Brewing Down Under: Definite Guide for Australian Craft Beers

While craft beer is still a small part of the overall beer market in Australia, it is growing rapidly and combines a dedication to the quality of … Read More

Brewery Showcase | Blue Mountain Brewing

Afton, Va., is nearly 140 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., sitting among the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains. But the town’s Blue Mountain Brewery’s beers are creeping north into the Beltway, slowly expanding into the region. Read More

BREAKING | Saint Archer Brewing Acquired by MillerCoors

It’s becoming hard to keep up with all the pieces on the chess board as more and more pawns succumb to the bigger players. It was just announced that Tenth … Read More

BridgePort Brewing | Conviction Pale Ale

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 40

Looking for the perfect beer to bring to a Labor Day cookout (or any other Labor Day activity)? I’d like to introduce you to the Conviction Pale Ale from BridgePort Brewing. Read on for a one-minute review in which I quickly make my case for the perfect Labor Day beer.

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Russian River Brewing Company | Consecration

ABV 10%

Russian River Brewing Company is not only regarded as one of the best breweries in California, but also in the country. The other day I had the great pleasure of visiting their brew pub and the first thing I noticed was the phenomenal selection of beers to choose from. They have everything from sessions to pilsners to stouts to porters and their famous IPA’s and wilds/sours. The demand for all the Russian River Brewing Company beers is high due to their philosophy that it is easier to make better beer than it is to make more beer! I have not had a beer aged in wine-barrels I have enjoyed as much as Consecration. Read More

Virginia’s Portner Brewhouse Lands Location

It’s been more than four years in the making — well, more like 99 years, if you look at it literally. Portner Brewhouse announced its location in Alexandria, Virginia this month and plans to open its doors in June 2016.

A pair of sisters, Catherine (Cat) and Margaret Portner, will resurrect a piece of family and local brewing history when they open their brewery, restaurant and craft beer test kitchen next summer. Read More

Prep for DC Beer Week

It keeps growing and growing and growing. The 2015 DC Beer Week looks to be bigger and better organized than ever. The event first started in 2008 (here’s our 2013 coverage) and is run by a slew of who’s who in the DC beer world.

It starts Aug. 9 and runs through Aug. 16. Events are spread throughout the city and the team wisely compiled a list of “hot spots,” bars and breweries that will offer multiple events throughout the week, like ChurchKey, RFD and Bluejacket. Read More

Brewery Showcase | Big aLICe Brewing

Big aLICe Brewing: 808 43rd Rd., Long Island City, NY 11101

WEDNESDAY 5-9pm | THURSDAY 5-9pm | FRIDAY 5-10pm | SATURDAY 12-10pm | SUNDAY 12-8pm

Interviewing the owners and brewers of Big aLICe Brewing … Read More

Peddler Brewing Company | On Your Left IPA

6.8% ABV
77 IBU

Biking culture, for the uninitiated, can be a very daunting subject to master. From practical information such as how to fix a flat, to the huge array of options for bikes, tires, saddles, and shoes, there’s a seemingly limitless amount of knowledge that one needs to acquire before purchasing a bike, let alone joining a group ride or a biking brewery tour. Fortunately, despite the many rules that simultaneously shadow and support the popularity of the sport, Peddler Brewing Company has figured out how to create a space that caters to cycling novices and connoisseurs alike. I stopped by the Ballard brewery to check out their new beer garden and have a glass of their flagship On Your Left IPA. Read More

Adroit Theory Brewing Company | Persona Non Grata

ABV: 7.7 percent

IBU: 30

Adroit Theory isn’t always what it seems. This is true: It’s a bold, innovative brewery in the hills of Virginia and is charging ahead on … Read More

Festival Recap | Big Texas Beer Fest 2015

Last weekend, the fourth annual Dallas-born Big Texas Beer Fest took place in Fair Park. Thousands headed over to the Automobile Building in search of craft beers and great food paired with live music from local bands. This year more than 500 beers (38 barrel-aged) were announced from 120 representing local, national and international breweries.

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Craft Beer Welcomes You to South Carolina

Admittedly, the Palmetto State has not always been the first place to come to mind when someone asked me where to find superb craft breweries. Prior to living here, I might have listed off California, Colorado, Oregon and New England. This is partly because the east coast, especially the southeast, has been slow to embrace the industry’s explosive expansion. I’ve lived in South Carolina since 2007, a time when there were merely 5 breweries in the state. Today, there are 21 breweries and 12 brewpubs. The state has really brought home the idea of being fashionably late. Approximately 57% of the current breweries were established in or after 2013. That is a huge explosion that has resulted in amazing beer and a sprawling community of craft brewers and enthusiasts.

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Event Recap | Get Rowdy-ish

Atlas Brew Works hosted its first amateur homebrew competition on Friday night — the garage was buzzing with DC beer nerds on one of the first warm nights of the year.

The goal: Find a homebrew among the 20-some applicants that best imitated the spirit of Atlas’s Rowdy beer, the hop-forward rye ale that was originally created from a homebrew recipe.

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Proposed Laws Could Change Craft Beer In Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas

If you’re reading PorchDrinking.com, then you’re likely well aware the craft beer industry is killing it in the U.S. The Brewers Association says the industry hit $19.6 Billion in retail and took hold of 11 percent of the volume share in 2014 — the first double digit share ever.

While the success stories are widely reported and cheered, including West Virginia’s legislature passing a law earlier this month to allow state breweries to offer samples, lawmakers in several states are right now debating proposals that could significantly impact how beer-loving residents and visitors legally consume and buy craft beer. While there are smaller legal issues around the nation, the heated debates in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas are the ones we’re watching very closely right now. Here’s why.

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Devils Backbone Brewing Gets Adventurous

Devils Backbone Brewing Company is based in bucolic wine country, about three hours southwest of Washington, D.C., near Charlottesville, Va.

Photo credit Heidi Crandall

This spring, the brewery is pushing … Read More

10 Creative Ways Craft Beer Is Giving Back

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last year raised over $220 million globally. The viral awareness campaign also reached the brewing industry where it inspired several breweries to go out … Read More

Right Proper Brewing | Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne

A beer inspired by an electronic synthpunk musical duo? The concept is not a complete surprise, as it comes from Right Proper Brewing Company‘s Nathan Zeender and the growing establishment‘s experimental brewing program. But the beer; Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne; is definitely a surprise to the palate, as it comes during the East Coast’s single-digit February temperatures. Why was Zeender inspired by Suicide? Why did Right Proper brew the crisp wheat beer?

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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

Braven Brewing Co. | Roll Out Party

Building your own brewing company during the few hours you are not earning an income is no easy feat, but for co-founders Marshall & Eric, the support of friends and family, vendor connections, and a goal-breaking Kickstarter campaign has made the experience more rewarding than rigorous. Our own Stacey Goers highlighted her interview with the two friends on how it all came together in the latter half of 2013. Now, a little over a year to date, Braven Brewing’s “dream” is transforming into “reality” as kegs make their way into Brooklyn bars and craft beer lovers’ hearts.

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Braven Brewing Co. | White IPA

ABV: 5.0%

IBU: 47

The logo is incredible, isn’t it? Half raven. Half buck. Braven.

Marshall Thompson, co-founder of Braven Brewing Company, wanted to merge elements of each parent’s family crest in order to dually identify with his roots. That he did, and can prove it by his tattoo. When co-founder Eric Feldman approached him on the topic of starting their own brewery, the two found little debate in bringing forth this cross-breed animal to represent the partnership.

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