Visual Maps of How American Craft Beer Has Grown Since 1977

Just how many breweries are currently operating in America? Well the answer changes daily, but according to The Brewers Association’s most recent mid-year report, the US was home to 5,301 breweries in operation in 2016, vastly out-pacing the old record of 4,131 breweries that were operating in 1873. In fact there are there are now so many breweries in operation, that the average American can travel within 10 miles or less to reach their nearest craft beer producer.

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Left Hand’s Nitro Fest Brings Elevated Beer Festival Experience (Pour List)

In 2017, beer festivals have become a dime a dozen, but the ability to create a standout, memorable event, either through the curation of an impressive pour list, creating an immersive attendee experience, or bringing on vendors and acts that add some extra star-power, can take the mundane, run-of-the-mill festival to legendary status. Left Hand Brewing is no stranger to pulling out all of the stops when it comes to throwing a beer festival. Whether it involves constructing a three story snowboard ramp in the middle of Longmont, CO, signing national bands such as Reel Big Fish, and Jeff Austin band to perform live, throwing a massive 8-act tribute band showcase, or throwing one of the state’s largest craft beer Oktoberfest celebration, these festivals generally revolve around a uniquely curated beer lineup, big name artists, and creating an experience that attendees won’t soon forget.

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Sierra Nevada Catches Holiday Spirit In Latest Celebration Fresh Hop Video

Believe it or not, now that we’re past Halloween, many folks have already begun trading out their pumpkin spiced lattes for thoughts of turkey time and decking the halls. For the folks at Sierra Nevada, this shift from autumn to winter signals the launch of Celebration, their fresh-hopped winter release. And what better way to get into the holiday spirit, than by paralleling the mountains of bright green hop cones collected during hop harvest season with the playful child-like wonderment of a snow day. Read More

Upslope Brewing Announces 50+ Beers for 9th Anniversary Party Pour List

During recent history it’s become abundantly clear that Upslope Brewing enjoys throwing a big ol birthday bash. As we’ve detailed in years past, the Boulder-based brewery has gained a rabid following for a solid core lineup of traditional styles, but each year, Upslope goes all-out during its anniversary to venture beyond the norm, mixing in experimental styles, unique and inventive firkins as well as a host of vintages they’ve accrued over the years.

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On Tap Credit Union, Not Your Typical Banking Provider

Over the past year PorchDrinking has partnered with On Tap Credit Union as official sponsors of the website. Like some of you, when I was first approached by the folks at On Tap, I was a bit confused as to what banking had to do with beer, and seeing as how we only work with sponsors that are relevant to our industry, it was a legitimate concern. However we quickly realized just how much of an overlap and impact their credit union can have on breweries.

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Founders Officially Announces Re-Release of CBS, Canadian Breakfast Stout

From Utopias to Pliny the Younger, Dark Lord to Bourbon County Rare, Duck Duck Gooze to an unending new wave of glorified rare beers emerging from the likes of Surly, Hill Farmstead, Side Project, Tree House, Trillium, Casey, Toppling Goliath, Fremont, WeldWerks and beyond. In craft beer’s current stage of hype and circumstance it can be difficult transcending the clutter of buzzworthy beers as an established brand. Founders Brewing, who celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year, will do just that on December 1 with the release of Canadian Breakfast Stout, or CBS.

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Parent Company of Harpoon Brewery Acquires Clown Shoes Beer

One of Massachusetts’ oldest commercial breweries has made a leap into the acquisition game today as Harpoon Brewery and UFO beers parent company, Mass Bay Brewing Company has acquired Clown Shoes Beer.

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Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines Announces Massive Brewery List

By now PorchDrinking’s infatuation with the Big Beers Belgians and Barleywines Festival should come as no surprise to our most avid of readers. Over the years we have extolled to great length some of the innumerable characteristics that distinguish Big Beers as one of the industry’s best kept secrets.

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Station 26’s Black Friday Invitational to Showcase Colorado’s Best BA Stouts

What began as a local’s response to one of big beer’s crown jewels, has quickly grown to become a yearly Denver Black Friday tradition. Station 26 Brewing first introduced their Dark Star Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout in November 2014 with a taproom-only release that included a handful of variant spinoffs ranging from Mexican Chocolate to Blueberry, Maple, Cherry Vanilla, Espresso, Salted Caramel and Manhattan just to name a few. This year’s release of Dark Star will take on a much greater endeavor featuring not just Station 26’s beer, but several of Colorado’s most proficient stout producers gathering for Black Friday Invitational.

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Wit’s End Brewing Closing Current Location to Join Strange Craft Beer

It’s been a tumultuous week for the Denver craft beer scene beginning with news that Asheville’s Thirsty Monk has acquired the space currently inhabited by Deep Draft Brewing and that Deep Draft would in turn close. Earlier today the Westword also reported that De Steeg Brewing has been acquired by new ownership, who plans to retool the four year old brewery and add another brand in Blind Faith Brewing focusing on Belgian-styles. However today’s announcement that Wit’s End Brewing will be closing it’s current location and move operations to share brewing and taproom space with Strange Craft Beer at 1330 Zuni Street, signals a more significant shift in the landscape of Denver’s craft beer scene.

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WeldWerks Brewing Announces Plans to Host WeldWerks Invitational Festival

To say that WeldWerks Brewing has had a big year simply would not do enough justice to the meteoric rise experienced by the two and a half year old Greeley, CO-based brewery. Days prior to their statement gold medal victory at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category for Medianoche, that same bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout saw a release along side Medianoche Reserve, a specialty variation of Medianoche aged on toasted coconuts, that sold out of 500 tickets within seconds. This year’s medal is actually the second GABF win for WeldWerks, which earned a silver medal for their Hefeweizen in the American Style Wheat Beer with Yeast category in 2015 as well.

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Avery Brewing Time-Lapse of GABF Booth Setup

For the past three years, Avery Brewing has taken GABF booth displays to the next level. Not only does their’s booth look and feel like you’re in a barrel-aging facility, but the Avery team carts in and stacks filled barrels for timed releases, where attendants actually pull nails in order to pour beer straight from the source.

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What If Craft Beer Actually Purchased Anheuser-Busch

Let’s be real for a second, craft beer isn’t actually about to purchase Anheuser-Busch InBev any time soon. We saw a wide array of responses to yesterday’s Take Craft Back campaign from The Brewers Association, however we thought we’d explore this hypothetical just one step farther. What if craft beer actually purchased Anheuser-Busch? What if this funny little gimmick went viral and got some serious legs behind it? We thought we’d play out that scenario with a few hypothetical results of our own.
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Craft Beer Aims to Take Craft Back from Anheuser-Busch Via Crowdsourcing

OK OK, admittedly this post screams click-bait. And no, craft beer isn’t seriously planning to purchase Anheuser-Busch InBev for $213 billion, however the good-humored folks at CraftBeer.com are having a little fun today with the notion, if you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em, and have announced a crowdfunding campaign and video to buy back Big Beer… because who isn’t CrowdFunding these days? So who’s down to help Take Craft Back?

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The PorchCast | Ep 42 Sam Calagione at Avanti Food & Beverage

Episode 42 of The PorchCast was certainly a special one. Not only did we have the chance to remote broadcast live for the first time from our friends at Avanti Food & Beverage, but we did so while interviewing Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, and one of craft beer’s most recognizable and outspoken advocates.

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Hear from Ryan Wibby, the Brewer Who Proposed On-Stage at GABF

There are iconic moments at GABF, such as last year when Charlie Papazian proceeded to fist-bump himself after being recognized by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper for the 35th Anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival. Papazian would also go on to fist bump the baby of Ryan Skeels of Baere Brewing when they won a bronze medal in the Saison category.

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Previewing Bell’s Brewery’s New Beer Releases Coming in 2018

Every year PorchDrinking becomes the go-to source for the complete round up of beer release calendars from some of the country’s best breweries. This year Bell’s Brewery is on their … Read More

Watch the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer (Official)

Two years ago, our Pop Culture Editor, Drew Troller undertook a most formidable task of blogging about Star Wars every day for eight straight weeks leading up to the release … Read More

2017 Great American Beer Festival Winners & Awards Breakdown

Saturday morning, The Brewers Association, craft beer’s national trade organization, announced this year’s winners for the Great American Beer Festival. This year’s winners showcase a trend that shifted away from familiarity with new names on the rise.

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2017 GABF Fantasy Brewery Draft Picks

This year’s draft was sponsored by First Draft Taproom and Kitchen, located at 1309 26th St, Denver, CO 80205. They are Denver’s Pour Your Own Draft system that allows patrons to pour their own beers which are measured electronically by ounce. You can try a little of everything or pour yourself full pints of the 40 beers they have on draft. It’s like adult fro-yo for beer.

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