Beer Showcases
PD’s own dissect beer. Leave the pretentiousness on the curb.
Official Beer of Seattle Beer Week: Aslan Brewing Co. | Washington Gold Pils
May 8, 2019 | Katelyn Pelak
Seattlites have tolerated a lot of Mother Nature this year. We endured the snowiest February ever recorded followed by the hottest winter day ever recorded. Then April gave us the longest rain streak we’ve ever seen. Thankfully, the month of May is here to bring us relief in the form of Seattle Beer Week! The event, now in its eleventh year, was created to celebrate and showcase the close, collaborative beer community of the Northwest. This year’s Seattle Beer Week runs from May 9-19 and features hundreds of events across the city of Seattle and beyond, including camel visits, Battle of the Beer Bands, and dozens of beer dinners and tasting events. Read More
Sonder Brewing | Kato Coffee Kolsch
May 7, 2019 | Craft Beer Joe
Storytelling is nearly as prevalent in craft beer as hops. Ok, that may be a stretch but there’s no denying the importance of storytelling in the beer industry. A brewery’s narrative connects its mission and beer to its customers and community. Sonder Brewing, a young brewery located just north of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, has fully embraced the value of a good story in every aspect of its business.
Santa Fe Brewing Co. | Pepe Loco
May 6, 2019 | Holly Priestley
Nobody really knows where Pepe came from, but legend has it he was born in the back of a dingy bar. As the story goes, his first drink was tequila. There are rumors his father was a traveling luchador and accidentally left him behind after one of his matches. A pack of coyotes found him and raised him as their own. Surely, you’ll hear a hundred more stories about his origins but one thing is clear: Wherever Pepe Loco came from, El Campeón is here to defend good taste, wear tight pants and give you a victory dance.
4 Noses Brewing Company | ‘Bout Effin’ Time
May 3, 2019 | Seth Garland
So many apostrophes. With all the hub-bubbin’ about 4 Noses new Boulder taproom and sour barrel-aging facility, one of the Broomfield-based brewery’s newest creations might have been a bit lost in in the shuffle.
‘Bout Effin’ Time is 4 Noses‘ first Imperial IPA, released at the end of March this year. For those who love hops and would enjoy a callback to the pre-sour-crazy days of hoppy beer’s heydey, this is a can to try and get your nose in.
RoHa Brewing Project | Shambo Juicy IPA
May 2, 2019 | Tim Haran
Puns and wordplay are all but de rigueur when it comes to naming craft beers these days. For RoHa Brewing Project, a beer named Shambo seemed so obvious; yet perhaps a little too clever.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. | Big Shark Grapefruit Radler
May 1, 2019 | Jordan Palmer
The legend of the radler dates back nearly a century to post World War I Germany, when an innkeeper named Franz Xaver Kugler, opened a tavern and tried to capitalize on the newest craze of bicycling by working to have a bike path built right to his establishment.
On the day that thousands of bicyclists showed up demanding a beer, Kugler realized he would not have enough. He quickly remembered a stash of lemon soda he had, cut it 50/50 with his beer supply, and ultimately saved the day and gave birth to a legend.
FlyteCo Brewing | RWY 5 Pale Ale
April 30, 2019 | Holly Priestley
FlyteCo Brewing is a new aviation-themed brewery located in the Berkeley neighborhood of Denver and their reputation is taking off. Although they only opened their doors on March 9, their tasting room has been consistently packed with happy beer drinkers. It’s no surprise why they’re so popular: Every beer has been delicious, the space is unique with plenty of seating and it’s staffed with knowledgeable beertenders.
Grateful Gnome Brewery | Prickle Me Pink
April 29, 2019 | Katie de la Rosa
There are two facts to know about Bess Dougherty, the head brewer and barrel troll for Grateful Gnome Brewery and Sandwich Shoppe in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood: She doesn’t spend any time trying to create unique names for her beers, and she’s passionate about the friendly community within the craft beer industry.
Brewery Bhavana | Patina Gold #1
April 26, 2019 | Christopher Hilliard
Regret is hard to live with, especially when that thing was right in front of you. My story begins at Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh. My wife and I attended one of their private parties where they served up some of their signature dishes and drinks. Edamame and ginger dumplings, pork and mushroom bao, an open bar featuring many of their core brews and if that weren’t enough, at either end of the room they popped bottles of barrel-aged beauties. To try it all, you either had to be super lucky or a pushy jerk. For better or worse, I was neither. So, I missed out on a beer that I thought would be gone forever: Patina Gold #1, a peach and apricot sour aged for four months in a Cabernet foeder.
Fortunately, Bhavana had the good sense to produce more. Even more fortunately, I found a bottle of Patina Gold sitting in the dusty back room of Chapel Hill’s Bottle Rev. Given the price ($14 a bottle), I had to think twice about buying it, but only twice. The regret from earlier, missed opportunity was gnawing at me.
Be Easy Brewing | Dosayusa IPA
April 25, 2019 | Asa Stone
On the northern tip of the Japanese Honshu Island, there is a region where a notoriously distinct Tsugaru dialect is spoken. Be Easy Brewing is located in the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture, and the brewery is as captivating as the beauty of Aomori.
Real Ale Brewing Company | Wallball IPL
April 24, 2019 | Dustin Wenger
On a Saturday night not too long ago, a hell of a storm blew through San Antonio. Overnight rains are certainly welcome to the area, considering the region’s aquifer-based water supply is highly dependent on the spring rainfall. What wasn’t so welcome, however, was the wind that accompanied the storm. With gusts between 30 and 50 mph, it was strong enough to topple over a section of my fence, adding a totally unexpected chore to my weekend to-do list.
Springdale | Art Dekkera
April 23, 2019 | Zach Benard
As a beer drinker, you’re familiar with wild ales. You’re familiar with saisons, too. But wild American saison may be new territory for you. For those unfamiliar to the term, it’s open to a lot of interpretation. This is where Art Dekkera from Springdale comes in. Springdale, an experimental offshoot of Jack’s Abby Brewing in Framingham, MA, is known for its wide variety of beers that range from IPAs to sours. So when they announced a new wild American saison, the style certainly sounded like a beer they would brew.
Urban Chestnut to release new Maibock to support Earth Day
April 22, 2019 | Jordan Palmer
One of the more refreshing aspects of the craft beer world is the sheer number of breweries that use their knowledge, time and product to better their own local communities.
Last year, one such brewery took it upon themselves to begin the conversation of sustainability by hosting a conference at their brewery. There, they discussed sustainable brewing practices and the increasing impact of climate change on the quality and availability of ingredients needed to brew beer.
At the end of the conference, a “Declaration of Sustainability” was signed by all participating breweries and the St. Louis Brewers Guild. They also called upon many local communities, businesses and policymakers to take action in both promoting sustainability and reducing climate change.
“Sustainability may sound like a buzzword, but it really is a critical element for those of us involved in brewing beer,” says Alvan Caby, Sustainability Coordinator at Urban Chestnut. “We work with farmers and utilize natural ingredients, so we feel that doing whatever we can to employ sustainable practices is important to the existence of our industry.”
(Farewell to) Horny Goat Brewing | Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Porter
April 19, 2019 | Bryan Oldham 4
Supposedly, we are entering the warmer months of the year. Colorado seems to have forgotten that, as we have been getting cold weather, overcast skies and some last minute snowstorms, which calls for a dark beer to help you batten down the hatches.
As I perused a local liquor store for something malty and roasted, I noticed a striking can design. Black, with a five-word beer title and a regal-looking insignia. Horny Goat Brewing Company’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Porter clocks in at a no-nonsense 8.5% ABV, a perfect level when trying to fight the latest installment in 2019’s Bomb Cyclones.
Brewery Showcase | Wolfden Brewing in Suburban Chicago
April 18, 2019 | Mathew Powers
Creativity breeds creativity, so it’s no wonder that Katie and Krys Wolf, with their pension for design and art, have turned an 1850s home into a profoundly unique craft brewery — Wolfden Brewing. The exterior is that of a spacious, suburban home while the inside reminds one of a lodge one enters in Wisconsin or the mountains of Wyoming — with plenty of beer, to boot.
“We wanted it to feel like home, or like a vacation getaway spot,” explained Katie Wolf.
Ratio Beerworks | Antidote IPA
April 18, 2019 | Rachel Morrison
Antidotally, Ratio Beerworks was easily mentioned more times than any other Denver brewery as one that I needed to check out during my trip. I recently started a new job that will be sending me out to Denver quite a bit, and while I love traveling to new cities, I don’t think I could be luckier. Added bonus? The craft brewery scene in Denver, CO is insane!
Short’s Brewing Company | Barney Blood
April 17, 2019 | Jack Raymond
Who would have thought, underneath all that foam, Barney really is like you and me—filled with blood. If his really tastes this good, somebody get an IV drip funneled into my mouth, stat.
Barney Blood isn’t Short’s Brewing Company’s first stab at pairing whimsy with the macabre. Look to the Thirstie Mutilator for that, its label featuring a unicorn wielding chainsaws for hooves, and yet, the concept here makes even more sense. If you processed Barney through an industrial blender, I bet this is what you’d get. Don’t worry though, Short’s assures no dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this beer. Read More
Urban Roots Brewing & Smokehouse | Tomorrows Verse
April 16, 2019 | Danielle Engel
Spring is upon us! The sun is peeking through, trees are sprouting leaves, flowers are blooming and drinking outside has once again become a pleasant possibility. There is something about seeing the first blossoms of warmth makes us crave a saison—more than usual, of course.
Sacramento, CA-based Urban Roots Brewing & Smokehouse has made quite a name for themselves since they opened to the public in May 2018, becoming known not only for creating award-winning beers but also for their succulent Texas-inspired, California-influenced BBQ. Read More
Track 7 Brewing | Rule G
April 15, 2019 | Zach Clevenger 1
Track 7 Brewing, located in Sacramento, CA, has been producing a wide range of killer craft beers since they opened in 2011. For those who don’t know, the name Track 7 was selected due to the brewery’s proximity to the old Western Pacific railroad tracks, west of Curtis Park, as a nod to the integral role the railroad has played in the city’s rich history. One thing that keeps Track 7 relevant, aside from quality, is their ambition to try new styles and work with flavors that you don’t often see from other breweries. Track 7 typically releases two cans every weekend so there is no shortage of new things to try.
Hold My Crown | 10 Variant Release of a Suburban-Chicago Pink Boots Collaboration
April 12, 2019 | Mathew Powers
The Women of Suburban Chicago, who took part in the Pink Boots Live Brew Day at Skeleton Key Brewing for International Women’s Day in March, had one thing in mind: make good beer. The brewers and brewery professionals, who happened to be women, came together to do what all beer fans love: transform yeast, malt, hops and water into a wonderful, fermented beverage. As a byproduct of brewing in the Pink Boots’ event, the women did accomplish one extra item: they demonstrated (again) that brewing prowess has zero to do with gender. Any doubt that women can brew was immediately stripped away when patrons enjoyed the nine varieties (of the 10 made) of Hold My Crown Rustic Lithuanian Pale Ale, released April 5 at Iron & Glass bottle shop. From base beer to Kombucha, the variants proved to not only be delicious, but a geeky exploration of flavor combinations.
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