Seedstock Brewery | Polish Gratzer

With a tradition of making classical beers, it’s no surprise that Seedstock Brewery in Denver won its first GABF medal in the Historical Beer category for a Polish Gratzer. Like many central-European beers, the brew has a light body and mild taste but also incorporates the smokiness traditional to the type.

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Fairhope Brewing Co. | Cheap Sunglasses Golden Ale

In 2021, L.A.’s first craft brewery turns 8, and there’s sure to be a Pelican Party like none other! Oh wait — you thought L.A. was Los Angeles? Try the other L.A., more than 2000 miles away from the City of Angels. This L.A. is Lower Alabama, and Fairhope Brewing Company is proud to call itself the region’s first craft brewery.

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Untitled Art | Tropical Smoothie Seltzer

Step into a local bottle shop and pick up a can of fresh fruit smoothie is what the label of Untitled Art Tropical Seltzer Smoothie should say. Instead, the brewery’s bright and cheery can is offset by a white stripe with vivid orange letters screaming SELTZER for all to see. The Waunakee, WI-based brewery collaborated with Stockholm, Sweden-based Omnipollo to create what can only be seen as a marvel of modern brewing.

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4 Noses Brewing Co. | Großer Arber German-Style Dunkel

While Stouts are popular in the winter months, dark Lagers such as Dunkels are easy-drinking, all-day sipping beers that are great to enjoy as well. Ahead of the holiday season, 4 Noses Brewing Co. recently released Großer Arber, a German-style Dunkel. With their Broomfield, CO taproom easily accessible, it was a no brainer to swing by and grab a 4-pack to enjoy over the holidays.

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The History Behind Riot | Revolution Brewing

Good beer tells a story. A brewer could be inspired by a personal experience or possibly by their surroundings. For Riot, it is the latter. The city of Chicago has a dense and complex history. Chicago is known for major historical events such as The Great Chicago Fire, The Columbian Exposition (shout out to the amazing book Devil in the White City), and the Haymarket Affair. But, the story behind this Revolution Brewing beer is hidden in the depths of history.

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Crooked Stave | Scoville Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

In a saturated Denver craft beer market, Crooked Stave has managed to remain a standout brand for a decade. They’ve recently chosen to move out of the River North Art District and return to their brewing roots in the up-and-coming Sunnyside neighborhood with a recently refreshed taproom. They also recently added a satellite location about an hour outside of Denver up the road in Fort Collins.

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Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. | The Promenade IPA

Hutton & Smith, a brewery “fanatically dedicated” to the art of creating craft beer, shows their stuff with this hazy IPA, The Promenade. This beer is juicy, tropical and cloudy with a delicate balance of bitterness – a true hazy treat for any hop lover.

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Strong BA Series | Four Saints Impending Grace

Without question, 2020 has been one of the wildest years in human memory. With world-shaping events happening (it seems) almost every day, and the constant, grating drip of catastrophe from the news, one is always on the lookout for reprieve, for some sort of grace.

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Strong BA Series | Epic Brewing Sextuple Barrel Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout

Some people call this magical time of year the holiday season. People who read this website probably know it more as Stout Season. But at Epic Brewing, it’s Baptist Season. And this year, they went big.

Epic Brewing, originating in Utah, is famous for being the state’s first brewery since prohibition to solely brew beer with a “high” alcohol content. Now, in Utah, that means something different than you’re probably thinking: Back in 2009 when Epic was founded, the Beehive State considered any beer above 4.0% ABV to be a “strong brew” and restricted those sales to state-run liquor stores (they’ve now increased that maximum up to 5.0%, those daredevils). But Epic Brewing didn’t just make strong beer by Utah standards; like most kids with strict parents, they rebelled and started making strong beer. Thus, in 2011, their Big Bad Baptist series was born: A Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with coffee that was such a hit, the brewery turned it into an annual tradition and introduces new variants each year during Baptist Season.

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Sycamore Brewing | F*CK 2020 BUBS Hard Seltzer

We’re all sick of 2020, but Sycamore Brewing is shouting it loud and proud with their newest release. F*CK 2020 BUBS is a 9.2% ABV Hard Seltzer coming in hot to finish 2020 off right.

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Strong BA Series | Foothills Brewing Coffee Infused BA Sexual Chocolate Imperial Stout

In an industry which has been largely built around the search for the new and exciting, it can be refreshing to revisit some of the beers and breweries which blazed the trails for the modern day. Foothills Brewing, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is a perfect example not only of one of these foundational companies, but also of one which has done an amazing job of staying relevant and responsive to the modern craft beer drinker. Perhaps none of their brews illustrates this better than their Coffee Infused Bourbon Barrel-Aged Sexual Chocolate, one of the state’s most anticipated yearly releases.

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Strong BA Series | Bottle Logic Fundamental Observation

We all remember the first time we waited in an exceptionally long line for an exceptionally small pour of a notable beer. On a sunny SoCal day in May 2015, at The Bruery’s 7th Anniversary party, a beer from local upstart Bottle Logic Brewing named Fundamental Observation showed up like Lindsay Lohan as the new queen bee of The Plastics. An explosion of vanilla followed by the soft cuddle of high-end bourbon barrels, this beer was a delicious needle in the four hours of unlimited tastings haystack. With the next public release of this beer came a block-spanning line, providing a delicious 8oz reward for an hour of your time, and the first memory of waiting in extended anticipation for a single draught of excellence. Read More

Barn Town Brewing | Barrel-Aged Yer Killin’ Me S’mores!

The 2020 version of West Des Moines, IA-based Barn Town Brewing’s Yer Killin’ Me S’mores! offers a nostalgic and supportive approach to Stout Season.

This Milk Stout debuted last year as a nod to “The Sandlot.” Founder Pete Faber and his team knew they wanted to create a s’mores stout and they eventually decided to reference an iconic scene from their childhood. Like all beers at Barn Town, the concept, branding and execution balance eccentricity and thoughtfulness in a purposeful way.
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Strong BA Series | Warped Wing Whiskey Rebellion

Warped Wing Brewing Company’s taproom on an uneven brick side street in downtown Dayton, Ohio, is pretty quiet for early December. The hulking, 80-year-old concrete building that once housed the Buckeye Iron & Brassworks foundry is normally humming with beer drinkers, and on the early December Saturday when the brewery’s beloved Whiskey Rebellion bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout is released, the cavernous facility is always packed with celebratory fans. A line begins early that morning waiting for bottle allotments and extends through the cracked cement of the parking lot, past the building, and around the corner of the block.

This year’s release, of course, is different, though the enthusiasm for it is as vibrant as ever.

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FINNEGANS Brew Co. | Rescue + Recharge American Lager

For many, the holidays are about giving back. It’s a time to support those less fortunate or to further a charitable cause. The holidays are also about connecting with your family and sharing your favorite beer. So, what if you could do both? What if you could drink an amazing craft beer and give back? Rescue + Recharge American Lager, a limited release for the holiday season, is this perfect kind of synergy — a partnership between FINNEGANS Brew Co. and Firefighters for Healing to create a great beer and support a wonderful cause.
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Strong BA Series | River North Brewery – Barrel Conspiracy: Mr. Sandman

With an in-state distribution footprint that stretches to every corner of Colorado, Denver’s River North Brewery is a longtime local favorite. Despite its reach, its longevity and its reputation among hardcore craft enthusiasts, River North has still managed to remain somewhat of an underrated contender in the world of barrel-aged beers.

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Strong BA Series | Matchless Brewing Off the Cuff II

Winter, particularly in the middle of a global pandemic, is not the time for light beer. The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and the only beer that will cut it as the winter solstice approaches is something strong, dark, and smooth. Matchless Brewing’s Off the Cuff II Old Ale is worthy of consideration this time of year–it’s a big beer that demands attention.

To create Off the Cuff II, Matchless brewers blended different Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stouts with wine cask-aged Old Ales. Blending beer is both an art and a science; Matchless Brewing excels at both in this beautiful blend of bourbon and fruit that’s perfect for a winter night in.
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Strong BA Series | Fremont Brewing Company B-Bomb Bourbon Barrel Imperial Winter Ale

On these cold winter days, few beers are more ideally suited for the weather than Fremont Brewing Company’s B-Bomb Bourbon Barrel Imperial Winter Ale. A Winter Ale that sees extended time in bourbon barrels, it serves up more than enough alcohol to warm up your insides, while delivering tons of fall spices and vanilla barrel notes. At 13% and coming only in large 750ml bottles, it’s a perfect beer to break out and split with any friends and family you may have in town for the holidays. Read More

Strong BA Series | Birds Fly South Ale Project: Empress Rising Red Wine Imperial Stout

It’s that time of year again: a time of great anticipation… Stout Season. In accordance, we’ve found a beer for the bold stout lover, Empress Rising: Red Wine Barrel Aged Imperial Stout by Birds Fly South Ale Project.

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Court Shoes Only | A Double IPA Benefiting ACEing Autism

Residents of Charlotte, North Carolina look forward to Queen City Brewers Festival every February. But given all that 2020 has brought us, the 2021 Queen City Brewers Festival will be in the format of a collective beer initiative: Court Shoes Only.

2021 would have been a milestone 10th year of Queen City Brewers Festival (QCBF). Each February the city gathers to sample beers from breweries across the city and region while benefiting a good cause. The proceeds of the festival and raffle historically have always gone to ACEing Autism. This is a nonprofit whose mission it is to serve children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through unique tennis programs.

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