The Weekly Buzz | August 19th – August 25th

Another week is in the bag, and social media has been all a-twitter (pun DEFINITELY intended) with craft beer events, musings, and nonsense. Your time is far too valuable to sort through it all, so we have decided to boil it down to a few memorable posts in our new weekly social media recap! Without further ado, here is this week’s Weekly Buzz!

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Event Preview | ThirstyBear Organic Brewery Celebrates 20 Years

Surviving as a brewpub in San Francisco for 20 years is tough. Switching to an organic brewpub for the last 10 years is even more difficult. Both of these milestones are reason to celebrate, and that is exactly what ThirstyBear Organic Brewery is doing this weekend. Read More

Beerstagram | August 11th – August 18th

This week’s Beerstagram is a mixed bag theme-wise and that is okay because there are plenty of nice photos nonetheless. This week’s beers are from a little bit of everywhere it seems. Cheers to another week! Read More

Brewery Showcase | Jack’s Run Brewing

“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. And they’re always glad you came.”

Sound familiar? I know, some of you young whippernsappers are probably going uh … … Read More

Event Preview | Utah Beer Festival 2016

What: 7th Annual Utah Beer Festival

When: Saturday, August 27, 2016 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Where: Utah State Fair Park – 155 N 1000 W, Salt Lake City, UT

Price: General Admission – $20 advance ($25 day of), includes 5 tokens and taster mug Early Beer Drinker Entry – $30, includes 1 hour early entry, 8 tokens and taster mug VIP $50 – Includes all GA benefits, access to the Devour VIP Lounge with exclusive samples, food pairings and Brewer Q&A. VIP Designated Driver – $20, all VIP entitlements excluding beer tokens and beer tastings in the VIP lounge Designated Driver Ticket – $5, includes admission and pats on the back for being a good friend. Purchase tickets here. Read More

Event Recap | Milwaukee Firkin Beer Fest

Pouring rain and beer, the annual Milwaukee Firkin Beer Fest was delayed for 45 minutes. But not even the storms could hinder the event or dampen the spirits of festival goers, as attendees waited out the weather so they wouldn’t lose their spot. There was the slightest chance of lightning canceling the entire event, but mother nature took it easy. The rain settled and the gates opened. Still drizzling, Yajaira and I shared an umbrella as we sped across the numerous booths.

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Chicago’s Urban Legend Brewing is Now Myths and Legends Brewing

Another Chicago brewery is changing its name, and this time it’s Urban Legend Brewing (Westmont, IL). And it’s coming with a week-long party! On Aug. 22, Urban Legend Brewing Company will officially become Myths and Legends Brewing Company. This name change arrives on the heels of several, recent Chicago brewery name changes such as Atlas Brewing becoming Burnt City, South Loop Brewing becoming Hop Butcher for the World, and a few years ago, Mercenary Brewing becoming Maplewood. Read More

Beerstagram | August 4th – August 11th

Are you binge watching the Olympics this week and wishing you were winning some gold? Perhaps your gold is in the version of golden beer? Regardless, it’s been fun to watch! This week also marked National S’mores Day (August 10th) and Denver’s Our Mutual Friend is currently doing a collaboration brew with Brazilian brewery, Koala San Brew which happens to be not too far from Rio, appropriate timing! We also got a couple of #porchdrinking shout out tags this week as well, hooray! Cheers to another week of beers and photos! Read More

Olympic Beer Culture

Last Friday began the 2016 Olympic Games from Rio. During the opening ceremonies we were entertained by a show of Brazilian culture, Olympic spirit, and women were able to drool over that overly oiled half naked guy from Tonga. For the next couple weeks we will cheer on athletes such as Gabby Douglas, Shalane Flanagan, and Michael Phelps. We will learn about sports we have never watched before and root for athletes we only hear about every four years. Read More

Women in Brewing | Julia Herz – Brewers Association

As we approach Julia Herz at the CraftBeer.com booth at the Vail Big Beers fest, she’s standing with Executive Chef Adam Dulye, purveying toffee and craft beer samples. Enthusiastically, she encourages us to give the pairing a try and we do so willingly. The confection is a 70% dark chocolate with almonds, toffee and a sweetness level calculated to complement the malt bill of the beer, Baere Brewing Company’s Big Hoppy Brown. It’s a pairing tastier than we even imagined — the delicious hop character of the brown ale comes forward as the rich, malty, nutty sweetness takes a backseat. As we wash down the last of the toffee, we chat with Julia on her long history in the brewing community.

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The Brooklyn Brewery Mash Comes to Chicago Aug. 11-14

The Brooklyn Brewery is traveling to nine cities across the globe to “feast, party, explore, and drink plenty of beer”. From August 11th–14th, Chicago will be home to Brooklyn for four days and four events. Thursday, Aug. 11th, Brewery Chef Andrew Gerson and Chef Danny Espinoza reunite at TWO, with Chef Kevin Cuddihee. Rare and intriguing beers are paired with delicious and enticing food to make any foodie or beer lover drool with anticipation. For ticket info click on this.

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Beerstagram | July 28th – August 4th

August 4th marked National IPA Day so of course this week’s edition of Beerstragram had to be all about IPA! This one goes out to all of you hopheads out there, I hope you all got to imbibe in your favorite bitter beverage! Cheers! Read More

Beerstagram | July 21st – July 28th

The theme for this week’s Beerstagram seems to be the outdoors, more specifically the beach! It seems like a lot of folks were enjoying themselves by the water this past week! Now only if Colorado had a beach… Be sure to keep tagging @porchdrinkingco in your photos each week and enjoy this last weekend of July! Cheers!

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Brewery Showcase | Maplewood Brewery and Distillery

Maplewood Brewery and Distillery, as the name suggests, does more than deliver good beer to Chicagoans; they distill fantastic spirits, too. In fact, they are the only ones in Illinois … Read More

Event Recap | Square Roots Festival 2016

Chicago in the summer is well-renowned for its weekly street fests, so to survive and prosper, a festival has to provide a unique experience. After attending this year’s Square Roots Festival, on Sunday, July 10th, my girlfriend Yajaira and I understood just why this festival was worth its stature among the litany of successful events.

Located across the street from Welles Park, on Lincoln Ave between Montrose and Wilson, Square Roots Festival is an event hosted by the Old Town School of Music and the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce. Known for its array of music and craft beer this fest did not disappoint.

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Beerstagram | July 14th – July 21st

Did you get to try out some new breweries or beers this past week? It seems like it from the looks of Instagram this week. Be sure to keep tagging us in your photos to have a chance to be featured! Cheers! Read More

Ultimate 6er | Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast

I started listening to podcasts as a way to kill time at work, and Comedy Bang! Bang! was one of my first. At the beginning, I was completely baffled. Who were these people? What the heck were they yammering on about? There seemed to be punchlines with no setups, setups that went nowhere, stories that started in the middle, and a bevy of bizarre catchphrases. Inexplicably, I continued to listen until… EUREKA! A callback made sense! Before I knew it storylines were coming together, and I was finally on the inside of all those jokes I didn’t understand before. Read More

Beerstagram | July 7th – July 14th

Damn, we are back at it again with those sweet Instagrams! We are already halfway through July. Please slow down summer, we still need to drink you in for a bit longer! Cheers to another week of nice photos including a shot from the MLB Allstar Game that happened on Tuesday!

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Daytrip to Winchester | 2 Days, 2 Nights in D.C.

If you want to experience the beauty of Virginia without going to far from D.C., check out the new Winchester Brew Works in Old Town Winchester. Winchester Brew Works is the first female majority-owned brewing establishment in Virginia, channeling the homebrewing spirit of Martha Jefferson in Monticello. It is a brewery built from great ingenuity and a supportive community that acquired the location thanks to a successful Kickstarter. Read More

Daytrip to Sperryville | 2 Days, 2 Nights in D.C.

Located about 65 miles west of Washington, DC, you’ll find yourself in Sperryville, Virginia, a charming and picturesque town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge. Dedicated to everything being as local as possible, you’ll immediately feel a sense of home and community as you enter the town. With antique shops, art galleries and a plethora of other unique locally owned and operated businesses, the creative soul inside of you will never want to leave! Don’t consider yourself a creative-type? Not to worry, the hungry and thirsty soul inside of you will be more than satisfied with all of the eating and drinking options at your fingertips! Read More