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

Arbor Brewing Company | Sacred Cow IPA

ABV — 6.8%

IBU — 80

I had the great pleasure of attending my friend’s bachelor party last month in Michigan. The original plan on that last Saturday in June was to go to a baseball game. Rain put an X through those plans, and we detoured to Ann Arbor instead. One of our stops was to Arbor Brewing Company, where I indulged in what is now one of my favorite beers of all time: Sacred Cow IPA.

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Deschutes Brewery | Pinedrops IPA

ABV 6.5%
IBUs 70

In the pines, in the pines, where sun don’t ever shine, I would shiver the whole night through. —Kurt Cobain

Welcome to the affectionately-known Great Northwest, a place where craft beer rains down more often than mother nature. Read More

Platform Beer Co. | Speed Merchant White IPA

6.6% ABV
60 IBU

Good day to all you fine folk. It is I, one of PD’s Cleveland beer reviewers, with another local beer for you to try if you ever make it to the Buckeye State, or NE Ohio. Platform Beer Co., one of the newcomers to the Cleveland beer scene with its one-year anniversary on July 4, has another wonderful summer brew for all the thirsty folk in town: Speed Merchant White IPA.

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Black Raven Brewing | Trickster IPA

ABV: 6.9%  | IBU: 70

I’m pleased to announce the winner of the “Best Damn IPA in the World”™ award, according to the official 2015 Brad Hartsock “IPAs I Like”™ rankings, which I made up today while sitting on my couch. The award goes to Black Raven Trickster IPA and in honor of that glorious victory, I thought I’d sit down with myself and ask myself some questions about this special IPA.

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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

Coppertail Brewing Co. | Free Dive IPA

ABV: 5.9%

I discovered the delicious Free Dive IPA on a recent vacation back to my hometown of Tampa, Florida. Coppertail Brewing was just getting underway when I moved to Chicago a little over a year ago, so I was excited to see their progress upon my return. Situated in a beautiful 50 barrel brewhouse and nautical-themed taproom in historic Ybor City, Coppertail has settled well into its surroundings over the past year. With four flagship beers in constant production and lots of creative, small-batch seasonals, Coppertail is picking up momentum as one of Tampa’s up-and-coming larger scale craft breweries.

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Great Lakes Brewing | Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA

ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 40

Sometimes change can be scary and uncomfortable. We tend to embrace constancy in most situations. When something unfamiliar greets us, there may also be skepticism. I noticed this when Great Lakes Brewing Company revealed their brand refresh. There was some outcry, some fear, mainly from social media users who did not want the labels and the image of GLBC to change. With tried and true marketing and a strong presence in many parts of the United States, why become different? Despite those worries by some, I feel changing things up can also spark interest and excitement. Personally, I was more intrigued when I first learned about the brand refresh. Let me tell you why I like what GLBC has done: the changes that have taken place embrace the 25+ years that this brewery has been a strong presence in the N.E. Ohio craft beer community. The history behind the brewery, its location and its facilities, runs even earlier; and the artwork by Darren Booth pays homage to the brewery and to the city as well. Each label is a story, a collage of images that explores the rich history of Cleveland and also of the company’s presence. Along with the new brand, we now have a new seasonal beer from Great Lakes: the Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA. It is a tasty IPA that was tapped during the last week of May at GLBC’s brewpub and has just been released to distribution markets on June 1.

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Shades Of Pale Brewing | Misdirected IPA

4% ABV- Session

If a bottle had a label that said ‘Beer’, would you be interested? We think some people might be, just because trying to ‘not to be cool’ seems to be a form of ‘cool’ these days. It is just as likely in the beer world if there isn’t something interesting on the label, it might not hit the table. These days, label art has been taken to a new level, which proves the unconditional love many brewers have with their liquid gold.

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Deschutes Brewery | Foray Belgian Style IPA

ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 60

In a time when one out of every five craft beers sold in America is an IPA, it can be difficult to muster enthusiasm for yet another bottle containing something hoppy and golden. No? You’re still interested? Busted…me too. As much as I love other styles, when facing a beer menu, my eyes always wander towards the IPAs first. Perhaps it’s the promise of drinking an old favorite or maybe it’s the chance of seeing something new and intriguing. While still thriving, single and double IPAs find themselves sharing shelf space with triple IPAs, white IPAs, black IPAs, sour IPAs, and even Belgian-style IPAs. Read More

Bootstrap Brewing | Insane Rush® IPA

Bootstrap Brewing is nestled in downtown Niwot (Boulder County), diligently brewing their award winning, fresh, delicious, craft beer, which they supply to some of the best restaurants and liquor stores along the Front Range. Stop in to their tasting room and enjoy a flight, pint or growler to go. Or, pick up a case of their flagship Insane Rush IPA and take it on the road with you. On many days they offer live music and fun activities, which can be found on their website calendar.

Their goal is simple – they want to make really great beer and have a lot of fun. They also love to rock out, and their beer enjoys the best classic rock 24 hours a day, which is why it’s so happy and delicious! They even have music pairings with their beer?! Read More

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company | Upheaval IPA

Photo Courtesy of Mairwen Eslinger

If you look up “upheaval” in the dictionary, you’ll find the following:

Noun

A violent or sudden change or disruption to something.

Synonyms: disruption, disturbance, … Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

This week we are serving up not one, but two stories about New Belgium Brewing. We are also preparing you for the Craft Brewers Conference, helping you figure out the best IPAs in the US, and doing a little feature on Coachella. Yes, Coachella. Who knew they had a Craft Beer Barn? Now you do! Read on to get the details of these stories in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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The Brew Kettle | All for One Session IPA

ABV: 4.75% | IBU: 35

Over the decades, Cleveland sports has had many moments that have been hard to swallow. Despite Cleveland being one of the more pained sports cities, moments of intense optimism do pop up from time to time bringing a refreshing tint to the hues of cynicism. For example, there’s always the start of baseball season and the chants of “It’ll be this year!” Along with that, there’s annually a nice brew to go with that. Turning to basketball though, the return of LeBron James and the acquisition of many other stellar players has allowed my Cleveland Cavaliers to fare quite well in the second half of this year’s NBA season. Hope is blossoming again, albeit with the normal hint of caution. Still, The Brew Kettle, a local brewery in the Cleveland area, has begun distributing its All for One Session IPA to continue stoking the flames of the playoff push that is now imminent. Excitement has definitely returned to the CLE!  Read More

Sierra Nevada | Hop Hunter IPA

Brewery: Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)
Style: IPA
Season: Perennial
IBU: 60
ABV: 6.2

As the summer slowly comes into permanent existence here on the East Coast, it’s time for that special style from the West Coast. Who else but Sierra Nevada would employ a new style with signature quality and popular fanfare? Read More

4 Noses Brewing Co. | Bareback Blonde Ale and Make My Day Session IPA

4 Noses Brewing Company’s mission is to be a socially responsible brewery of extraordinary passion and creativity, constantly crafting unique and classic styles. Hosted in their comfortable yet elegant tap room, they strive to serve only the freshest ales and lagers, in addition to their constantly changing barrel-aged beers.

4 Noses taproom is mad gorgeous. Their ales and lagers embody creativity and passion for brewing. While most would implore you not to take their word for it and to explore on your own; we wholeheartedly want you to take our word for it (because we won’t steer you wrong) AND to visit their taproom at your earliest convenience. You will not be bummed. We promise.

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Red Rock Brewery | Elephino

8% ABV

The evolution of a hophead: You drink pils and lagers until your beer geek friend offers up a Uinta Cutthroat or Squatters Full Suspension (not hoppy by today’s standards). You take the first sip and ….. BOOM! Flashback to Keystone’s Bitter Beer Face campaign from the 90’s. Then you avoid the crazy ‘bitter beers’ for years, maybe even a decade, only to try one when there are no tame options. Read More

Ellis Island Casino & Brewery

Las Vegas is synonymous with excess. Strolling around the Bellagio or trendy new Cosmopolitan, it is all too common to see a Chinese businessman with stacks of strangely colored chips at the baccarat table, or a hip-hop star and their entourage with an endless stream of overpriced bottles of vodka and champagne in the VIP area of an equally overpriced club. This is one of the attractions of Vegas. This and the scantily clad waitstaff, ready to bring a seemingly never-ending supply of drinks for as long as you’re willing to keep gambling.

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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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