Downey Brewing Company | The Razz Raspberry Radler

Michigan seemed to have missed the memo on Spring. From late April snow to consistent summer heat in June, Michigan seemed to have missed the memo on Spring. As Michiganders emerge from drinking beer locked inside from COVID-19, to drinking beer on their porches outside, Downey Brewing’s The Razz is here for your cool-down beverage needs.

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Inside The Tank | Brewery Faisan

The Coronavirus pandemic has touched every part of the nation, from how we meet, work, play, and come together. As an industry that relies heavily on building relationships with consumers, craft brewing has been especially hit hard. We have reached out to find out what its like to try and keep business thriving while the country remains largely indoors. Paul and Rachel Szlaga of Brewery Faisan, located in an eclectic Detroit neighborhood, were nice enough to take some time out of operations to speak with us about what it’s like to be operating in the midst of the uncertain.

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Big Lake Brewing | Sparti Parti

This was supposed to be a post about how the perfect March Beer was found; A bright St. Patrick’s green colored can that would help the run MSU was sure to go on in the NCAA tourney.  But then the world decided to melt down. While unfortunately you can’t obnoxiously scream “GO GREEN” “GO WHITE” with your friends, it’s still possible to enjoy Big Lake Brewing‘s Sparti Parti IPA while barricaded in your own home.

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JDub’s Brewing Company | Passion Wheat

Christmas as a kid is a wonderland of gifts and anticipation for gifts; Christmas as an adult is travel and worrying about travel. The gift we receive is—once we’ve finally reached our destination—a whole new world of local beers at our fingertips. I went to the beautiful shores of Sarasota, FL where I spent most of my time in the pool sipping JDub’s Brewing Company’s Passion Wheat, pretending it wasn’t winter. The Passion Wheat definitely helped maintain my self-delusion.
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Event Preview | Detroit Beer Experiment at the Detroit Fall Beer Festival

The Michigan Brewers’ Guild 11th Annual Detroit Fall Beer festival is coming up this week (Friday and Saturday, October 25-26), which means Detroit beer fans (and writers) get the privilege of having some of the best breweries in the state in their backyard. It also means the return of the Detroit Beer Experiment.  Last year, the festival provided fans with the enjoyable Faygo-infused (and inspired) beers, so what’s in store for this year?  We asked Dave Cicotte of Brew Detroit, who was able to provide a sneak preview.

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Old Nation Brewing | Electron Brown

Last weekend, autumn finally arrived in Michigan in the form of perfect murder mystery type of weather. So, I spent the weekend at the lake calculating the final touches on my plan to do away with my meddling spouse while taking in the gentle stillness of nature. Uh, I mean, um, transitioning from summer to fall beers. Michigan has a glut of great beers and the authentic experience of all four seasons. Thus, we truly have great pairings for every season.

I first got into Old Nation Brewing Electron Brown Espresso Bean Double Brown Ale at a cheese & beer tasting at the incomparable Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor. While I couldn’t accurately describe the cheese, Old Nation’s double brown ale certainly made an impact. Enough so that I scrounged around for it the moment October hit.

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Beer & Book Club | Enemies on Tap by Avery Flynn & Odd Side Ale’s Bean Flicker

This summer my goal was to read a light and easy book that was set in a brewery. Surely someone had written a cozy murder that starts with a body in a barrel? Instead I was waylaid by the image at the top of this entry. I immediately let our Slack channel know that I was going to be all over this book. I love a good Lifetime movie, and Enemies on Tap (1st of the Sweet Salvation Trilogy), promised that same magic.

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Benedictine Brewery | St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale

This summer has been a filled with near constant travel to celebrate the weddings of those nearest and dearest to me. As such, they know exactly what info I need when I get to each place. Just as fate joins two strangers to cross paths and join each other in marriage, fate placed my friend’s wedding in Mt. Angel, Oregon; which is home to one of three true monk-run breweries in the nation, Benedictine Brewery. Obviously I had to check it out – as well as sample the namesake, St. Benedict Farmhouse Ale.
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Founders Brewing Co. | Green Zebra

Michigan basically jumped from winter to summer and everyone is slowly emerging from their igloos. In my neighborhood that means the first beautiful evening of the year smells like death as everyone burns off all the grit and winter rust on their grills. While good weather has arrived, it’s about a month late and everyone is geeked to make up for the lost time.  For me,  that means diving headfirst into arguably the best gose Michigan has to offer, Founder Brewing‘s Green Zebra.

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Short’s Brewing Company | Exterior Illumination

One of my favorite holiday traditions is driving around looking at lights. When I was a kid, my family would pack into the car and take the longest route possible between my aunt’s and our house to look at Christmas lights. Even in high school, my friends and I would drive around looking for those homes whose merry-making bordered on deranged. Now that I’m older, I still take the Christmas light tour after dinner. Short’s Brewing Company, following in the Christmas tradition, released an American sour ale to highlight the raucous displays that have become as much a part of the holidays as Santa and presents.

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Short’s Brewing Company | The Double Magician

Sometimes I struggle to figure out what beer to bring to an event. Other times the Universe throws an opportunity at you too good to pass up. This time, a serendipitous combination of a last-minute ski trip to Short’s land and a “diaper” party combined to make one of my favorite winter beers the obvious party choice: Short’s Brewing’s The Double Magician.

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Detroit Breweries Collaborate to Create Faygo Inspired Beers

For the past four years, Detroit area breweries have teamed up in October to collaborate on innovative beers in honor of the Michigan Brewers Guild’s Fall Beer Festival. However, this year’s theme took experimentation to the next level. Seven breweries decided to pay homage to the cornerstone of Michigan pop (not soda), Faygo, the beloved pop brand of Michiganders and Juggalos alike. While Faygo has been covered in the national press, usually as a side-story to the oddities of the Insane Clown Posse, the Detroit Beer Experiment, a collective of Detroit-based breweries, decided to give the product it’s culinary due by way of beer. Stephen Rogonson of Batch Brewing Co and Robert Orler of Brew Detroit were nice enough to answer some questions about the Detroit Beer Experiment.

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Brew Detroit | Cerveza Delray

October brings with it many things: changing leaves, the full onslaught of pumpkin beers and the end of outdoor parties. But my favorite part of October is, after the buzz of GABF, getting my hands on the Michigan medal winners. Luckily Michigan is a large enough brewing state that at least someone within a 30 minute drive will win something. This year, Brew Detroit snagged an International-Style Pilsner Bronze with Cerveza Delray, named after the beleaguered neighborhood just south of Mexicantown that is currently home to a lot of pollution but will soon welcome the Gordie Howe International Bridge (a welcome addition to everyone besides a company that is the literal embodiment of a bridge troll).

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The OGs of Craft Beer | Magic Hat Brewing Company – #9

In writing this, I fired up the PorchDrinking DeLorean and visited our original showcase of #9 from 2012. Even though it’s way before my time with Tristan and the gang, reading the article was a nostalgia trip that perfectly reflects the reason #9 deserves its place in this series. Coit Stevenson is so excited just to get #9 in Colorado he barely remembers to review it. #9 was for many drinkers their first dabble into fruit beers and pale ales. With the market today practically drowning in Blood Orange as multi-fruit sours are available in any mid-level liquor store, it’s nice to remember a time when a little bit of magic, and some apricot, brought so much wonder onto your palate.
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Abita Brewing Company | Horchata Turbodog

The world of limited releases is vast, and usually you have a good reason to go after them. Maybe you’re so into the brewery that you post up 12 hours before opening in order to snag it on opening day. Maybe you’re attempting to try every rice beer made in the tri-state area and if you can’t get your hands on this you’ll never be complete. Sometimes, like my trial of Abita‘s Horchata Turbodog, there’s just a beer that looks like your pup at the Mexican grocery store you go to to stock up for a snowstorm. No matter what path you take to find Horchata Turbodog, there’s a cozy dark ale waiting for your taste buds to nestle into it.
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2018 Winter Olympics Drinking Game for the Gold Medalist Fan

I don’t know about you guys, but I am fucking PUMPED for the Olympics. As with Eurovision and World Cup, I love any event where countries compete against each other without (much) bloodshed. As a boy from the frigid north, the Winter Olympics are my favorite and I think a ton more fun to watch. I’ve been prepping for PyeongChang in my own way; I’ve dusted off my skis (but not GS suit) and racing in a beer league. I’ve been getting blasted for making criticizing figure skaters (I am in the right. I will die on this hill.) and most importantly, I’ve been making some rules for us all to watch the biennial awkwardness of NBC trying to milk four hours of TV out of people walking in silly outfits across the stage.

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Sprecher Brewing Company | Winter Lager

Like many of you, I get a lot of beers and beer accessories for Christmas. This year my boyfriend went with a monthly beer club – with the extra promise he won’t have more than 2 of the 12 every month. As a bonus, they were nice enough to deliver before my PorchDrinking deadline, so I get to share my haul with you guys! While I was familiar with one of the breweries from the east coast, the club introduced me to Sprecher Brewing Company and their Winter Lager.
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2 Days, 2 Nights | Detroit’s Craft Beer Scene

Detroit: You’ve heard of us. We’re making a comeback! The real story is Detroit never really left, but the leaps and bounds it has made in the last decade are astounding to anyone who has lived in the area since the rebellion. The Motor City has so much history, art, music, and culture to share, but most importantly for our readers it has tons and tons of beer too!
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Beer & Book Club | Anatomy of a Murder & Two Hearted Ale

When I was offered an internship for the summer at the Prosecutor’s Office in a small county tucked away in the fingers of Michigan, I immediately knew my summer reading had to include Anatomy of a Murder. Anatomy of a Murder has long been hailed as one of the best examples of how law & order actually work. Besides that, it was supposed to be damned entertaining. I’ve spent the last two months learning the ins and outs of prosecuting a case both in the courtroom and through the eternal, if overly elaborate, wisdom of Robert Travers (aka former Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker) and his Trout-obsessed country lawyer in Paul Biegler.

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PorchDrinking Playlist | Sister Act

Recognizing a dire lack of new music to play on sun-sparkled highways and in the background of Sofia Coppola nature scenes, HAIM came out with a new album this month. The sisters Danielle, Este and Alana have been celebrated for their evocative California cool aesthetic before. “Something to Tell You” has been credited for its callbacks to acts like Fleetwood Mac and Bonnie Raitt. However, I still haven’t seen anyone tackle the interplay of the sisters’ vocal. Almost all the choruses are sung in unison as well as many other portions, voices mixing into one. The “close harmony” distinctive sounds of the 30’s and 40’s were dominated by sister acts. Since those early days, bands were comprised in whole or part by sisters and have played a dominate role in the music of the day. Read More