Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery | Coconut Quad

Compared to every other season, autumn always conjures up particular styles of beer. Pumpkin beers, Märzens, and Ambers match drinkers’ palates like the changing shades of leaves. As the summer winds down during peaks of sweltering humidity, you wouldn’t think there could be a beer over 10% fitting for the season. Thankfully, us Virginians have access to a beer that perfectly represents the twilight of summer with Lickinghole Creek’s Coconut Quad.

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Maine Beer Company | Another One

The craft beer explosion in unique to everyone depending on location. Once the contracts are signed, state distributors awash the bottle shop shelves with rows of new possibilities. These beers become exciting mysteries; sold as 1 to 2 bottles per customer to get everyone’s attention to the hot new kid on the block. Years will go by, some breweries will go away, but others stay thanks to their long lasting quality. Maine Beer Company fits all these descriptors when it arrived in my state years ago.

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Ultimate 6er | Netflix Original Movies

Since it’s inception, Netflix has always been a media trailblazer from shipping DVDs to offering original content on its streaming service. The California company’s success has caused most major media companies to follow in it’s footsteps by offering incredible shows to those without a traditional cable package. Netflix released a few movies early on to critical acclaim but never to the success of their various TV shows that we’ve covered twice.

2018 was the year Netflix really stepped up their game delivering original films and I’m not just talking about Roma. This Ultimate 6er covers six incredibly diverse and underrated gems that you might not be aware of.

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PorchDrinking’s 2019 Oscars Drinking Game!

The 91st Academy Awards is sure to be one for the ages. Every single step of the event has been marred in some form of controversy ranging from what awards will be shown, who is going to host and if we’ll even get musical performances this year. There’s usually one faux pas from each year from the classic La La Land/Moonlight mix up from two years ago to Jack Nicholson’s reaction to Crash winning Best Picture. Who knows what will go to go down at this year’s broadcast?

Whatever happens this year, one thing is for certain is that a drinking game will make the experience even sweeter. So whether you’ve obsessively followed the nominees or you saw only five movies in a theater as per the national average, the Oscars should be fun for you too!

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Aslin Beer Company | The Implication

The reckoning of New England IPAs is going to come. After years of the milkshake beer being the new kid on the block, trends are slowly switching back to old school pale ales and even hopped lagers. I don’t think the NEIPA will fully go away, but when every brewery jumps on the trend it just loses it’s panache. I thought I had tasted every kind of juice box imaginable … until trying The Implication from Aslin Beer Company.

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PorchDrinking’s Best in Beer 2018 | The Northeast U.S.

Oh sure, people talk about the Pacific Northwest, Denver, California… but what about the Northeast? Our craft scene should never be ignored, and 2018 only further proved that point as breweries continued to impress. The PorchDrinking.com Northeast Team wanted to share a few thoughts about the year in beer, 2018.
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Dissecting Garrett Oliver’s “Beer Expert Guesses Cheap vs Expensive Beer”

If you’ve been paying attention to the Gourmet YouTube scene, many classic publications are rejuvenating themselves through spectacular new digital content series. Bon Appétit has been pushing forward with glorious junk food recreations in “Gourmet Makes” and fermentation experimentation in “It’s Alive With Brad.” America’s Test Kitchen has transitioned to online magnificently through highly informative videos on products and cooking techniques. But the series that’s been most interest in terms of flavor analysis is “Price Points” by recipe index Epicurious.

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Brothers Craft Brewing | Blonde Betty Imperial Blonde Ale

Autumn is the season of pies. Whether it’s pumpkin, sweet potato or pecan, we all know the colder months bring forth a nostalgic desire for those traditionally warming, sweet sensations. So when the wave of pumpkin-spiced everything (including beer) takes over, how do you stand out? Brothers Craft Brewery cuts to the core of this dilemma by releasing a specially brewed apple ale, Blonde Betty.

There is no beer scene in the Shenandoah Valley without the influence of Brothers Craft Brewery, formerly known as Three Brothers. These guys have been providing wonderful beers in the Appalachian Mountains since the Virginia beer boom in 2012 by catering to both sides of the craft beer spectrum. They recently won Best in Show at the Virginia Craft Beer Cup for their flagship Lil Hellion; their barrel-aged beers like Resolute and Drunken Mornings are loved by rare beer collectors.

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Mt. Carmel Brewing Company | Coffee Brown

Last Christmas, my extended relatives decided to gift me a few deliveries of The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club. Opening these mail packages felt like a relic of a different era when getting craft beer required more effort and planning. It can be a fun gift to give to the beer fan in your life when they’ve had everything at the supermarket. I’ve received beers from breweries in New York, Pennsylvania, and Iowa that I never heard about before, but the best beer to come from these shipments was Mt. Carmel Brewing Company’s Coffee Brown.
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Homebrewing Recipe | Free From Amber Ale

The number one thing you will learn as a brewer is that there is always room to improve. Even the most professional people in the business know this. The very first beer I ever brewed was an amber ale that somehow surpassed all expectation by getting infected and tasting like sour lemons. There’s no shame in admitting it because everyone has gone through a similar, baffling situation in their first year of brewing.

Thanks to criticism from professional judges, I’ve found out what has been the bane of my brewing existence since I moved to a new apartment. Three of my beers were found to have medicinal off-flavors, resulting in band-aid/astringent tasting bottles. This type of problem can occur due to over-crushing grains or yeast contamination, but I was convinced it was a problem with the water. These reasons are why I constantly advise brewers to learn about the chemicals in your water source (using a system like Ward Lab) or by talking out the issue with other local homebrewers. Using the Brewer’s Friend Water Chemistry Calculator is a good way to figure out what needs to be added to accommodate your beer recipe.

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Beer Cocktail Recipe | Chaucer’s Braggot Cocktail IPA Challenge

Everyone has a favorite cocktail. Not just from the base recipe or primary ingredient, but it isn’t your cocktail unless it’s made with your favorite brand. So when you jump from the 10 major brands of whiskey to the hundreds of available pale ales in your state, the search becomes a massive task. That’s where I’ve taken the steps to help narrow down the best Braggot Cocktail that will get you started on the road to personal perfection.

A braggot is technically defined as a beer mixed with mead; however, the beverage can exist through traditionally brewed recipes. The Beer Judge Certification Program would list it as an Alternative Sugar Beer (31B) where honey is used as the primary ingredient. They can vary wildly in terms of flavor, weight and sweetness. You would think this style would appear more often in our age of experimentation, but finding a commercially available braggot has been very difficult lately.

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Ultimate 6er | Steven Universe

There’s nothing quite as special in the world of animation as Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe. Rebecca Sugar created this pastel wonderland out of her love of classic anime, space opera, and enchanting melody. The result of her hard work is not only one of the best cartoons of this decade but an incredible examination of sci-fi-infused LGBTQ discovery.

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Homebrewing Recipe | The Homebrewer’s Spice Rack (Inspired by Scratch Brewing)

The adventurous spirit of the brewer gives life to the craft beer industry. From humble beginnings creating experimental homebrews to large scale operations, the way styles and ingredients revolutionize our palates is nothing short of incredible. That’s what gave me a real appreciation for Scratch Brewing Company whose philosophy of forage-to-keg brewing really tests what beer is capable of. I had to own their book “The Homebrewer’s Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to Making Your Own Beer From Scratch” after our fellow PorchDrinking writer David Nilsen covered it in loving detail.

(Read: Book Review & Interview | The Homebrewer’s Almanac)

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Ultimate 6er | “So Bad, It’s Good” Movies

Have you ever watched a movie that made you go “I wish I could watch this again, but while drinking with my friends?” Then this is the Ultimate 6er for you! Enjoying a movie that falls in this sweet spot is just as important as finding any unearthed gem. There is no better way to experience these forms of unbridled enthusiasm than without any limits. So that’s why I’ve compiled the best pairings of the best beers to have with movies beyond regular enjoyment.
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Ultimate 6er | The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

“He made me feel warm like glitter was exploding inside me”

These words are from the first episode of CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and I have felt that way ever since. When the show first came out, everyone (myself included) rolled his or her eyes just because the title evokes that same type of romantic drama we know too well. I couldn’t be more wrong; Rachel Bloom’s comedy-musical series was one of the most original, introspective takes on will they-won’t they wacky love featuring great commentary on mental illness. Along with the witty writing, you get high quality, hilarious songs that riff on every genre like the Marilyn Monroe inspired “The Math of Love Triangles” and the best pop-punk song since 2009, “Ping Pong Girl.” Read More

The Veil Brewing Company | Coconut Hornswoggler

The Veil Brewing Company’s is still gathering long lines of dedicated fans from across the United States for their phenomenal beers. Yet, what I really appreciate about them is that even though they are considered one of the best breweries in Virginia; they do not rest on their laurels. They are willing to alter a perfect recipe just to give drinkers a new flavor experience. Hornswoggler has worked as the great canvas to show off their brewing skills by using difficult ingredients beyond what anyone could have believed.
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Ultimate 6er | More Netflix Original Programming

Netflix has become the new home for incredible original content spending six billion dollars for this year alone. As more people are ditching cable for the comfort of streaming, we expect to see shows that can do great things without corporate oversight. Last year, I talked about the best pairings with this company’s more publicly renowned shows, but this time we’ll point out the newer, more innovative series around!

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Homebrewing Recipe | Top of the Morning Cream Ale

Homebrewers are driven by the desire to make new recipes. Usually when we recreate an old recipe, we try to improve on past mistakes or change ingredients to make a better product. This is the one beer recipe I’ve made more than once thanks to it’s quality. I present to you my award-winning Top of the Morning Cream Ale!
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BREAKING | Sapporo Purchases Anchor Brewing Company

Sapporo Holdings Ltd, owners of the oldest beer brand in Japan, have announced they will purchase all equity interest of San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company on August 31, 2017 for $85 Million. The Sapporo Group’s decision to buy Anchor is based on a new “Global Business Expansion” policy to continue growth in the US and Southeast Asian markets. This is the second brewery acquired by Sapporo since the $400 million deal for Canada’s Sleeman Breweries in 2006.

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Smartmouth Brewing Co. | Safety Dance Pilsner

I have known about Smartmouth Brewing Company for a few years now, loving their Alter Ego Saison and enjoying the brewery’s delightful detailed scientific labels that adorn its year-round brews. The first time I had heard of Safety Dance Pilsner, the beer appeared as the Best in Show Winner for the 2017 Virginia Craft Beer Cup. So when I saw these cans in my local bottle shop, I knew I had to pick some up for these muggy, summer days.

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