What We’re Drinking | August 6, 2021

There’s been a very hectic aura in the air around here lately, and it’s likely due to a combination of school starting back, work being busy and the Delta variant of Covid-19 rising in cases. It feels like we somehow back tracked, but maybe we’re on the up-and-up. Maybe that’s a glass half-full perspective. Either way, you did it, it’s Friday and we made it. Cheers to that. Here is What We’re Drinking.

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Hidden Hand Brewery Operates Within Another Brewery | Both are Thriving

Illinois’ Solemn Oath Brewery is ambitious. Founded in Naperville, the brewery continues to grow its presence through well-crafted IPAs and GABF medal-winning beers like their prestigious Lu Kolsch. Part of that strategic growth was opening up a secondary taproom in the brewery-filled Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. The latest strategic venture is the establishment of their Hidden Hand Brewery operation, which exclusively brews IPAs and DIPAs inside the four walls of the larger Solemn Oath operation.

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Jade Mountain Brewing Co. | Silk Road Rice IPA

It’s been almost two months since the grand opening of Jade Mountain Brewing Co. and business couldn’t be better. Brewing craft beer, tea and in-between (i.e. hard tea), Sean Guerrero, the owner and head brewer, has a beverage suited for anyone who walks through the door. He uses exotic (dragonfruit, sichuan chili, jasmine flowers) and modern (Colorado yeast and malt) ingredients brewed to taste, with less focus on adhering to a specific beer style, resulting in beer inviting to all customers regardless of beer knowledge or snobbery. Add to this the beautifully curated traditional Asian tea house aesthetic of the taproom, and it’s clear that Guerrero meticulously planned every step of his business venture to create a unique, delicious, and welcoming establishment where traditional meets modern. See our brewery showcase for more info! Read More

What We’re Drinking | July 23, 2021

Holy hell. It’s really about to be August. We have one week of “summer” left, even though I personally feel like that shortens every year. We’re over halfway through the calendar and baseball season, too. School is upon us and fall sports are about to be king. It won’t take long, but the holidays are not too far off, and this year, we should be able to celebrate even more compared to last. I hope you’ve got a little time to slow down and take it easy, but if you’re still busy looking for a new beer to try, here is What We’re Drinking.  Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 7/15

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

With the MLB All-Star Game festivities having been in Denver the past few days, we’ve gotten to see a substantial amount of traffic going through our local breweries, as baseball fans flocked to Denver. We even had some breweries creating some baseball-themed beers, like Denver Beer Co., which released Big League Sticky since we last talked. Let’s keep the fun going this weekend by showing some love to your favorite local breweries!

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Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. | Foresworn IPA

When you think of Charleston, South Carolina, there’s a good chance that you think of the salty Atlantic waves or the incredible culinary scene; maybe it’s the historic buildings and neighborhoods of the port city that come to mind. You should also start thinking of the bustling beer scene too, as there are some absolute gems scattered throughout the city.
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Checklist: Four Chicago Beers For a Perfect July 4th Cooler

Celebrating the July 4th holiday in 2021 takes on added significance due to the arduous year-plus America has been through. Many hope—myself included—to return to normal BBQs, gatherings and outdoor events over the weekend with an added sense of appreciation as to why these small moments in time are so valuable. One timeless tradition of many July 4th celebrations is the packing of a proper beer cooler. While water—both bottled and frozen—are a necessity, along with probably some seltzer, the options for the beer you choose to fill it with are seemingly endless. That’s why I decided to pull together a quick checklist for any Chicago craft beer drinker looking to properly stock their cooler for the July 4th weekend. Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 4th of July Weekend

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

Guess what’s happening this weekend! It’s the 4th of July… wait did you cheat and read that on the title? Either way, it’s going to be a great weekend of drinking beer, grilling and possibly lighting off some fireworks. Be careful though, I like fireworks as much as the next person, but you don’t want to be that guy that ends up starting a wildfire. So get out there this weekend and have some fun, without burning down the state, that is.

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Midwest Coast Brewing | Paisley West Coast IPA

West Coast IPA is once again seeing a jolt in popularity in the craft beer industry. The style is a shift (back) from the Hazy IPA and while it still highlights tropical, floral and fruity notes, the beers are usually more bitter, thinner in body and clearer in appearance.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 6/17

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

We’re hitting some record temperatures this week in Colorado, but do you know what’s really nice on a hot day? That’s right, some cold aloe… oh, and a cold beer at your favorite brewery! Beat the heat this weekend and show all of the local breweries how glad you are that they’re back open at full capacity.

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Brewery Showcase | Local 315 Brewing Co.

Local 315 Brewing Co. is a hidden gem located in Warners, N.Y. This farm brewery sits right on top of a hill that provides you with stunning views and awesome brews that you don’t want to miss. Daniel Matthews, the founder, said his passion for craft beer began when he started homebrewing. His father bought the farm in 1972, and when he passed away in 2001, Matthews took over.

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Jekyll Brewing | Southern Juice IPA

Citra! Citra! Read All About It!

CITRA, CITRA, CITRA is the response we received from Jekyll Brewing Founder Michael Lundmark when asked about the hop profile for Southern Juice, which is one of their year-round core beers. Southern Juice is a lighter IPA that was inspired by the New England IPA style. Lundmark described it as a “Really juicy beer and very New England like without the Haze factor” Lundmark also noted that “while Southern Juice was inspired by the New England style, it’s not a NEIPA, it’s Southern Juice!”

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Event Recap | Good Word Brewing Presents “Little Beer”

For any of you veteran craft beer drinkers out there, what comes to mind when you hear the phrase “beer fest” mentioned in conversation? Memories of overindulgence fueled by Biolyte and the FOMO of the out-of-state breweries who are pouring their beer? Maybe it’s racing around the room to all the hype tables before your palate is overwhelmingly wrecked. There’s also a good chance that you’ve been in line slamming an IPA taster before hitting the next tap in the row…We’ve all been there.

On Saturday, June 5, Good Word Brewing & Public House hosted a festival in collaboration with the City of Duluth that was one of the first beer-centric events to happen in Georgia since COVID-19 effectively shut down large gatherings a year ago. This was not a typical beer fest, though. Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 6/3

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

Well would you look at that, we’ve made it to June already. It seemed like only yesterday the whole country was shutting down, and look where we are now! As summer quickly approaches, more and more releases are popping up, and we’re even seeing a brewery anniversary or two. Now you might be saying, “I drank a bit too much over the long weekend, I think I’m going to take it easy this weekend,” but between the two of us, we both know that isn’t happening. So take a look below and pick out some new (or old) favorites, and enjoy this weekend like it’s a holiday too.

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Athletic Brewing Releases New Rainbow Wall IPA for Pride Month

Year over year, non-alcoholic (NA) beers continue to carve out a bigger chunk of the craft beer market, in no small part due to the NA beer produced by powerhouse Athletic Brewing Company. The NA brewer continues to brew up a bevy of different NA beers from Golden Ales to Hazy IPAs but it’s their mission to welcome a larger part of the adult population into the craft beer community through NA offerings that continue to resonate with consumers. This focus on welcoming continues to manifest in different ways for the brewer, including through their latest collaboration with prominent LGBTQI+ activist and advocate  Alex Johnson, a competitive climber with two World Cup Gold medals and five US National titles, on the limited release of Rainbow Wall Blood-Orange IPA. It will debut in June during Pride Month. 

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Arbeiter Brewing Co. | Hoop Jump Cold IPA

Have you ever had a “Cold IPA?” No, we are not talking about the one that you just pulled from the refrigerator. The history of a Cold IPA is relatively new, but the development is credited to Wayfinder Beer out of Portland, Ore. Cold IPAs are a thing of beauty and smell the part too. On one side, you have that smell of the hoppiness from an IPA. On the other, you have that clean, crisp style of a lager. Do not mistake these as IPLs, which seems to be a common thread. Read More

Ultimate 6er | You Won’t Believe These Things Are Turning 21

They say nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and it certainly brought a shockwave along with it when compiling this list. From movies and songs to world events, the year 2000 did not skimp on the excitement. Get out your party hats and year-shaped goggles while we take a trip down memory lane and hand out some beers to six moments from 2000 now old enough to drink: Read More

Imperiale Beer Project | Masa Brentwood IPA

What started with a large genus of the American IPA further whittles down to your West Coast IPA and New England IPA, and even giving states their own with the Colorado IPA giving rise in the mid-2010s. But getting as niche as a city? Brentwood, California is a small city that sits on the fringes of the East Bay but can feel worlds away with its vast array of farmland that surrounds the adorable downtown. Mostly known for their cherry, peach, and corn production and a smattering of u-pick-it farms, this small community just got its first brewery. The newly minted Imperiale Beer Project wanted to pay homage to the agricultural background of the city they call home with their Masa Brentwood IPA.

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Revolution Brewing Doubles Down on Chicago Heritage with Expanded Malort Partnership

Chicago’s largest independent brewer, Revolution Brewing, and its most polarizing liquor brand Jeppson’s Malort (made by local CH Distillery), are again teaming up for some boozy shenanigans this summer. The two Chicago staples first teamed up for an Anti Hero Malort ‘variant’ last spring to save some unused kegs of Revolution’s flagship Anti Hero IPA that weren’t being used due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, they’ve decided to expand their collaboration further. Starting in June, adventurous drinkers in the city can expect four unique limited edition labels of Anti Hero Malort that house the famed wormwood-forward liquor with a bit more barrel-character added this time. Here are the details. 

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 5/20

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

With the state opening up more heavily this week, more and more new releases are trickling out. One thing to keep in mind while you’re going out in search of a new beer or two for this weekend is what each brewery’s policy is on wearing masks. Don’t disrespect the staff members if you don’t agree with the policy that the brewery has implemented.

If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, the perfect time might be this weekend. WeldWerks is hosting a walk-up clinic on the 22nd from 1pm – 5:30pm, with every participant receiving a free pint, and a limited edition can of “I Got Vaccinated”. Already been vaccinated, but want to get a free can of “I Got Vaccinated”? Just bring your vaccination card into the brewery starting on the 22nd to pick up a can for yourself too!

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