Island Hoppin’ Brewery | K-Pod Kolsch

It’s hard to overstate the natural beauty of Washington state. The state is home to mountain ranges, temperate rain forests, desert plains, active volcanoes and other natural wonders that are so varied and abundant, you could easily spend every weekend of the year in a new terrain. Even from my home base of metropolitan Seattle, the closest mountains are less than 30 minutes outside the city and you can book a whale watching tour that leaves from downtown.
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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | April 19, 2017

The Atlanta Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings and more! Check back weekly.

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Beer and Book Club | A Voyage to Arcturus at the Speakeasy

PorchDrinking is starting a beer and book club! Each installment will discuss a particular book along with a beer, a bar, a brewpub or what have you. The first meeting of Chapel Hill’s little chapter of Beer and Books (that is, my friend Ben and myself) convened at The Speakeasy in Carrboro, NC, and we discussed “A Voyage to Arcturus.” Read More

Devils Backbone Brewing Company | The Family Beer Project

Devils Backbone Brewing Company may be best known for its Germanic, lager-centric catalog, but the brewery also takes time to put unique beers into the market. Nearly every season, Devils Backbone releases up to four new beers ranging from common styles to experimental fusions, and the Family Beer Project is an example of that. So it’s safe to say that whether I’m heading to my favorite bottle shop or Costco, I’ll be able to satisfy the intrepid beer fan within.

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Brewery Showcase | Around the Bend Beer Company

Around the Bend Beer Company isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; the two-year-old brewery is on a mission to make the wheel faster, slicker, and cooler. When brewing a Kolsch-style beer (Ghost of ‘Lectricity), a first-wort brewing process is applied to extract more hops flavor, yet also smooth out its edges. When Around the Bend brews an American Pale Ale (Silk Road), galangal is blended into the recipe. And who else make the connection between orange marmalade and a Double/Imperial IPA? You find it in Mr. Marmalade.

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Eventide Brewing | Eventide Kölsch

ABV: 5.3% | IBU: 24

I am grumpy and thus, I pen today’s beer showcase in the spirit of protest.

This is me standing up out of my chair, going to the window and yelling, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Or, something like that.

See, it’s another lovely Atlanta August day: 93 degrees and humid. That’s no surprise—that’s August in Georgia and that’s not why I’m yelling from my window. Read More

Rogue Ales and Spirits | Honey Kolsch

ABV: 5% | IBU: 26

“We grow bees. Taste the difference.” These two sentences are the only tasting remarks for Honey Kolsch ale, as featured on Rogue’s website. Their brazen, to-the-point statement speaks … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast

I started listening to podcasts as a way to kill time at work, and Comedy Bang! Bang! was one of my first. At the beginning, I was completely baffled. Who were these people? What the heck were they yammering on about? There seemed to be punchlines with no setups, setups that went nowhere, stories that started in the middle, and a bevy of bizarre catchphrases. Inexplicably, I continued to listen until… EUREKA! A callback made sense! Before I knew it storylines were coming together, and I was finally on the inside of all those jokes I didn’t understand before. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Summer Seasonal Beers

I was brutally reminded yesterday that it’s almost August. Not only did that mean rent was due, but summer is flying by fast. If you live in the Midwest, you know that means you are soon going to be slapped in the face with 4-8 months of winter, depression and an overall desperation for spring to arrive to save you from the depths of Hell.

Instead of focusing on all that nonsense, I will try to embrace the rest of the summer, and take advantage of all the great seasonal summer beers, some you can still buy all year round, and some you can’t. Either way, any of these beers will add a little sparkle to the remaining summer.

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Coast Brewing Co. | 32°/50° Kölsch

ABV: 4.8%

I picked up another four-pack of Coast Brewing’s 32°/50° Kölsch this weekend. I love this Kölsch. It is currently offered in draft, 22oz. bombers and four-pack 16oz cans year round. Coast Brewing’s 32°/50° is an excellent spring/summer time beer to accompany any and all outings. In a world of dark ales and hoppy IPAs, the Kölsch is a welcomed and pleasant respite from the intensities of the season.

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Stone Brewing Company | Spröcketbier Debut

Two regular guys set out to brew a simple beer that ended up taking over the world. Well, that is, if you call two Stone Brewing Company veterans with a … Read More

Beer and Food | Kolsch

Welcome back to the delicious world of beer and food. Now that we have covered the basics in last week’s installment, we can move into our first course to start … Read More

Cucumber Beer – The Ultimate 6er

Searching for that refreshing brew this summer can be overwhelming while I stare giddily at the bottle shop coolers. I scan and scan until I find something that can pack in the flavor but also has a refreshing finish. I stay calm and I don’t get ruffled. I know I have found what I am looking for. It’s a Cucumber Cream Ale from Twisted Pine Brewery and it’s just one of the many green gourd guzzlers out in the market place this summer. To stay as cool as a cucumber this summer, walk with me through a myriad of tasty barley pops that pay homage to the cuke. To the cucumber beer patch we go . . .

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