What We’re Drinking | July 27, 2018

Picking up a new hobby or craft is pretty common during the Summer, but if your latest DIY project was a huge fail, fear not and let craft beer become your new hobby; it’s ours! It is guaranteed to be more relaxing than getting rained on while painting the house or the “new” Summer deck that became a hazard area at your last BBQ. The PorchDrinking staff’s got your back and have plenty of beers to share in this week’s What We’re Drinking.

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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.

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21st Amendment Brewery | Watermelon Funk

It almost feels strange to discuss a beer that’s been around for more than a year, but who says beer writers must concentrate solely on new releases? So, as summertime reaches its apex, it seems fitting to discuss 21st Amendment Brewery (21A) Watermelon Funk.

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21st Amendment Brewery | El Sully Mexican-Style Lager

There comes a time where something light is needed. Something airy for lakeside Saturdays or something just enough to take the edge off a stressful Wednesday without incidentally starting the weekend early. With the latest boom of IPAs, a sessionable IPA typically comes to mind. However, on my most recent Taco Tuesday outing, I decided to return to the first style of beer I eventually fell in love with: a light, golden lager. Or in this case, El Sully, the Mexican-style Lager from 21st Amendment Brewery.

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Event Preview | 2018 Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest

Summer is upon us and that means there are at least 1,000 beer festivals already announced, or at least it seems that way. However, when you’re one of the country’s preeminent breweries, you’ve got the ability to handpick other elite level breweries to join for an invitational; enter the Firestone Walker 2018 Invitational Beer Fest. We hope you were able to snag your tickets before they sold out (no tickets will be available at the door) and you have started to hydrate because this year is going to be a doozy.

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Bottle Logic Brewing | Roll For Initiative

It is important to first realize that Bottle Logic Brewing was founded only five years ago in 2013 and they have been doing big things ever since. Their tasting room opened its doors just a year later, and in 2015 they were ranked up on BeerAdvocate’s ‘Best New Beer’ list. It’s no surprise that their initiative and passion has led them to plans for a tasting room expansion later this year to accommodate the beer heads that come from all over to try their stuff.

Bottle Logic has never been afraid to rewrite the rules and live on the edge with their beers. Their mantra is “Process and Science Reduced to Art and Magic,” and they have lived up to it without a doubt. Easily their most popular and most sought after series is the Stasis Project. Focusing on barrel-aged masterpieces, Stasis has released some of the most incredibly complex and sought after stouts in the secondary market. It may only be less than a week until Space Trace releases, but people are still reeling over the last and newest addition to the Stasis lineup, Roll for Initiative. I did not miss this release, and I knew before it touched my lips that this would be my next beer showcase. Here’s why…
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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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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.

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Event Preview | San Diego Brewers Guild Festival

San Diego is a well known craft beer haven and the city is getting ready to host one of the most highly anticipated beer events of the year, San Diego Beer Week. In its ninth year, San Diego Beer Week (SDBW) is presented by the San Diego Brewers Guild and consists of more than 500 beer-centric events spanning 10 days, highlighting the region’s innovative brewing culture.

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Firestone Walker Releases Generation 1 IPA

In a world full of juicy IPAs, Firestone Walker (FWBC) is bringing Generation 1, an unfined and unfiltered West Coast IPA, to all its markets for a limited time (eight weeks). The beer is a product of the FWBC R&D program, located at the Propagator pilot brewhouse in Venice, California.

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Brewery Showcase | SLO Brew

Right before you reach the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, there is an industrial area packed with offices. Tucked off to the side is SLO Brew‘s The Rock, the second brewery location that opened earlier this year. Son of Dr. Stanley Hoffman, one of the pioneers who established the Paso Robles wine region, Mike Hoffman founded SLO Brew in 1988 with Kathy Ireland. It was the first brewpub on the Central Coast since prohibition. The current owner, Hamish Marshall, a beer loving Aussie who fell in love with SLO, took over as owner in 2010.

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Event Preview: SideDoor/Lawry’s & Lagunitas: A Five-Course Beer Dinner

SideDoor, the popular gastropub adjacent to Lawry’s The Prime Rib, is joining forces with Lagunitas Brewing Company on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Located in a building steeped in history, Executive Chef Leonard Delgado will provide guests with a five-course menu that will pair with Lagunitas beer or beer-based cocktail ($75/person). It’s a night for foodies and beer geeks.

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21st Amendment Brewery | Brew Free! Or Die Blood Orange IPA

Photo courtesy of 21st Amendment Brewery

The new, ultra-refreshing spin on the original Brew Free! or Die IPA has arrived this March like a full-flavored lion pouncing on its beer-drinking prey. The brewery that made watermelon beer famous has gone the citrusy IPA route with its new year-round offering — real blood oranges and plenty of hops.

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Firestone Walker to Offer Bravo & Future Vintage Reserves in 12 oz Bottles

Cover Photo Courtesy Firestone Walker

Bravo is the first beer release from Firestone Walker as part of its shift from offering Vintage Reserve barrel-aged beers in 22-ounce bomber format to 12-ounce bottles in 2017. This transition includes longtime stalwarts such as Parabola and the annual Anniversary Ale.

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12 Beers of Christmas | Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper

ABV: 10.5%

When the weather outside gets frightful, a nice big imperial stout can be very delightful, but you should be sure that you’ve got no place to go. For me, one of my favorite big imperial stouts during the holiday season is Port Brewing’s Santa’s Little Helper. Like sweet baby Jesus, Santa’s Little Helper is pure and good in every way. The beer doesn’t have any “holiday seasoning” in it, which is a nice break after pumpkin beer season to avoid nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, etc.

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Lagunitas Brewing Company | Wilco Tango Foxtrot

ABV: 7.85% | IBU: 64.20

It’s a shock that it’s already October and fall is officially here. The summer was a blur and it seems like Christmas is already right around the corner. Yet, we’re at that awkward point in the year when it often still feels like summer despite the fact that we can officially say it’s fall and crack open those seasonal brews. So, is it still cool to enjoy a hoppy IPA or crisp, citrusy shandy, or are we resigned to force in those maltier, more robust ales and stouts? There isn’t really a satisfying mix of the two to help bridge the gap. That is until now — Lagunitas Brewing Company has introduced to the world its new Wilco Tango Foxtrot.

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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

21st Amendment | Toaster Pastry

ABV: 7.6% | IBU: 74

Happy Days are Beer again!  The 21st Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified on December 5, 1933, ending prohibition. Fast forward to the year 2000 and this famous Amendment inspired a new brewery in San Francisco. 21st Amendment Brewery was founded by Nico Freccio and Shaun O’Sullivan and they opened the doors to their brewpub in the famous South Park neighborhood, a few blocks from the San Francisco Giants ballpark. Some of the fan favorites include: Brew Free or Die IPA, Hell or High Watermelon, Back in Black, Fireside Chat. The fan favorites need to watch their back because there is a new kid on the block and their name is Toaster Pastry.

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The Rare Barrel | Forces Unseen

Sour beers have quickly become an obsession for beer drinkers around the world. This is nothing new. American breweries have taken to mimicking styles that range from old ales to long-practiced lambics and more. As of late, the US has been bestowed with many breweries whose sole purpose is to bring the world (or those who can access it) that puckering elixir known commonly as sour beer.

Enter, The Rare Barrel and their exclusively barrel-aged sour brewery. Other than having one of the best names in the industry (I mean, come on, “rare” is right in the title), The Rare Barrel also produces some top-quality sour beers. Ranging from barrel-aged Goses to Berliner Weisses, to everything in between, The Rare Barrel rolls the dice with each batch of this lively drink, especially one of their latest brews: Forces Unseen. Read More

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company | Narwhal Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.20%
IBU: 60

When I think of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, I usually think of the hop-heavy portion of their offering, from their classic IPA and Torpedo to the less traditional Flipslide Red IPA. I was both surprised and excited to see Sierra Nevada snag a bronze medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in the Imperial Stout category. A couple days after the festival, I saw this blingtastic brew at Argonaut and I was not able to turn it down.

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