Posts ByJesse Valenciana, Author at PorchDrinking.com
Southern Grist Brewing Co. | Strange Horizons NEIPA
August 20, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Collaborations between bands and breweries are nothing new. Run the Jewels, for example, seem to agree to beer collabs as often as they agree to play a festival. From wacky creations that never should’ve left the brains of collaborators to killer creations that you wish would never run out, the spectrum of these projects are vast. Regardless, it’s always amusing to see what folks come up with. Read More
Against the Grain Brewery | A Beer
June 30, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Against the Grain Brewery has steadily put out high quality beer since they opened their doors in 2011, which in beer years is almost a lifetime ago. A Beer is an excellent addition to their year round portfolio.
18th Street Brewery | Devil’s Cup Pale Ale
May 21, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Just a stone’s throw from the saturated market that is Chicago, and in the large shadow that is cast by craft beer darlings, Three Floyds, sits 18th Street Brewery. Since opening their doors in 2013, 18th Street has kept their nose to the grindstone, cranking out some mighty fine beers for close to a decade.
Despite being just a neighborhood brewery in Indiana, 18th Street is no stranger to national acclaim. They’ve been invited to coveted beer fests such as Wake Fest, collaborated with cool-kid breweries like Mikkeller, and were voted top brewpub in the nation by USA Today in 2019. 18th Street may not have the mainstream popularity of their aforementioned neighbor yet, but the beer they produce continues to earn them industry cred and respect of their peers that hype can’t buy.
Cruz Blanca Brewery | Mexico Calling
April 21, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Mexico Calling from Cruz Blanca Brewery is the beer that Mexican lagers should aspire to be. In recent years, there has been an influx of breweries trying their hand at making a craft version of one the most macro styles of beer on the market. What you’re left with are good beers that end up tasting nothing like a Corona, Dos Equis, Modelo or whatever the brewer drew inspiration from. The beers tend to end up with some punny name consisting of Spanish words that a brewer learned during his high school spring break in Cancun.
Fat Bottom Brewing | Knockout IPA
April 9, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Flagship beers are the unsung heroes of a brewery. They’re the load-carrying backbone of a beer list. With every new, flashy, ridiculously-hopped IPA or adjunct loaded, melted ice cream cone passing as a stout, they’re also the first to be forgotten. Like a true workhorse, flagship beers do their job. They get packed in cases or filled in kegs to be shipped off to a sea of local grocery stores and faceless sports bars while getting snubbed by the cool kid, craft beer stores in town. Flagship beers may never get any taproom-exclusive hype, but they’re evergreen. They pay the bills, and keep the lights on.
Women in Beer | Bailey Spaulding & Lisa Peterson of Jackalope Brewing
March 12, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
When they opened their doors, Jackalope Brewing Co. were the hip, new brand taking up space in a modest sized brewpub. Fast forward a decade and Jackalope Brewing have become respected pioneers and leaders of Nashville beer. They now operate out of a towering production facility in a rapidly growing city that seemingly sprouts one brewery for every new high-rise residential building.
Sour Series: Yazoo Brewing | Trio (Batch #2)
February 18, 2021 | Jesse Valenciana
Brandon Jones is no stranger to barrel-aging and storytelling, using both his words and beer as the medium. Jones is a brewer, beer blender and self-proclaimed “funk wrangler” at Yazoo Brewing, one of the godfathers of the Nashville’s craft beer scene. When Brandon isn’t wrangling funk, he’s sharing recipes on his blog, EmbracetheFunk.com, where he talks about spontaneous fermentation, wild yeast and bacteria—all of what give wild ales their unique and “sour” profiles. On Embrace the Funk, Brandon states his modest goal of making the world of sour beers a bit more approachable.
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