Jester King – Das Wunderkind

Jester King – Das Wunderkind Sour Saison

ABV: 4.5%

IBU: ? Read More

Crooked Stave – St. Bretta (Fall)

Beer: St. Bretta (Fall)
Brewer: Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 25

I hate to admit that I had never really heard of Crooked Stave until the end of this past August. I was attending a homebrewer’s competition for a local non-profit and was invited to guest judge. (Apparently my credentials at PorchDrinking and my affinity for beer were enough to give me the exclusive rights to judge.) When I arrived, I learned that I would be the only judge that night as the two brewers from “Crooked Stave” would not be able to show. Read More

Roundtable Discussion: Go-To Beer Styles

This weeks discussion revolves around the go-to beer styles of the writers here at PD. The question was posed as follows: When you walk into a new brewery or bar, what are the types or styles of beer that you will usually gravitate towards? Here are the responses to this weeks Roundtable Discussion. Read More

Goose Island – Madame Rose

Colored in crimson, aged in red-wine barrels and soaked in sour cherry deliciousness—what more could you ask for? A seductive member of Goose Island’s now famed ‘Three Sisters’ group, Madame Rose is one of the brewery’s elusive bottled wild ales that tantalizes and plays with our taste buds from start to finish.

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Ultimate 6er | Fantastic Fruit Beer

Many people shy away from fruit beers. They just don’t think the two should ever mix, never to dance the delicate art of brewing. But, not all great beers have to be pale and bitter, and a little sweet goes a long way. With summer just around the bend, folks are eager to get out and enjoy the warm cosmic rays. And, although all of these beers (save for one) come in 22oz or larger bottles, here is a phenomenal six pack that will make you second guess what great beer can be.

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Night Shift Brewing – Ever Weisse

ABV: 5.1%

Beer should be enjoyable. That’s simple enough, right? But sometimes I feel like as beer nerds we lose track of that. I know I do. I spend way too much time rummaging through Beeradvocate[1] and ratebeer, I obsess over “white-whale” beers and it legitimately bothers me when I try a much-hyped, rare, “highly rated” beer and it just disappoints me[2].  Then I start thinking about all the time I spent checking draft lists[3] and twitter feeds and the disappointment turns into pure anger, mostly directed at myself. I won’t even go into how frustrated I get at beer distribution[4] and beer laws because I am sure anyone reading this already feels my pain there. But here’s the good news: it does not have to be this way. Assuming you live close to a city, I can almost guarantee that you have phenomenal beer in your backyard[5] and you should be drinking and enjoying it. Not because it’s easy[6], but because it’s delicious and worth knowing about. Night Shift’s Ever Weisse, a superbly funky, sinfully red sour Berliner Weisse beer is the perfect example of the beers we should all be spending more of our time on. Read More

Petrus Aged Pale Ale – Bavik Brewery

If there’s one thing I love about Belgium, it’s their ability to brew incredibly good beer. And of my favorites, Belgian or not, are sours. When you’re mouth uncontrollably puckers is about the point where I like my sour ales to be, and Petrus Aged Pale Ale from Belgium’s Bavik Brewery does a damn fine job of making your mouth implode (in a wonderfully pleasant way).

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Jolly Pumpkin – Bam Biére

IBU: 25

ABV: 4.5%

Once upon a time I wrote for a beer blog. And then I drank the Westy 12  and my mind blew up and I stopped drinking or writing about beer. My brain can only take so much amazing… until I met Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere

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1 Minute Beer Review: Frambozen

Frambozen- New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO ABV: 6.5% IBU: 15.5 Frambozen is exactly what it advertises, which is a raspberry brown ale. It has an understated amount of … Read More