Beer Showcases
PD’s own dissect beer. Leave the pretentiousness on the curb.
2nd Shift Brewing Company | Katy
January 2, 2019 | Jordan Palmer
Katy was the beer that introduced me to 2nd Shift Brewing Company, back in late 2013, when they were based in New Haven, Missouri. Their reputation proceeded them, as I had been looking to try their beers in St. Louis, but had no luck until I found Katy at a house beer tasting event for Pedal The Cause.
Untitled Art Brewing Angry Chair Brewing Collaboration | Gas Station Coffee Imperial Stout
December 31, 2018 | Constance Del Rio
It’s the holiday season and everyone is buzzing around trying to find the best beer to share with friends and family. Most of us are also traveling to visit family—which means planes, trains and automobiles (like the movie, but hopefully less crazy). I personally took Amtrak to Grand Junction, Colorado, to visit family and it was great! What I did miss was the gas station coffee during pit stops. Thankfully, I was able to get the flavor without the hectic drive from California to Colorado!
Schlafly Final Ibex Cellar Release of 2018 | Barrel Aged Barleywine
December 28, 2018 | Jordan Palmer
Schlafly is releasing a Barrel Aged Barleywine, the last “From The Ibex Cellar” series of 2018. The Schlafly Ibex Cellar series is one for which I’ve grown antiquated since my first visit to the Ibex Cellar in 2017, located beneath the historic Schlafly taproom in downtown St. Louis with friend and local brewing legend, Stephen Hale.
Maxline Brewing | Spiced Plum Ale
December 27, 2018 | Bryan Oldham
Ah, the holiday season. A time for cheesy movies, eating too many tree-shaped cookies, and imbibing in specialty beers that just fit perfectly with the time of year. Seasonal brews are a staple in nearly any taproom; since the colder months give brewers the inspiration to create warming and holiday dinner inspired drinks.
Maxline Brewing is now one of Fort Collins’ must-drink breweries. They have several awesome seasonal beers on tap, including their fiery Mean Heat Wheat and the childhood-cereal reminiscent Arrez Con Leche. This year, however, Maxline and head brewer Shaun Woodbury added Maxline’s Spiced Plum Ale to the rotation.
Rowley Farmhouse Ales | Chantal
December 24, 2018 | Asa Stone
Santa Fe, New Mexico, was the first capital city in North America. In this historical place with centuries of traditions, there’s a small-scale independent brewery that offers playful twists to classic beer styles. Chantal, their robust French saison, shows this brewery’s passion for brewing.
Deep Wood vs. Bourbon County | Who Won in Chicago?
December 21, 2018 | Mike Zoller
With Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout now fully released and Revolution’s Deep Wood series with one more small release in January, we can take a step back and see how these beers stacked up against one another this year.
In no way am I saying that these are the best and only barrel-aged Stouts coming out of Chicago that we should talk about this season. However, when you have two behemoths like Revolution and Goose Island in one city, it’s hard not to compare them side-by-side with their biggest releases.
Medusa Brewing | Activate!
December 21, 2018 | Anna Dacosta
Coffee is a huge part of my life along with beer, and I am all about having a combination of those two in a beer any day. Medusa Brewing Company has a coffee porter that I am thrilled to tell you about. If I lived closer, this would be a staple in my beer collection. I do not live anywhere near Medusa, but luckily a fellow PorchDrinker got this to me to enjoy in Florida.
Preyer Brewing Co. | Undercurrant
December 20, 2018 | Christopher Hilliard
It’s been a season of surprises in North Carolina. First, we have one of the biggest December snow storms I’ve ever seen. Then, I discover a new brewery — Preyer Brewing — that managed to fly under my radar for the past 3 years.
Moody Tongue | BBA Chocolate Barleywine
December 19, 2018 | Paul Lewis
Given the fact that its buried in snow and doesn’t see the sun for 6 months out of the year, It comes to no surprise the Chicago doesn’t even rank in American’s top 50 fittest cities. But where Chicago lacks in fitness, friendliness, honest politicians, and low taxes, it makes up with its food and beer scene.
Wynwood Brewing | Pop’s Porter
December 18, 2018 | Zach Benard
The Sunshine State is more than 1,000 miles away from me and is experiencing no snow at all (but, is that any surprise?). Meanwhile, the temperature outside my house here in Massachusetts has dropped to the teens. In this totally unfair, location-based insult, what kind of beer will help me endure this unforgiving weather? A porter will do the trick, but it has to be robust, smooth and drinkable. Therefore, Pop’s Porter tops my forecast.
Firestone Walker | Champs de Fraises (2017)
December 14, 2018 | Constance Del Rio
Firestone Walker is known for creating some awesome brews, from the Luponic Distortion IPA series to Velvet Merkin, at their Paso Robles brewery. I feel that their Barrelworks beers can be overlooked at times, like the Champs de Fraises. I will be the first to say it took me a while to get down with wild ales, always thinking they would turn out a funky “gym sock” Belgian nose. Obviously, I had a lot to learn! Nowadays, wild ales are my jam and I seek out the opportunity to try these beauties.
Whitestone Brewery | Melted Snowman
December 13, 2018 | Pam Catoe
Living in Texas, we never really have a traditional fall season, or a normal winter, with temperatures frequently fluctuating 20-30 degrees in a week. So I always mark the start of fall based on the release of the first Oktoberfest brews, and then I wait patiently for the winter warmers to appear to let me know that “winter” is on it’s way. Regardless of the temperatures, nothing says winter and Christmas like a well-spiced winter warmer.
Call to Arms Brewing | Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Tasting
December 12, 2018 | Mathew Powers
The nearly four-year-old Denver brewery, Call to Arms Brewing (CTA), won a 2018 World Cup gold in the Fresh or Wet Hop Ale category for a beer inspired by the crew’s love of Billy Madison with its More Like Bore-O-Phyll. In September, during GABF week, the brewery held its third annual F@#*ing Call to Arms Catalina Wine Mixer! Simply, the brewery deftly intertwines the art of sophisticated beer production with relaxed, easy-going fun. And, the recent release of Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Tasting (RRRGT), a farmhouse ale aged in Chardonnay barrels with Brett Claussennii only further cements that concept; one should not feel compelled to stick out one’s pinky—just kick back and enjoy a beer that’s really, really, ridiculously good.
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Foreign Objects Beer Co. | Mystic Flowers of Perpetual Slumber
December 11, 2018 | Michelle Thomas
On a recent trip to Pittsburgh, I decided to visit a bottle shop to see if there was anything this Florida gal couldn’t get her hands on back home. I was immediately taken by the can artwork by a specific brewery; I knew this beer must be something special.
Special, indeed.
Foreign Objects Beer Company is just over a year old but what they’ve got going on belies their young age. Their beer? Amazing. Information about the brewery? Not much. Their intentionally vague descriptions of beers (Ale with hops? Sure.), their brewery and even their location are hard to find and even harder to pin down. Are they in Pottstown, PA, like their can indicated? Are they in New Paltz, NY, like another website said? Are they gypsy brewers? It’s hard to tell, really.
Wooden Cask | Corruption
December 10, 2018 | Craft Beer Joe 1
When it comes to defining the character of a brewery, there are a lot of decisions to be made, the most important being the type of beer that will be brewed. And Wooden Cask Brewing knew that providing the same modern styles as other breweries wouldn’t make them stand out; it also didn’t represent who they are.
So to gain recognition and embrace their favorite styles, Wooden Cask brews traditional styles that are often overlooked as other breweries are making hazy IPAs and pastry stouts.
Anchor Brewing | Old Foghorn Barleywine
December 7, 2018 | Justin Carter
We’re finally feeling the weather changes here in Northern California. It’s beautiful, and my favorite time of the year. Not only because of the crisp air, but because it’s now barleywine season. Don’t get me wrong, I can drink barleywine anytime of the year; however, it’s difficult to find someone to crush the strong stuff with in the middle of summer.
I attended the 25th annual barleywine festival at Toronado in San Francisco a few weeks ago. 50 taps flowing, sweaty bodies crowding the bar, and the smell of future hangovers filled the room; I was in heaven. Soon I was sampling with other malt enthusiasts. A ton of great and not-so-great examples of the sweet stuff were tried, but one was particularly delightful.
Schlafly Beer | The Variant II Brandy Barrel & Sour Cherry Aged Stout
December 6, 2018 | Mathew Powers
On Saturday, December 8, at 11 a.m., Schlafly Beer will release The Variant II at its taproom in St. Louis and, in limited fashion, to the broader market. The Variant II is a sophisticated blend of two different variations of the base 9.4% Imperial Stout, receiving flavor from barrels that once held brandy (usually made by fermenting wine), as well as with sour cherries. The elegant beer suits anyone seeking to indulge during the holidays, especially those who possess a mutual love of craft beer and mixology.
“Tart cherries are soaked inside a generous stout and aged in brandy barrels—it’s enough to make you skip right to dessert,” explains founding Brewer Stephen Hale. “Imperial is the right word. This rich, creamy, luxurious experience brings a taste of extravagance, sip after sip. All is right with the world.”
La Cabra Brewing | Mosaic Shatter
December 5, 2018 | Kurt Bevilacqua
Along Philadelphia’s Main Line, sits a seven-barrel brewhouse in the suburb of Berwyn, PA. It’s the creation of a once Spanish teacher turned professional brewer. La Cabra Brewing, translated to “the goat” from Spanish, is named appropriately since the brewery shares similar features and traits to the animal. Fun, smart, and persistent are just some of the values both goats and La Cabra embody. And one of the latest releases from the Pennsylvania brewery is an IPA that falls in line with that same philosophy. Read More
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company | Fudgie the Beer
December 4, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Who didn’t have a Fudgie the Whale cake for one of their birthdays while growing up? Thanks to Carvel and Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, the iconic ice cream cake has made its way into a beer.
Sierra Nevada | Beer for Drinking Hoppy Blonde Ale
December 3, 2018 | Paul Lewis
As the craft beer industry continues to evolve and become more complex, Sierra Nevada switched gears and brewed an ale for a different beer lover. For the consumer who’s no connoisseur or who may not even care what the hell a hop even is, there’s Beer for Drinking.
It’s not barrel-aged, dry-hopped or infused. It’s beer. Plain and simple. And for many, that’s all they need.
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