Ultimate 6er | Reliving Utah’s Past GABF Success

At the time you are reading this, we are either recovering from a week long hangover or dead! GABF would be the way to die. Hundreds of breweries bringing the best beers in the world. There is nothing greater than walking shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands of like-minded people. Everywhere you turn is a new friend and a beer. Yep, pretty sure we died. Seems like the pearly gates are drenched in golden suds.

We live in Utah and dream of Denver, Bend, San Diego and Asheville. But wait a minute… if you believe in the alcohol lockdown in the Wasatch Mountains, we surely live in beer hell. We are here to say, this is absolutely not true. We present six GABF medal winning beers from the last several years. So when the Zion curtain locks us in, we will be okay, because Utah brewers make some sweet brews. Read More

Event Recap | Denver Rare Beer VII

Average Reading Time: 7 minutes

Best event of the #GABF2015 weekend?! We think so. John Maguire and Cory Pelc pontificate on their favorite pours, casual convos with the beer celebs of the craft beer world and provide a minimal amount of criticism. A Recap of all things Denver Rare Beer VII.

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How To Burn Off The Beer from GABF

With all the amazing beers you are able to try at Great American Beer Fest, the last thing on your mind is probably keeping off the excess pounds from the additional beers you drink. No one wants to imitate a hamster on the treadmill in your hotel. Steve Allen, the fitness consultant and president of Fitness Please!, gives some fun and very Denver ways to sweat off the suds.

“It doesn’t matter what you do to get moving, but you’ll be more effective if you are enjoying yourself.”

Steve Allen, Fitness Consultant & President of Fitness Please!

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How to One Up that Pretzel Necklace

The age old debate on whether to wear a pretzel necklace to a beer festival dates back to Baron Marzen Dortmunder Zwickel Weizendoppelbock III’s attendance at the very first Oktoberfest in 1810, the tradition continued when Benjamin Franklin donned his own braided treat to Thomas Jefferson’s collaboration fest with fellow founding father Samuel Adams. And now we celebrate these pioneers by donning our own tasty carb-tastic accessories. However, as the times change and fashion evolves we’ve learned to upgrade our necklaces to hold much more than mere pretzels. While some have tricked out their gear with beef jerky, cookies, doughnuts and more, we thought we’d take it to the next level by asking Xzibit to… Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Favorite Things about GABF

It’s Great American Beer Festival week! This is our favorite time of year. Clearly you can see why.

Since all of us get super excited in the presence of good beer, Tristan asked the staff who was attending this year and what they were looking forward to most?

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Brewery Showcase | Fiction Beer Company

7101 E Colfax Ave, Denver, Colorado 80220
400 bbl (expecting to double next year)
Opened September 2014

Hours of Operation:

Wed-Thu: 2:00 pm-10:00 pm
Fri-Sat: 2:00 pm-11:00 pm
Sun: 2:00 pm-10:00 pm

**There is free street parking off of Pontiac Ave.

Prologue: About Fiction Beer Company

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” ― Toni Morrison

One year ago, Ryan Kilpatrick and his wife Christa Kilpatrick brought Morrison’s quote to life and established Fiction Beer Company as the first brewery on Colfax Avenue. Nestled in the East Denver neighborhoods of Park Hill, Montclair, Stapleton, Mayfair, and Lowry, Fiction has become a local favorite. Their motto is “to rewrite the Denver beer scene by combining the two wonderfully imaginative crafts of beer and literature together.” A year later, they have successfully brought their dream to life: releasing over 28 different styles of beer, all of which tie into the world of literature.

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GABF Tour | Denver Breweries You Won’t Find on the Floor

With all the focus on GABF this week, it’s easy to overlook the fact that more than a dozen Denver breweries won’t be pouring at the festival, including some of our favorites. When you have some downtime in between sessions, consider visiting one of these local breweries, especially if you’re an out-of-towner. Many are hosting special tappings and other events to celebrate the fest. Check our event calendar for more details. Read More

303 Magazine Presents | Where to Eat Near GABF

Story by Brittany Werges, Food and Booze Editor for 303 Magazine. Check out 303 for more GABF coverage throughout the week!

Every year, during early fall, Denver turns into what … Read More

2015 GABF | Must Try GABF Events

WELCOME TO GABF WEEK 2015! Lace those drinkin’ boots up, tighten up that lederhosen, and let’s get ready to drink our weights in delicious craft beer!!!!!

We have been updating our events calendar for the last few weeks and we realize that it is as heady as a freshly shaken Belgian beer . . . We are foaming at the brim with events. We have a lot going on but have highlighted some of our favorite events.

What events will you make it to this week?!

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2015 GABF Pour List Preview

Updated September 23rd

Every year, beginning in July, we kick off a massive outreach to every brewery attending the Great American Beer Festival in an attempt to get a … Read More

GABF | 2015 Fantasy Brewery Draft Picks

All graphics created by Erin Horn

We here at PorchDrinking believe beer should be fun. So two years ago we set out to add a different take on the Great … Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Songs About Beer Playlist

Can you feel the energy in the air? Can you smell the malted grains and hops wafting through the city? GABF week is upon us again and in honor of this weekend’s upcoming Great American Beer Festival we compiled a playlist devoted to songs about beer. So start flexing those livers, turn up the jams and get beer-hyped for an insane week of craft beer heaven!

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Hops & Pie Tease GABF Week Rare Beer Events

Veterans of the Great American Beer Festival know the festivities that week aren’t limited to three days at the Colorado Convention Center. Exotic beers seem to magically appear in every nook and cranny of Denver and surrounding areas. After receiving a sneak peek at some of what Berkeley’s Hops & Pie has planned, we suggest making time in your schedule for a field trip.

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

I know, it’s Monday and that stinks but I’m bringing many craft beer news stories to brighten your day. To start it off, Firestone Walker is joining a craft beer empire. Next, some cool guys invented a way to make beer pong cleaner and Hop the Vote is coming back to GABF. Finally, there are a few festivals you should look into, including What the Funk!? Read on to get all of the details in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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Five Tips To Score 2015 GABF Tickets

The upcoming 2015 Great American Beer Festival promises to be bigger than ever. A predicted 60,000 craft beer fans will swarm to Denver this September to sample 3,500+ beers from 800+ breweries. Will you be one of them? GABF is more than two months away, but the notoriously narrow window of ticket availability is rapidly approaching. We want to see you there, so please follow our guide to increase your chances of scoring tickets to the country’s biggest and baddest beer fest.

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GABF Tickets Go on Sale July 28, 2015

The Brewers Association announced this morning that tickets for the 2015 Great American Beer Festival will go on sale July 28, 2015 and that this year’s event will be … Read More

Almanac Brewing Company | Golden Gate Gose

Our first taste of Almanac beer occurred this year at Great American Beer Fest when we were conveniently pouring samples across from their booth. We were immediately intrigued when we realized that they featured several dynamically flavored sours and featured one of our favorite slogans: “Farm to Barrel.” Read More

Pyramid Breweries | Apricot Ale

ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 11

Since I couldn’t attend GABF this year, I decided to do the second-best thing and write about it. Today I’d like to introduce you to Pyramid Breweries’ Apricot Ale, the 2014 GABF Gold Medal Winner in the Fruit Wheat Beer category. Read More

2014 GABF Events Guide | UPDATED 10/4

For a little over a week each year, beer fanatics from across the globe descend on Denver, CO, in honor of the Great American Beer Festival.  Denver’s events outside of the beerhall are sometimes better than the festival itself. We’ve compiled the complete GABF Events Guide surrounding this year’s Great American Beer Festival.

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GABF Daytrip | Denver Brewery Tour

With almost 700 breweries from all over the country pouring at the Great American Beer Festival this year, it’s easy to overlook how many great ones we have right here in Denver. How many? I count 37 breweries and cideries with taprooms in a roughly five-mile radius of the Colorado Convention Center where the festival will be held, and I’m guessing a handful more opened while I was typing this post. Many of them will not be at GABF, and most do not distribute their products outside of Colorado. We know craft beer drinkers to be an adventurous sort, so why not do a little exploring before or after the fest? In that spirit, I’ve compiled a list of destinations nearby that are easily accessible by foot, bike, or a short ride with your favorite car service. Dear readers, please stow your pretzel necklaces and hop cone hats for a moment – we’re going on an insider’s Denver brewery tour.

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