Event Preview | Oskar Blues Southern Hemisphere Hop Fest

Ah, February. When the air is warm, the days are long, … Read More

3rd Annual Collaboration Fest Returns March 19th

Representing the most creative minds in the craft beer industry, the third annual Collaboration Fest will bring brewers from around the world together to brew one-time-only beers. Collaboration Fest will take place on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High (1701 Bryant St. Denver CO 80204), and serves as the official  kick-off to Colorado Craft Beer Week.

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Event Recap | 2015 Mmmixer: Craft Cocktail + Culinary Pairing Event

Defining the collaboration of mixology & the culinary arts in Colorado.

The MMMixer: craft cocktail + culinary pairing event featured more than 30 expert mixologists & top chefs from the best local eateries collaborating on unique pairings. Teasing and pleasing the prowess of your epicurean senses, the first gala event in this series featured paired cocktails made with the finest Colorado small batch whiskies/whiskys/whiskeys. The MMMixer took place at Mile High Station on Friday, November 20th from 6pm–9pm.

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Event Recap | Pittsburgh Real Ale Festival 2015

This past Saturday night, the Pittsburgh Real Ale Festival took place at Highmark Stadium. It was a great night to enjoy real ales in the great city of Pittsburgh. The weather was calm and cool and, with the city across the river from Highmark Stadium, it was a setting that made for a great night of drinking.

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Festival Recap | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2015

Average Reading Time: [7 min]

With a year under our belt, Chris Day and myself ventured back up to Broomfield for our second Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival over the weekend. We recruited our old friends Will Dozier and Lynn Thayer to help us celebrate festivities and help out with photography. We’ll recap our travels and triumphs here and would love to hear everyone else’s feedback as well.

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Festival Recap | Utah Beer Festival

They came by the thousands this last weekend. A wave of thirsty beer lovers coming together to try hundreds of new brews from dozens of local and out of state … Read More

Event Preview | Augusta Beerfest

Augusta Beerfest Saturday / August 15, 2015 Two Sessions: 1pm – 4pm & 6pm – 9pm Tickets: $30 Advance / $40 at the door / VIP $75 Advance

Augusta … Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Beer Festivals

As summer draws near that usually signals the beginning of festival season for the beer industry. Some beer fests are amazing, others can be a bit of a reach, and some are just unnecessary. What have been your favorite beer festivals to attend, and if you could create your own beer festival what would be the theme? Read More

Festival Recap | 2015 Inaugural Fort Love Brewers Jamboree

Well, if you weren’t there, you missed it. There were no lines for beer, there were celebrity and aspiring brewers pouring their own wares, and there were many-a-food-tent setup with tasty nosh for pairing. Rhymes With Paste’s Inaugural Fort Love Brewers Jamboree boasted lots of brewer cameos. I had the father of sour beer in America, Peter Boukeart of New Belgium lore, pour me a NBB Love. Then we joked around while we tasted his life’s study, his hard work. He poured his livelihood into a glass for me to imbibe and then talked about how it was made. The goal of the this festival was to bring attention to the craft brewing industry as a whole. This festival did that and so much more.

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Event Recap | Oyster & Stout Festival

Photo and Video by Desiree Duzich

If you weren’t on Platte Street sipping on a delicious brew, slurping mouth-watering oysters, or snagging photos with a 95% naked man on Saturday, then what the actual “shuck.”

Last Saturday, on April 25^th, Denver Beer Co. hosted their first Oyster & Stout Festival. The event celebrated a collaborative beer, the Blue Island Oyster Stout, a product of Denver Beer Co.’s partnership with Denver’s Seattle Fish Company. Read More

Event Preview | Oyster & Stout Festival

When: Saturday April 25, 2015 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Where: Denver Beer Co. 1695 Platte St. Denver, CO

What the “shuck” are you doing this weekend? On Saturday April 25^th, Seattle Fish Co. and Denver Beer Co. will host their first Oyster & Stout Festival! Being that we are clearly in the middle of the United States, far, far away from any body of salt water, this is the perfect event to get your fresh oyster fix on while enjoying some uniquely crafted beer!

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SweetWater 420 Fest | 7 Reasons Rain Couldn’t Stop This Party

The SweetWater 420 Fest rolled into downtown Atlanta April 17-19 — and so did big time thunderstorms.

It had rained in Atlanta every single day of the week leading up to the festival’s kick-off Friday. The weather left Centennial Olympic Park, home of the 1996 Summer Olympics, a virtual mud pit. Even the walkways were a slip ’n slide of muck.

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Event Recap | Saison & Farmhouse Invitational 2015

I don’t know about you, but after a winter full of stout months, big beer fests, and holiday ales, my palate is usually begging for a break. I’m craving something a little drier, more effervescent, and better suited to a warm spring day. In other words, it’s saison time! Read More

Event Preview | Saison & Farmhouse Invitational 2015

Are you a fan of saisons? If so, I suggest clearing your calendar this Saturday, April 11th. Why? That’s when TRiNiTY Brewing will host their 7th annual Saisons & Farmhouse Invitational, AKA Saison Fest!  Read More

Festival Recap | 2015 Collaboration Fest

Only into its second year of existence and Collaboration Fest shows its teeth and flexes its community-grown muscles. The Denver-based festival boasted lots of brewer cameos both near and far. Last year, in its infancy, the festival came together to celebrate the collaboration and/or cooperation that runs rampant in the craftbeer industry by showcasing beers made by multiple brewers from different breweries for this one of a kind festival. The festival accomplished this and so much more in year one. Fast forward to 2015, in an upgraded and more accommodating venue, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, we got to mill around and talk shop with many a brewer and imbiber alike to see just why this was one of the most anticipated festivals of the year in Denver.

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PorchDrinking Playlist | On Tour: Sylvan Esso

Sylvan Esso, an electro-folk-pop duo hailing from Appalachia, is currently making headway in their tour of the United States; this past weekend they sold out The Metro in Chicago (a venerable feat for a group that formed in less than two years ago). In the upcoming months they can be found performing for millions of musicophiles at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Hangout, Firefly and Eaux Claires music festivals. This playlist pays homage to Sylvan Esso’s roots, bands Mountain Man and Megafaun, in addition to music groups that have similar electro-poppy and folksy vibes.

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Festival Recap | Parade of Darks Festival 2014

Over the last five years, Parade of Darks has become a Denver staple, helping with the transition from Thanksgiving into the holiday season. This year’s event switched gears from year’s past by moving from the comfortable confines of the upstairs area at Wynkoop Brewery to the exciting and bustling Bindery on Blake.

The complex at 29th and Blake was extremely busy, hosting both a flea market open to the public and the ticketed beer festival. The Parade of Darks was separated from the Flea Market in a large open-space area as well as a long hallway. Breweries lined the large area as well as the backside of the hallway.

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Festival Recap | Denver Bacon and Beer Festival 2014

Building upon the vibrant culinary and brew-scene in Denver, Eat Boston and Denver Off the Wagon have brought back THE festival to elevate craft beer to the next level by pairing it with the culinary excellence and prowess of every carnivore’s favorite ingredient, BACON. The Denver Bacon and Beer Festival 2014 was hosted by the Curtis Hotel downtown and was scheduled on a Sunday from 2:30pm to 5:00pm. Our Denver PorchDrinking staffers strolled up in the Curtis with smiles from ear-to-ear to imbibe and nosh at the festival’s third iteration; it’s first time at this location. What was our favorite dish? Favorite brew? Follow along to see . . .

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Festival Recap | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2014

The theme for the day: Smoke Em If You Got Em! Or better yet, Drink Em If You Got Em!  And so it goes, that’s just what Christopher Day and I did! The phrase “Smoke ’em if You Got ’em” or “Smoke if You Got ’em” is slang for “do what you want, if you have the means”. The phrasing was popular in the military during World War II, meaning to take a break. Officers would say “Smoke ’em if you got ’em”, allowing the soldiers to take a break and smoke their cigarettes. Where we were going, we didn’t need an approval to break from anyone. Turn Down for What! We were about to step inside the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival. Fine cigars from manufacturers such as Drew Estates, Nat Sherman and Rocky Patel, microbrews from Crazy Mountain and Boulder Beer, local spirits from Peach Street and Feisty, hot cars, live music, & all the finer things in life. We also learned a ridiculous amount about cigar and beer pairing and what works and what does not.

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Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Downtown Oak Park, Illinois is a perfect place to host a beer festival. The quaint, shady brick streets are lined with sidewalk cafés, pubs, and specialty shops, and the area is easily accessible by several public transportation routes. In fact, the train station acts as the geographical center of the festival. Started in 2008, the Oak Park Micro Brew Review is the largest zero-waste craft beer festival in the Midwest. Read More