You Won’t Ducking Believe the Amazing, Yet Bizarre Beers at 2018 Collaboration Fest

Last year’s Collaboration Fest, which took place at the National Western Complex, was a bit rocky to put it nicely. But a move this year to the Hyatt-Regency in Downtown Denver, along with better signage and understated touches to attendee experiences, helped elevate the 5th year festival to the upper echelon of beer event experiences nation-wise. This year’s Collab Fest brought everything together to combine incredible concept, high quality beers, and near flawless execution.

As I stood in line with another early-goer, I asked if he had a strategy for hitting all the best. He replied, “Normally I make a beeline for a few beers in particular, but I can’t do that here. I’m just buzzing all over the place instead.”

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Event Recap | Wrecking Bar Strong Beer Festival

This past weekend one of Atlanta’s most notable brewpubs and historic buildings, the Wrecking Bar Brewpub, hosted their annual Strong Beer Festival. Well over 400 beloved beer enthusiasts defied the law of gravity and partook in big beers over 8%. Upwards of 60 beers were served at the festival with the lowest coming in at 8% and the highest ringing in right at 13.9%. The selection and variation of beer offered at this festival was not only above gravity, but above par – each one delivering a strength with purpose and craft. Read More

Event Preview | 2017 Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers (FoBAB)

With the 15th annual Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers (FoBAB) less than a week away, the weeks and months leading up to this year’s event have been different than in the past. With a price increase and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild releasing the brewery lineup before the event for the first time ever, there seems to be more talk about FoBAB than in recent years.

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Event Preview | Pottstown Brew Fest 2017

The Pottstown Brew Fest is back for another year of celebrating craft beer, wine, cider, food and great music.  The award-winning fest is returning to Pottstown Saturday, October 28 but it will be held at a new location — the Norco Fire Company.  From 12-4:30 p.m., guests can sample beer and cider from some of the finest craft brewers in the Mid-Atlantic region and from across the United States.

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New Rare & Wild Beer Fest Comes To The Field Museum

With the overwhelming success of the past two Chicago Beer Festivals, the event organizers decided to add a new event to their lineup this year with the new Rare & Wild Beer Fest. The event takes place on October 14 at The Field Museum.

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FoBAB Releases Brewery Lineup for First Time Ever

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers (FoBAB), event organizers have released the complete list of breweries that will be pouring prior to the event for the first time ever. While the specific beers can’t be listed due to the competition and judging aspect tied to the festival, more hype has been added for the November event as festival-goers now have a preview of what’s to come.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | October 4, 2017

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
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Event Recap | Telluride Blues & Brews Festival 2017

Telluride sure knows how to throw a music festival, especially their Blues & Brews Fest. I personally think they should call it “Blues, Brews and Views” because the views all weekend were on point (insert awesome emoji here).
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Event Recap | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2017

We came. We roasted. We toasted.

But we did it. We puffed and chugged our way through our fourth Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival on Saturday, August 26th, after enjoying a day in the sun to sip suds and puff clouds of grey smoke. As the festival ‘wrapped’ up, we reminisced about our favorite pour, favorite puff and the many take-aways a festival like this can present. As we ventured out to document the festivities and to bring back some new recommendations for you to try, with our lungs charred and our palates shot, we come back with hope you take a few moments to check out these great photos showcasing the event and hope to see you there next year!

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Event Preview | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2017

The Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival is located in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range. For its fourth consecutive year, the RMCF will be held once again at the world-renowned Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield, Colorado! The festival attracts consumers that are geared toward premium high-end product – including premium cigars, hand-crafted brews, unique wine and spirits, fine automobiles, excellent food and everything encompassing the finer things in life.

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Event Recap | Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival

Even the forecast for a Nor’easter couldn’t keep the spirits down at the first annual Phoenixville Beer and Wine Festival in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Despite the wind and the rain, the masses descended upon the rain-soaked Kimberton Fairgrounds to attend the sold-out event with raincoats and umbrellas in tow. Twenty-six craft breweries, along with multiple cideries, wineries, distillers and meaderies came to show off their creations for the thirsty crowd.

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Event Recap | Chicago Beer Classic at Soldier Field

Although the last vestiges of winter traversed Lake Michigan and infiltrated the Chicago Beer Classic on May 6, glorious blue skies and both golden sunshine and beer screamed, “spring.” Besides, a little cool breeze couldn’t ruin an experience provided by 100+ brewers pouring beer at a venue that provided plenty of proverbial “wow factor.” Produced by Red Frog Events, few venues exceed the uniqueness offered by a chance to sip a beer while standing on the Chicago Bears logo at the 50-yard line. Go Bears, or go beers — both applied. The additional component of the stadium’s role in paying homage to America’s soldiers only added to the fest’s positives.

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Event Preview | The Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival

Featured image courtesy of phoenixvillebeerwinefestival.com.

An exciting event is coming to Phoenixville, PA this May. The first Phoenixville Beer & Wine Festival is happening this Saturday, May 13 at the Kimberton Fairgrounds. From 12-4:30 p.m., guests will be able to sample beverages from a myriad of local and national breweries, wineries, as well as mead, cider and spirits. Read More

Event Recap | Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Burly Beer Fest

PorchDrinking closed out winter with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild during their Burly Beer Fest on Saturday, April 1st. The festival featured 113 different beers with some really rare and special offerings available from 55 different breweries from all across the country. According to Margo Metzger, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild, Burly Beer Fest “raised $10,000 to support [the] guild’s mission to make North Carolina the best place to brew beer (and drink beer) in the nation.” Combine all that was available with the general atmosphere provided by the grounds around Sierra Nevada and it was easy to relax, enjoy yourself and sip some huge beers in a proper send off to winter all in support of a great cause.

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Event Preview | 2017 Beer and Bourbon Festival

The 2nd Annual Beer and Bourbon Festival is deploying to Columbus, Georgia to benefit the National Ranger Association on this Thursday, April 6, 2017, from 1800L to 2200L. That is 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for you civilians. So, gear up, hydrate and move out for a fantastic event! Read More

Event Recap | 2nd Annual Love on Tap Shore Craft Beer Fest

Warm, windy and a chance of tasty craft beer was the forecast for Saturday’s 2nd Annual Love on Tap Shore Craft Beer Fest in Ocean City, Maryland.

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Event Recap | Beers Made By Walking 2016

Beers Made By Walking’s sixth go-around did not disappoint attendees at the Denver Nature and Science museum this past Tuesday, Oct. 4. Attendees rolled in at 5:30 p.m. sharp to fill their tasting glasses alongside earthly relics like a sparkling gemstone exhibit and a huge whale skeleton suspended from the rafters. The setting was certainly fitting for the nature theme of the festival, and breweries displayed whimsical adjuncts like pine cones and berries on their respective tables. I felt a buzz just thinking about how the event’s proceeds would be directly benefitting this museum we were standing in.

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Ultimate 6er | Zinzinnati Oktoberfest

With only a few days away from the largest Oktoberfest in the United States, it’s time to put on the drinking cap. Each year more than 500,000 people come to Cincinnati (aka Zinzinnati) to attend this rich German heritage event sampling German-style food, music and my favorite, beer. Read More

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

Event Recap | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2016

Cigar purists are just like craft beer purists. That’s not a defamatory statement. That’s a big compliment. They embrace and showcase the vibrancy of their industry, the love of the leaf and the camaraderie that goes hand in hand with their hobby. They fight against regulation and the proverbial ‘man’ that holds them down, that tries to snub them out. While we feel their pain with the latter and their ongoing trials and tribulations with smoking ban after smoking ban, we see the big brands buying up our favorite craft breweries and controlling their distribution.

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