Lazy Magnolia Brewery | Sweet Potato Cream Stout (Jefferson Stout)

ABV: 4.65% ABV | IBU: 22

Before Kentucky is scheduled to be buried under a foot of snow this week, I watched perplexed as Lexatonians prepare for Snowmageddon by stocking up on a month’s worth of Digiornos and Doritos while congesting every aisle of the grocery store. Rather than loading my cart with six gallons of milk and the last of the bread that just might last me 48 hours, I look for a comforting beverage with a flavor that resonates with the coziness of this bitter season. My eyes fell upon the words “Sweet Potato Cream Stout” and I knew I could ride out any storm with this belly-warming brew.

Read More

Founders Brewing Company | Big Lushious

ABV: 7.8%

This Friday we will celebrate one of the worst holidays, Valentine’s Day. If you’re in a relationship, it is almost impossible to make any kind of unique romantic plans that 100 other couples won’t be doing. If you’re single, it’s a 2 week build up engineered to make you feel like a loser. The one positive is that no one judges you for buying ridiculously expensive chocolates. This year I decided to try to find the beer equivalent of romantic, fancy chocolate. With the cartoon Rihanna-circa-Umbrella on its label, Founders’ Big Lushious was the clear choice.

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.

Read More

Stone Brewing Co. | Master of Disguise Imperial Golden Stout

9.7% ABV
National Release/ Limited Season

As is usually the case this time of year, dark weather brings out the dark beer in my libation rotation. Shying away from the conventional brewed coffee, the stout has become my go-to for comfortable drinking. Spending time in Ireland just recently, my liver has come to expect little else than the delicious homemade Guinness that really isn’t the same on this side of the Atlantic. Coming back after a fair share of Black & Tan’s and Baby Guinness Shots (the most delicious shot if Kahlua and Baileys are up your alley), I spent a fair amount of time during the Holidaze getting reacquainted with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout and the annual Christmas Car Bomb (while abroad, order at your own risk, fyi).

Read More

Lakefront Brewery | Fuel Cafe Organic Coffee Stout

ABV: 6.4%

I am not a frequent shopper of Whole Foods and nothing about my daily activities would make you confuse me for someone that buys organic. Whenever I see the word “organic” on a label, I automatically think, “Well this is going to be expensive.” Luckily for me, Fuel Cafe Organic Coffee Stout from Lakefront Brewery has all the goodness of organic foods without the typical organic price tag.

Read More

Avery Brewing | Tweak

ABV: 17.81%

Read More

Wynkoop Brewing Company | Barrel Aged Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout

Who’s got the biggest… cans of them all? In walks Wynkoop’s Barrel Aged Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout in 19.2oz cans. Sure their can itself may not be the” largest” format craft can, but its “contents” may just be the most coveted this side of the Vanilla Rye-filled Mississippi.

Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with notes of wood and vanilla and… wait, what am I drinking? What is a Rocky Mountain Oyster? Hold on, what? Calf fries, swinging steaks, prairie oysters, cowboy caviar, criadillas in Mexico, Montana tendergroins, dusted nuts, bull fries or swinging beef? You’re kidding, right?!

ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 30-70
SRM: 30-40
BPB (balls per barrel): 3

Read More

Colorado’s Best Winter Seasonal Beers

Alright, you made it through your work party and all of the shopping craziness. Now you need some more libations to take you through the holiday. But what are you going to drink? Whether you are packing it in to hit the slopes or headed to the local brewpub to escape the family, we have a list of local options for you Denver cats.

Read More

12 Beers of Christmas Day 11 | Prairie Christmas BOMB!

Prairie Artisan Ales  – Christmas Bomb!

ABV: 11%

Merry Christmas everybody! Hope everyone gets exactly what they want this year!

I’ve already doted on Prairie Artisan Ales and, more namely, Prairie Bomb! on several occasions. When I caught word that Prairie was building a new bomb, a bigger and more powerful bomb, a Christmas Bomb!, I was of the utmost stoked. Billed as the O.G. Bomb! with “Christmas spices” added or “brewed with spices”, Prairie does well to not over-bill this as a completely different beer. It is, essentially, Bomb! with Christmas spices added or Bomb! “brewed with spices.” And that; that is why I love it so much!

Read More

12 Beers of Christmas Day 3 | Samuel Adams Merry Maker

ABV: 9% | IBU: 25

I have a confession: I’m a bit of a grinch. The winter holiday season doesn’t excite me very much, and that feeling generally extends to holiday beers. Regardless … Read More

Cooking with Beer | Chocolate Pretzel Pie

I bring you the Cappuccino Stout Chocolate Pie with a Pretzel Shortbread Crust. To keep it short, let’s call it the Chocolate Pretzel Pie. Since this confectionery treat is clearly overloaded with sugar, I chose a cappuccino stout to cut the edge off things. If you’re not a coffee person, don’t fret. The Cappuccino Stout from Lagunitas adds just the right amount of bitterness to balance things out without becoming coffee in solid form. All you chocolate lovers out there need to give a big thank you to Christopher Day for giving me the inspiration for this recipe. Cheers and remember: when cooking with beer, the pie’s the limit!

Read More

Ultimate 6er | Daylight Saving Stouts

As much as we all loved gaining the extra hour the first night of November, I would be hard pressed to find someone who relished the idea of leaving work at dusk and returning home in darkness. This week’s edition commemorates those dark nights of fall and the foreboding weather to come with a delicious and decadent brew to ease your fears and warm your spirit. Enjoy these with caution and care, for consuming all of these in one evening will require more than an extra hour in the morning, and you may think twice before brewing that pot of coffee. Read More

Rogue Ales | Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout

IBU: 56
ABV: 6%

This past weekend, New York celebrated the annual Brooklyn Book Festival – which is basically book nerd Christmas. During the end of September, you celebrate the first stiff breezes of fall while running around the old Brooklyn courthouse discovering new writers, learning about your favorite authors, and getting all your favorite works signed. Over the years it’s become my favorite holiday, but besides my constant renewing of the website until the schedule of events is posted, it has no rituals. To correct this oversight, I decided to dedicate the weekend to the arts by trying a beer after the bard whose influence is inescapable in writing of the Western World: Rogue’s Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout.

Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Seasonal Beers Out of Season

Fellow PorchDrinking staff member Joshua Kan started the discussion about a week ago. His story goes a little like this.

A friend of mine just posted this status:

“Boycotting pumpkin beers and pumpkin spice coffees until it’s OFFICIALLY fall. One season at a time guys. Don’t be a Walmart.”

Thought it was a pretty interesting topic. What are your thoughts on drinking seasonal beers out of season?
Read More

Martin House Brewing | Pretzel Stout

ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 47 | SRM: 50+

“That’s right, The Original Pretzel Stout. This 6.5% abv stout is as black as oil and is brewed with over six pounds of crushed sourdough pretzels per barrel. Guess what? There’s no style guideline for this one. The salty fingerprint of the pretzels works with the sweet and roasty flavors of the chocolate malted & roasted barley to give this beer a flavor that is much greater than the sum of its parts.”

Read More

Scarlet Lane Brewing Company | Dorian Stout

Scarlet Lane Brewing Company is one of the newest breweries to enter the Indy metro landscape, and they have come on the scene guns blazing. Their original lineup really impressed me … Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

Learn some more about beer, stay extremely classy, and if you’re in Europe, attend a craft beer festival. There are new inventions, new beer inspired products, and even some new … Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Dark Beers to Drink All Year

As spring seems to have finally begun to sprung, many much-loved dark beers are becoming harder to come by in favor of the more seasonal ales. But sometimes, one may … Read More

Bison Brewing | Organic Chocolate Stout

Bison Brewing’s Organic Chocolate is one of my favorite stouts, and has been for the last few years or so. It is rich in flavor without being heavy in the body, and low enough in alcohol to be sessionable. This is definitely NOT a sweet stout. (If sweet is your thing, check out Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate stout.) Brewed with Peruvian cocoa and roasted barley, this beer boasts big coffee and dark chocolate flavors.

Read More

Hunahpu’s Day: A Local’s Perspective

It is hard for me to believe that Cigar City Brewing is only five years old. Since its inception in 2009, the brewery has seen rapid exponential growth, gaining global notoriety and consistently collecting accolades in a wide range of categories. Read More