer and is distributed in the city. Located in the Sauganash neighborhood of Chicago – an area I typically don’t visit often, I had never been to the brewery before.
Read More

New Belgium Brewing | Honey Orange Tripel

When you think of the holidays, what memories come to mind? I think of the smell of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies with burnt edges because my mom left them in the oven too long. I remember the Christmas presents constantly needing protection from our 100-pound Golden Retriever, who had a particular proclivity for shaking and tearing the wrapping paper off the gifts like he was hunting live game. Most of all, I love bringing fresh, delicious flavors of the season to all of the holiday festivities, for everyone to try. This year, I have found my beverage of choice for our new annual Christmas party beer sampling – New Belgium Brewing’s delicious Honey Orange Tripel.
Read More

Other Half Brewing & Sand City Brewing | All Infinity Everything

Start spreading the news. I’m leaving today. I want to be a part of it, a New York beer line! Yes, that’s right. On my most recent trip to New York City, I woke up ridiculously early to make the drive for a the release of All Infinity Everything at Other Half Brewing Company in Brooklyn. Trust me, when you see this brewery is doing a can release while you are planning on being in the area, you go. Read More