Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Siberian Night

F.G = 5.5°P, O.G. = 22°P

IBU’s = 58, 10.9% alc./vol.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company out of Akron, Ohio recently released two barrel-aged beers that have previously been draft only, these beers being Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wulver and Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Siberian Night. Of course, I had to review my favorite style first. Bring on the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout!
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Abita Brewing Company – Lemon Wheat Beer

ABV: 4.4%

IBU: 18

Calling all summer bunnies to check out Abita Brewing Company’s Lemon Wheat beer. This delightfully refreshing beer is going to be a beer you can fall back when you are in a rush to get to the park to waste an afternoon playing scrabble in the park, preferably with a view of some body of water. You can just grab it without thinking and have a nice, reliable picnic beer. Read More

Green Flash Brewing Co. | Palate Wrecker

While I must admit that I am not the type to usually fall for big names that make large boasts, especially when it comes to hops and bitterness, breweries like Green Flash are the exception. Hailing from southern California in San Diego, hop heads all over recognize the great quality and diversity of IPA in their regular rotation. For today’s showcase, I hoppily introduce Palate Wrecker….and it is no misnomer. Read More

Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale

10.2% ABV

Pale ales, wheat beers, IPAs, pilsners, kolsches, lagers, everybody can’t wait to get their summer on. Give me something light, give me something easy to drink, give me something refreshing. No. With a picturesque wintry Michigan day gracing the label, I grabbed a hanger-on from those lost days of winter, and I can’t believe that this one hung around this long (as it is usually a winter/spring beer). Not on the hottest of days, but on a rainy weekend day or a mild summer night with a fire blazing in the outdoor pit, I often look to the things that comforted me back when seasonal depression had me in its menacing grip. However, they say that Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale ages well and never goes bad, so a few months later than usual may have made it all the better. Read More

Flying Dog – Single Hop Series: Citra

Flying Dog – Single Hop Series: Citra

ABV: 10%

IBU: 70

One of the best places to enjoy fun new brews in Washington, DC is Pizzeria Paradiso. This week, I … Read More

Stevens Point Brewery’s Whole Hog Limited Six Hop IPA

Stevens Point Brewery Whole Hog (Limited) Six Hop IPA 8.5% ABV, 87 IBU

The thing I enjoy most about writing beer reviews is doing some homework on the brewery itself. … Read More

Jack’s Abby Brewing | Leisure Time Lager

By the time this weekend comes around I will have written close to 5,000 words on beer, interviewed the head of the “best brewery in the world” ^[1], driven over 500 miles visiting breweries, and taken more pictures of pints than I care to admit. I love doing this, but even the best things can be exhausting, especially since those numbers only scratch the surface of how much thought I try to put into every post and that is not easily quantifiable. Yes, it’s beer and beer is great, but it’s also writing and writing is hard. At the end of the “day,” which seldom is only 24 hours, my brain needs a quick reboot. After years of highly scientific research, I’ve come up with the perfect reset button: a good, long run and a bottle of the adequately named Jack’s Abby’s Leisure Time Lager.

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Madtree Brewing Company – Psychopathy

ABV: 6.9%

I went to Jungle Jim’s today hoping to find my beloved Jackie O’s, but alas, their cans weren’t there. I did however stumble upon a brew from right here in Cincinnati, Madtree Brewing Company’s Psychopathy India Pale Ale. Read More

Great River Brewery – Dirty Blonde

I went to the Burning Can Festival (not to be confused with Burning Man) in Lyons, Colorado last weekend. For those who aren’t familiar, this is a full-day event with a 5K run in the morning so you don’t feel guilty about developing a large beer belly by nighttime. The rest of the day is spent … you guessed it … consuming beer. The festival features beer tasters from more than 30 breweries all across the US.

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Stoudt’s Brewing – American Pale Ale

It’s getting close to that time of year: Independence Day.  Last year, we posted a few suggestions for your most patriotic beers, and as that time of year rolls around again, here’s a nicely balanced, classic American Pale Ale to swig down under the fireworks.

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Lagunitas Brewing Company – Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

ABV: 9.6%

Today PorchDrinkers, we are showcasing Lagunitas’ Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale. Okay, go back and reread the name of the beer again, but this time hear it in the voice of the guy who does the voice-overs for all the summer blockbusters. (pausing for you to reread) Yeah, there you go. Now we are on the same page.

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Golden Road Brewing | Point the Way IPA

ABV: 5.9% | IBU: 60

I have seen the light on IPA, thanks to Golden Road’s Point the Way IPA. “That stuff is [expletive] incredible,” someone told me recently. Quite a recommendation. As positive as that review is, I feared I might not feel the same way—I usually prefer mellow ambers to hoppy IPAs; I was wrong. I visited the Golden Road Brewery location here in Glendale, CA recently, and I loved their Point the Way IPA. To borrow a phrase, it’s [expletive] incredible. Read More

Great Lakes Brewing – Lake Erie Monster

As long as there have been people living around bodies of water, there have been stories about what lives in the deep recesses of each murky abyss. From Krakens of Greek mythology to the river monsters of the Amazon, to the Crocosaurus of the Sci Fi Channel to the infamous Nessie of Scotland’s Loch Ness, the lore surrounding mythical sea monsters swirls in all corners of the globe and throughout time. The northern Midwest is not excluded from this pantheon of time and geography as Lake Erie’s Bessie (sometimes known as “South Bay Bessie”) has graced this fourth largest of the Great Lakes since its first recorded sighting in 1817. Great Lakes Brewing’s summer seasonal Lake Erie Monster pays homage to the beast with a double IPA that (at 9.1% ABV) will have you telling tales in no time. Read More

Ska Brewing Mexican Logger

It’s summer. I love big, gigantic barrel-aged beers as much as the next bloke but it’s time to put those beasts into hibernation. It’s time to drink refreshing brews made for summer. I know a few other folks that would vouch that Ska Brewing Mexican Logger may be THE go to brew for summer. Plus, there is a zapata-esque dude wielding a chainsaw on the can. EPIC!

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Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. – Kentucky IPA

Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. – Kentucky IPA

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 70 (I couldn’t actually find a reliable source for this, so I ball parked.)

Alltech is responsible for quite a bit of growth in Central Kentucky, not to mention the first contributor to the advent of the Lexington, Kentucky craft beer spring. For years, there were very few local craft brews available in Central Kentucky. Alltech seized this opportunity and in 1999 released what is now a staple across the state: Kentucky Ale. Soon the brewery released yet another delicious creation: Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. This beer combined the signature Kentucky Ale with the flavor of Kentucky Bourbon (by aging for 6 weeks in bourbon barrels), yielding a delicious, slightly sweet, and highly potent brew (about 9% abv).

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Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero

Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero Mexican Style Chocolate Stout

9% ABV

Hola Clown Shoes, welcome to Colorado.  The brewery itself is an enigma, based out of Massachusetts, brewed out of Mercury … Read More

Getting a Woody – Cascade Brewing The Vine

Background

Cascade Brewing The Vine Style: American Wild Ale ABV: 9.73%

Welcome  and prepare to get a woody. This installment of Getting a Woody we will look at Cascade Brewing … Read More

Blue Moon Brewing Company – Agave Nectar Ale

ABV: 5.6%

IBUs: 14

I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of Blue Moon, but the last time I was at the store I saw their new summer seasonal, Agave Nectar Ale. I originally didn’t pick it up because I’ve tried agave beer before, but I just couldn’t get it off my mind. So today when I went to the grocery I decided to give it a go. Read More

Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project: Hop Savant

Hop Savant

Crooked Stave Brewery, Denver, CO

ABV 6.7%

Hoppy beers have been a bit of a target recently. A widely shared article recently stated, “Hop enthusiasts are ruining craft beer.” This is hyperbole to be sure, but it’s still a fairly predictable backlash. Double and triple IPAs are now quite common at most breweries, and some are an absolute assault on the taste buds. Even regular IPAs can go a bit over the top from time to time. And so it’s understandable that people may be a bit hesitant to, at least for the moment, purchase a beer that even has “Hop” in the name. Read More

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery: Hoppin’ to Heaven IPA

Once upon a time the city of Akron, Oh was a flourishing place full of promises and opportunities.  Yes, looking at the grey, desolate, nearly abandoned ghost town that remains today, it is quite hard to believe.  However, not so many years ago, Akron was crowned the “Rubber Capitol” of the world.  Companies like Good Year and Firestone called this place their home and exported more tires than any other place in the universe, and in turn, provided the city with plentiful employment.  But, unfortunately those years have passed, and it seems Akron is more famous for what has left it behind than for what is still there (yeah, that’s a Lebron reference and yeah, I’m still bitter). Read More