These Are America’s Best Breweries for Barrel-Aged Stouts

As warmer days begin to dwindle and the daylight hours dissipate, it feels only natural for our taste preferences to evolve accordingly. The onset of colder weather, as well as the arrival of the holiday season, always feels like a natural signal for beer drinkers to shift their focus toward boozier, barrel-aged Stouts. In addition to the perceived liquid layer of warmth, these specialty releases also feel fitting for gifting or saving for special occasions, which become more bountiful as the end of the year draws nearer.

Coincidentally, in celebration of International Stout Day, we decided to showcase the country’s best breweries for barrel-aged Stouts. This post was co-authored by Tristan Chan, Eric Griffin, Alysia Shoemaker, and Britt Antley.

This post was made possible with the support of Laws Whiskey House. In addition to their no-shortcuts approach toward producing world-class whiskey. They also have lent their barrels to some of the best barrel-aged beers in the country. Explore more at www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com

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2022 Craft Brewers Conference External Events Guide

While the Craft Brewers Conference is an amazing opportunity to gain valuable education from the multitude of sessions and seminars, we know the real fun comes with the after-parties surrounding the conference. To help you navigate the week-long schedule of tap takeovers, beer dinners, special releases and more surrounding CBC we put together a day-by-day external events guide. Use the menu below to quickly navigate to the corresponding day.

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What We’re Drinking | December 3, 2021

Welcome to the first Friday of December! Now that we’re smack dab in the middle of the holiday season, it’s time to enjoy some extra special beers. Many of us will be getting together with family and we all know that is much easier when you have a BBA imperial stout. Cheers to everyone celebrating Hanukah right now–may your glass be full and your stouts be barrel aged. This is what we’re drinking. 

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What We’re Drinking | April 16, 2021

Spring imposes upon the world a level of uncertainty that’s both invigorating and maddening. With this uncertainty comes a full spectrum of desires; wet snow convinces the palate that we must drink a heavy Stout. Fresh, sunny days inspire us to seek out something a bit lighter and crisper.

The changing of seasons can make one reflect on getting a bit older as well. I used to be an extremely cynical youth. I started shaving my head at an early age — by the time I wanted to grow it back, I couldn’t. I was rocking the full Jean-Luc Picard by age 28. I also started feeling a bit more self-conscious about my physique.

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Outdoor Spaces During COVID-19 | 56 Brewing

“Burn the Jenga!” the crowd feverishly chanted. The patio was bustling and the taproom at 56 Brewing was out of firewood, so something had to go. Your typical brewery staples of Yahtzee and Scrabble would only stoke the flames for so long. This called for something bigger, bolder… something that would warm their patrons for hours. When one is dealing with both pandemic-based shutdowns and the frosty winds of the North, out-of-the-box thinking is required. Welcome to the Patio Pintometer.
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2020 Illinois Best in Beer Year-End Honors

It’s cliche to say that 2020 was a year unlike any other but how else do you describe what was most likely the most challenging year in a long time. While breweries and organizations mainly cancelled or refashioned beer festivals and release parties, the beer continued to flow. In 2020, Illinois brewers still managed to produce an abundance of of notable beers.

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What We’re Drinking | January 8, 2021

We’re back and well-rested, yet somehow exhausted, from all of the holiday hustle and bustle and time commitments. While 2020 is officially behind us — good riddance — 2021 isn’t exactly off to the best start it could be. In spite of weather and events on the national stage, the beer industry is still staying afloat despite pandemic shutdowns. That does not mean everyone, and that does not mean thriving. Dry January is popular for many “influencers” and eager resolution starters, but do what you can to continue supporting local. Buy shirts, hats and other merch or gift cards to use at a later date. Grab a beer or browse some online shops while checking out What We’re Drinking. 

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Colorado Beer Beat | Black Friday Week Beer Release Guide

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 Thursday’s to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

With the holidays kicking off this week, now’s the time to find out what new release is the most interesting to you for your next holiday party. Take some time to peruse this page to see when and where all these drops are happening for Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend.

Additionally, mark your calendars for Saturday, December 5th as our friends at Barquentine Brewing will be hosting a Holiday Toy Drive from 1-6pm. Barquentine is working with Denver Dream Center to help provide gifts for over 10,000 Denver kids this year and are seeking unwrapped gifts for kids aged 0-18. Barquentine will also be donating 20% of all sales during the event. Come out and help make a difference during this difficult year.

Everyone here at PorchDrinking.com wishes you a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

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Indulgent Beer Series | Choc Beer Co. Wild Brew Spelt Saison

Sometimes you need a beer, and sometimes you need to treat yourself to something special. This Wild Brew Spelt Saison, the result of a 2013 collab between Oklahoma’s Choc Beer … Read More

Bluejacket | Mexican Radio

What do you think of when you think about the D.C. beer scene?  The answer may be drastically different for everybody based on their tenure in our Nation’s Capitol. You see, it wasn’t until 2009 that DC gained a true brewery since the last one closed in 1956. That’s one BIG gap in time.  

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Hailstorm Brewing Co-Founder Departs to Join Colorado’s Wiley Roots Brewing

Six years ago, Brandon Banbury founded Hailstorm Brewing alongside Chris Schiller in Tinley Park on the outskirts of Chicago. During that time, Banbury, who also served as head brewer, helped establish the brewery as a veritable force within the greater Chicago beer scene, gaining acclaim for his work with Hazy IPAs, Barrel-Aged Pastry Stouts, and even traditional-style Lagers. 

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Brewery Bracket Challenge | Which College Has the Best Brewery Scene?

Well, it certainly wasn’t the March Madness we’ve all come to anticipate. And while the Coronavirus may have put a damper on the actual tournament itself, the PorchDrinking team still … Read More

BREAKING | Brewers Association Cancels 2020 Craft Brewers Conference

As the fallout from COVID-19 continues to impact the world in a variety of different ways, high profile events ranging from the NCAA Tournament, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS seasons, … Read More

BREAKING | Colorado Brewers Guild Suspends 2020 Collaboration Fest

As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to take its toll on major events around the country, the Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) has announced that Denver’s 2020 Collaboration Fest will be suspended … Read More

What We’re Drinking | March 6, 2020

If you think 2020 has been off to a rough start, you’re not alone. Weather sucks. Politics suck. Coronavirus sucks. Comcast, DISH and Altitude are still dicking with sports fans and depriving Coloradoans of their only good sports teams. The price of hand sanitizer and protective masks have reached black market kidney levels while some poor contractor is demolishing drywall with a t-shirt wrapped around his face. I mean it probably wasn’t a great t-shirt—probably some random swag t-shirt acquired as a third-place consolation prize at a Geeks Who Drink trivia night or something—but now the shirt’s ruined and there’s no way his lungs are protected. But as long as people are stocked up for the almost-as-bad-as-the-flu virus, that’s what really matters.

So maybe it’s the end of the world, maybe it’s not. All I know is the PorchDrinking team’s gonna get their tasty brews in before the whole shithouse goes up in flames, man. Sit back with a cold one and welcome the end of all things in this week’s What We’re Drinking.

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Previewing the 2020 Mountain Sun Stout Month Lineup

You’ve almost made it, Dry January is nearing the finish line. And amid the Keto diets and fleeting trips to the gym, the one glimmer at the end of the … Read More

BREAKING | Small Chicago Brewery Acquires Ballast Point Brewing

Well it seems the billion-dollar Ballast Point experiment with Constellation Brands is over. The maker of Corona and Modelo which first purchased the California-based brewery in November 2015, announced today, … Read More

PorchDrinking’s Thanksgiving Beer Pairings

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. Or—as your aunt insists on calling it—Turkey Day. Of course, this day involves a lot more to eat than just a large bird and therein lies the challenge when it comes to Thanksgiving beer pairings. Which beers are flexible enough to work well with the cornucopia of flavors and textures we enjoy on this holiday?

Many guides to pairing with Thanksgiving dinner suggest course-by-course pairings with one beer matched with one particular dish. No one actually eats like that though. We pile our plates with as much food as we can fit and then dive in. Rather than match beers with dishes, I’ve outlined a beer pairing list that divides the day into stages and offers suggestions for each phase.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | November 6, 2019

The Denver Beer Beat is a weekly roundup of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, and more happening in the Front Range and beyond. Be sure to check in each Wednesday to discover anything and everything happening around Colorado’s beer scene. Now let’s get to this week’s can’t miss beer events. Read More

What We’re Drinking | November 1, 2019

How is everyone’s sugar hangover going?! I know I ate all the fun-sized skittle packs this week and very much need a candy-free weekend! Our writers have been getting in the Spooky Szn mood with some witchy brews! Kick up your feet, grab a cozy blanket, and let’s see what we’re drinking as we welcome fall into our world!

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