Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image Image
Scroll to top

Top

About- Tristan Chan

Tristan Chan

Tristan Chan

Tristan is a craft beer fanatic who originally hails from Kentucky, which used to be a veritable wasteland for craft beer. Since moving to Colorado, he discovered a passion for hops, malts, brett strains, tinctures, nitros, and all things craft brew. He created this blog as a means for his friends across the country to a virtual porch drink and he hopes that you’ll join the revolution.

Posts By Tristan Chan

Wynkoop Brewing Adds Foeders to Ever-Growing Barrel-Aging Program

July 10, 2018 |

Sometimes in order to take two steps forward, you’ve got to take one giant leap back. Such was the case two years ago when Wynkoop Brewing made the difficult decision to end the packaging and distribution of its beers to outside bars, restaurants and liquor stores. However, the decision to shift focus solely toward on-premise sales has also allowed the Wynkoop team to re-invest in innovation and grow a stronger overall beer program.

Read More

Avery Brewing 25th Anniversary Pour List Captures Avery Old & New

July 6, 2018 |

Allow me to doff my journalist cap for a moment because as important as it is to report on this industry without bias or influence, it’s just as important occasionally to share a few stories and remember that we’re still just writing about beer.

Read More

Inaugural WeldWerks Invitational Joins Country’s Elite Beer Festival Experiences

June 25, 2018 |

My eyes have seen the glory and I have tasted the nectar of the gods. Sidebar, if you’ve consistently read my posts through the years, you’ll know that I have a tendency to deal in hyperbole when it comes to great beer. That said, all exaggeration aside, this weekend’s inaugural WeldWerks Invitational Festival was the complete package and contends for the title of the best new beer festival in the country.

Read More

PorchDrinking & Denver Media Share Their Picks for The WeldWerks Invitational

June 22, 2018 |

When it comes to a festival that boasts a tap list so completely stacked from top to bottom, it’s important to arrive with a game plan. While most of tomorrow’s attendees are seasoned experts and have likely already scouted their own routes, we thought we’d reach out to a few beer media folk, as well as our own staff, to get a sense of their game plan for tomorrow’s fest.

Read More

2018 Denver Rare Beer Tasting Announces Initial Brewery List, Tickets On-Sale Sunday

June 15, 2018 |

As we’ve articulated a few times, GABF week’s multitude of events have lately grown to the point of overshadowing the event itself. And while many of these periphery activities … Read More

Perfect Storm of Beer Events Align, Denver Livers Stand Zero Chance

June 14, 2018 |

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of a nearly 3 million livers unilaterally crying out in agony. They know they stand zero chance of survival. Yesterday, Shelton Brother, one … Read More

Stem Ciders | Hibiscus Session Apple Cider

June 14, 2018 |

Summer has finally arrived and it’s hot out. Unbearably hot. The kind of hot where suburbanites start doing silly things like frying eggs on the sidewalk. But yet the onset … Read More

2018 GABF Tickets On Sale Dates Announced

June 13, 2018 |

Mark your calendars folks! Tickets for the 2018 Great American Beer Festival  will go on sale to AHA Members on July 31 and to the general public on August 1. As … Read More

Avanti F&B to Host Telluride Brewing’s Greensky Lager Denver Release

June 12, 2018 |

It’s no secret that beer and music go hand-in-hand. In Colorado alone, breweries distinguish themselves by the music played in their taprooms, from metal at TRVE and Black Sky, punk rock at Ratio and Big Choice, jazz at Spangalang, rock at Black Shirt and bluegrass at just about every other brewery in the state… only slightly kidding. That said, when your town plays host to one of the most historic Bluegrass festivals in the nation, you’re bound to have a deeper connection to pickin’ and grinnin’ music.

Telluride Brewing which first partnered with Greensky Bluegrass in 2014 will be kicking off their Denver launch of Greensky Lager on Tuesday, June 19 from 5-7 p.m. at Avanti’s outdoor patio Wolf Bar. Greensky Lager is a crispy sessionable Lager with mild notes of Mosaic hops weighing in at an easy 5.2%, with a delicious Mosaic hop backbone. Read More

Inaugural Avery Invitational Impresses with Something for Everyone

June 11, 2018 |

For a storied brewery so rooted in tradition, it can be difficult to deviate from familiarity. Such was the case when Avery Brewing Company announced that they would replace their wildly popular Strong Ale and Sour Fests with a new event concept. The Avery team recognized that in craft beer’s ever-evolving landscape, that change is necessary to stay ahead of the curve. It was with this impetus that this historic Boulder-based brewery introduced a fresh new festival, with the intent on maintaining elite level beer enjoyed without pretense or circumstance,  while taking great consideration into the entire festival-goers experience, enter The Avery Invitational.

Read More

WeldWerks Invitational Releases Second Round of Pour List… Have Mercy

June 6, 2018 | 1

For anyone contemplating the perfect formula for throwing a successful beer fest and attracting elite level talent, we’ve figured it out. Start a well-respected brewery that produces phenomenal beer and then host an invitational. We’ve seen the pour list for this weekend’s sold out Avery Invitational, and this weekend’s attendees won’t be disappointed. Now we’ve also gotten a preview of the absolute heat being unleashed in two and a half weeks at the WeldWerks Invitational, and in the words of the immortal Uncle Jesse, “Have Mercy!”

Read More

Lakewood’s Caution Brewing Announces Closure at the End of June

June 4, 2018 | 5

While we’re only six months into the year, 2018 has been a rough one for Colorado’s craft beer landscape. According to research from Stephen Adams, Colorado Beer Geek, this year, the state of Colorado has seen nine closures including Crazy Mountain Brewing’s Edwards location, Powder Keg Brewing, Dodgeton Creek Brewing (temporary), Vindication Brewing, Beryl’s Beer Co., Great Storm Brewing, Revolution Brewing (which plans to re-open under a new owner and name), FanDraught Sports Brewery and Nighthawk Brewery, and sadly we’re now hearing of a 10th.

Read More

Westbound & Down Brewing Plans Growth Around Experimental Program

June 4, 2018 |

Like many Coloradans who have traversed the winding I70 highway toward Summit County, you’ve probably at some point noticed the word BREWERY painted in big bold letters along the side of a building in the thoroughfare town of Idaho Springs. For those who keep up with the ever-evolving Colorado craft beer landscape, this mountain town spot has become a familiar requisite stop for those who appreciate well-crafted traditional styles paired with great eats. But what most don’t realize is that Westbound & Down Brewing has been quietly preparing to join Colorado’s storied lineup of esteemed sour producers.
Read More

Avery Invitational Pour List & How to Win A Pair of Tickets

May 25, 2018 |

In craft beer, the old adage of “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” doesn’t necessarily apply. Even the most successful breweries and industry events must continue to innovate in this most competitive and fast-evolving landscape.

Read More

Living the Dream Brewing Teams Up with Alamo Drafthouse on Pathfinder IPA

May 24, 2018 |

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Alamo Drafthouse

Since they first opened their doors in Austin, TX, our good friends at Alamo Drafthouse have been pioneers in allowing movie-goers to order elite level craft beer options while enjoying the silver screen.

Read More

The PorchCast | Ep 51 Strange Craft Beer’s 8th Anniversary

May 16, 2018 |

In episode 51 of the PorchCast we were treated with a full crew of co-hosts, including Tristan, Hunter, Sam and Sami! The gang spoke with Tim Myers, founder of Strange Craft Beer to talk about the brewery’s upcoming anniversary weekend, but also touched on a recap of Nashville and the Craft Brewers Conference as a whole. The team also got real with a discussion on the meaning of independence in craft beer, the difference between Anheuser-Busch and Coors, Avery, Ballast Point and Founders, and why craft beer should be more inclusive and educational versus combative.

Read More

La Folie Returns to Cork & Cage for 20th Anniversary of New Belgium’s Wood-Aged Sour Program

May 14, 2018 |

How does one properly pay homage to the predecessor that launched an entire movement? By returning to the basics. La Folie, New Belgium Brewing’s Sour Brown blend, was the country’s first commercially produced sour developed by Peter Bouckaert in 1999, and still features the oldest continuous souring culture in America. It has since gone on to earn multiple awards at the Great American Beer Festival and more importantly, inspired thousands of American brewers and beer drinkers to embrace barrel-aged mixed culture sour beers.

Read More

Recapping Glass Packaging Innovation in Craft Beer

May 4, 2018 |

This is a sponsored post by the Glass Packaging Institute

Over the past four days, we’ve had the opportunity to connect with brewers, industry professionals, and beer enthusiasts from around … Read More

2018 Craft Brewers Conference External Events Guide

April 30, 2018 |


While the Craft Brewers Conference is an amazing opportunity to gain valuable education from the multitude of sessions and seminars, as brewers 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.

Additionally we will be updating this guide throughout the week, so if we missed an event be sure to shoot us a message.

Read More

Yazoo Funk Fest Redefines the Norms of Traditional Beer Festivals

April 26, 2018 |

Next week, over 14,000 craft beer industry members will descend upon the city of Nashville to attend the Craft Brewers Conference, an industry-facing event comprised of four days of seminars, educational sessions, events and a trade show, culminating with this year’s World Beer Cup awards ceremony. But for a handful of lucky early arrivers, Nashville will also play host to one of the more unique, industry-friendly beer festivals in the form of Yazoo Brewing’s Funk Fest.

Read More