Mental Health & Beer | Things We Don’t Say IPA

The phrase “Sitting down over a beer” is part of the American lexicon. Friends discuss work, marriages, money, politics, sports or even physical health. But, what about mental health? Why does that seem so rare? As well, craft brewers, who routinely engage in community support, have not addressed mental health until recently. Maybe it’s because it seems hypocritical to produce alcohol and note support for mental health; but that’s a stigma that many hope to change. Malteurop Malting Co., Hollingbery & Son Hops, Eagle Park Brewing, Hope for the Day and many others have kick-started a collaboration beer called “Things We Don’t Say IPA” in an attempt to make mental health discussions as common as Monday morning quarterbacking. This is not to say that one should have a beer when feeling down. Simply, it’s that that people who make and/or enjoy beer should not only feel okay discussing the topic, but be happy to do so.

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Breweries to Create Missouri Brewers Guild’s First Collaboration Brew

Twenty-two members of the Missouri Brewers Guild teamed up this fall to brew the Guild’s first-ever collaboration brew, aptly named “Missouri Loves Company”. The breweries met via video conference to discuss logistics, ingredients, and unite during a time when social distancing rules tend to keep people apart.

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What Black is Beautiful Means to Louisville Breweries

Louisville has been at the forefront of the Black Live Matter movement for months due to the death of Breonna Taylor on March 13. So, When the opportunity to participate in the Weathered Souls Brewing Black is Beautiful beer collaboration came up, Louisville breweries didn’t think twice about participating. It was the perfect way to combine two things very important to them: brewing great beer and supporting their community.

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Hop Butcher & Revolution Brewing | Collaboration Series

Collaboration beers are nothing new to the industry and when Revolution Brewing and Hop Butcher for the World teamed up it wasn’t even their first time working together. The most recent collaboration series features three beers with three distinct styles. The series features Maintains and Shapes, a hopped Lager, Base, a West Coast Pale Ale, and Superstructure, a Hazy IPA.

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Cervejaria Dogma & 3 Sons Collaboration | Summbation

In the spirit of togetherness and collaboration, what better way to recognize craft beer than to feature the lovechild of a notable Florida brewery with a South American powerhouse. Summbation is a collaborative imperial stout that embodies the true character of both 3 Sons Brewing and Cervejaria Dogma.

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Ultimate 6er | Six New Coffee Beer Collaborations You Should Know About

Barrel-aged stouts dominate the Fall and Winter release calendars of many breweries as beer drinkers pine for a hearty, boozy beer that they can settle down with when the temperature drops. One of the familiar additions to these barrel-aged beers is coffee. It can add body, big flavors and huge aromatics that round out the barrel qualities and mellow the ABV burn. While I’m a huge fan of coffee in my boozy stouts, I get equally excited by breweries that look to collaborate with their community coffee purveyor or lighter offerings like lagers, cream ales, and simple stouts. Here are six recent coffee beer releases that fit that billing. 

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Santa’s Cookies & Milk Stout helps Chicago-area families in need

The fourth annual release of Santa’s Cookies Imperial Milk (and Cookie) Stout, a collaborative effort by Hailstorm Brewing and The Open Bottle in Tinley Park (Chicago), arrives November 30. Since its first release in 2016, Santa’s Cookies popularity has grown and expanded to include variants, which is good news because part of the proceeds of the beer goes towards the Tinley Wish Foundation, who help local, needy families.

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Crystal Lake Brewing & Signature Room | Top View Brew

Crystal Lake Brewing may be located on the outer edges of the Chicago Metropolitan region, but the brewery is as much a “Chicago beer” as any brewery located within the city limits. So much so, the Crystal Lake Beach Blonde Lager has become a staple at the Signature Room, a posh restaurant & lounge located 1,000 feet above Chicago on the 95th & 96th floor of the John Hancock Center.  And now, the brewery has created Top View Brew Golden Wheat Ale exclusively for the Signature Room and Signature Lounge. “Aside from occasionally being on draft at the Crystal Lake Tap Room, it’s only available 95 floors up in the Hancock building. Guests at the restaurant will be able to order this beer year-round while they enjoy the great menu and amazing views of Chicago,” explained Crystal Lake Sales Manager, Jesse Able.

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Hold My Crown | 10 Variant Release of a Suburban-Chicago Pink Boots Collaboration

The Women of Suburban Chicago, who took part in the Pink Boots Live Brew Day at Skeleton Key Brewing for International Women’s Day in March, had one thing in mind: make good beer. The brewers and brewery professionals, who happened to be women, came together to do what all beer fans love: transform yeast, malt, hops and water into a wonderful, fermented beverage. As a byproduct of brewing in the Pink Boots’ event, the women did accomplish one extra item: they demonstrated (again) that brewing prowess has zero to do with gender. Any doubt that women can brew was immediately stripped away when patrons enjoyed the nine varieties (of the 10 made) of Hold My Crown Rustic Lithuanian Pale Ale, released April 5 at Iron & Glass bottle shop. From base beer to Kombucha, the variants proved to not only be delicious, but a geeky exploration of flavor combinations.

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District Brew Yards | Three-Brewery Collective, Pour-Your-Own Beer Hall and Eatery

The innovative and imaginative District Brew Yards, new home to Burnt City Brewing, Around the Bend Beer and Bold Dog Beer, stands as the nation’s first brewery collective, pour-your-own beer hall, eatery and swag shop all operating under one roof. With an ability to provide customers an expansive — and routinely experimental — beer menu, Brew Yards (opening Friday, April 12) adds tremendous allure to the already impressive Chicago Brewing District on the west side comprised of nearby All Rise Brewing, as well as On Tour, Great Central, Finch and Goose Island.

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Urban Roots Brewing | A Momentary Lapse of Judgement

How much do you love collaboration beers? This collaboration was brewed and packaged at Urban Roots Brewing, with the Alvarado Street crew coming to Sacramento for the brew day. The name pokes fun at some of the beer names and labels that appear to “borrow” trademarked artwork. While the name of the beer is A Momentary Lapse of Judgement, the label includes a large eagle carrying the C & D letters.

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Fiction Beer Co. | Donut Panic

A “doughnut” or “donut” is a circular type of fried pasty (I grew up eating “donuts,” so for the purpose of this article, I will use this spelling). Donuts seem to have been around since breakfast food was invented, but many cultures include these tasty delicacies into everyday eating. Modern donuts are said to have been brought to America by Dutch settlers when they immigrated to New York in the early 17^th century. Although some people might agree that donut day should be every day, the official National Donut Day takes place on the first Friday of every June. The origin of this day is said to derive from The Salvation Army during WWI in which they served donuts to soldiers. These baked goods were such a hit that the Salvation Army tents were one of the most popular spots during the war.

Over the past several years, donuts have also been a staple across pop culture from Wayne and Garth’s trips to Stan Mikita’s Donut Shop to Ron Swanson’s affection towards mouthwatering breakfast foods. However, nothing in pop culture compares to Homer Simpson’s addiction to donuts. It’s so encompassing that on one of the famous Halloween episodes of “The Simpsons,” Homer sold his soul to the devil for a donut. To Homer’s delight, he was sent to “Donut Hell” while having endless donuts shoved into his mouth. Mmmmm… donuts.

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Oskar Blues and Cigar City Announce First CANarchy Collab

With the passing of each new year, it’s natural for beer fans to wonder what new innovative beers are in store for the next 12-months. And now we’ve got the first big offering from two major industry names in Oskar Blues and Cigar City. It comes in the form of Bamburana, a collaborative beer between these two CANarchy Collective owned breweries. Not only does it mark the first widely released collaborative release within the CANarchy family, but it’s also the first nationally distributed collab beer for the two as well.

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Noon Whistle Collaborates with Planters on Mr. IPA-Nut

Imagine being a small suburban brewery when the PR firm for an iconic global brand emails your general info email asking if you’d be interested in doing a collaboration beer with a brand they represent.

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Mt. Carmel Brewing Company | Coffee Brown

Last Christmas, my extended relatives decided to gift me a few deliveries of The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. Opening these mail packages felt like a relic of a different era when getting craft beer required more effort and planning. It can be a fun gift to give to the beer fan in your life when they’ve had everything at the supermarket. I’ve received beers from breweries in New York, Pennsylvania, and Iowa that I never heard about before, but the best beer to come from these shipments was Mt. Carmel Brewing Company’s Coffee Brown.
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4 Hands/Logboat Collaboration | Yeah Buoy

In art, a collaboration between artists is where we, as consumers, are rewarded with a new and unique piece of original work. In the context of beer, a collaboration between brewers is where we, as beer drinkers, are rewarded with new and unique brews to drink. Read More

New Belgium | Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza

Though the calendar reads that it’s only mid-July, much of the country has steadily reached temperatures of 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the past few weeks. When it’s this hot outside, it’s natural to yearn for something cold, crisp and refreshing to quench your thirst. New Belgium’s Mural Agua Fresca, a collaboration with Mexico City’s Cervecería Primus, is not only a unique entry for summer beer seasonals, but it also checks all the boxes for the perfect beer to beat the heat.

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Hopewell Brewing and Metric Coffee Release Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale

The collaboration beer, Hopewell Brewing x Metric Coffee Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale, marry two increasingly popular American brewing trends — craft beer and independent roasters (coffee).

Most of the PorchDrinking.com audience is well aware of craft beer’s growth in recent years. However, one may not be aware that 59% of coffee consumed daily is classified as “gourmet,” according to the 2017 NCA report on National Coffee Drinking Trends. That was the first time in the report’s 67-year history that the number exceeded 50%.

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Living the Dream Brewing Teams Up with Alamo Drafthouse on Pathfinder IPA

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Alamo Drafthouse

Since they first opened their doors in Austin, TX, our good friends at Alamo Drafthouse have been pioneers in allowing movie-goers to order elite level craft beer options while enjoying the silver screen.

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Banded Oak Brewing | Atomga Barrel-Aged Brazilian Stout

Banded Oak Brewing Barrel-Aged Atomga comes with an intriguing backstory: it was brewed to celebrate the release of the band Atomga’s album, “AGA” and the recipe resulted from a collaboration with Bodebrown, a Brazilian brewery.

But, a great story means nothing if the beer is subpar. So, rather than provide an article filled with interviews and storytelling, I decided as a writer to concentrate solely on the beer.

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