How Breweries Are Preparing for 2021 Beer Festivals

After a year that saw virtually no in-person beer festivals, there’s hope that with a vaccine people might once again be able to congregate and drink together in 2021. But early in the year, people are very cautious with any concrete timelines or plans.

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Ultimate 6er | Creative Beer Packaging

Unlike we shouldn’t with books and people, we’ve been conditioned to judge a beer by its cover. Masterfully designed labels on bottles and cans beg us to, influencing trends and enticing buying decisions on their appearance alone.

Breweries know we drink with our eyes first, and they’re playing to it. The visual game of modern beer is level Expert. To cut through the noise in crowded social feeds, it has to be. The professionals crafting it are deliberate. Those marketing it are intentional. These industry tastemakers have us where they want us, and we can’t swipe right fast enough when a beer wrapped in a slick matte finish with foil accents catches our attention.

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A California Craft Beer Veteran Retires

If asked about the most influential people in California’s craft beer history, names like Fritz Maytag, Ken Grossman and Vinnie Cilurzo might top the list for many of the beer enthusiasts. However, away from the public eye, Tom McCormick has had an immense impact on the success of craft beer. Read More

PorchDrinking Dream Bottle Share | Miguel Rivas (The Beer Trekker)

Since our launch in 2012, PorchDrinking has celebrated its anniversary each year by throwing a big bottle share for all of our industry friends, supporters, and staff because to us, bottle shares are the truest form of beer lovers coming together as a community. However, 2020 was an unorthodox year, and as much as we would have loved to mark our 8th anniversary with another share, we figured that passing bottles in an enclosed space during a pandemic probably wasn’t the best idea.

So to kick off the new year, we reached to a few of our industry friends to ask them what they’d bring to a “Dream Bottle Share”. For continuity’s sake, we asked each of our guest contributors to share four of their favorite beers from 2020 as well as four of their favorite beers all-time that they would bring to a hypothetical dream bottle share.

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The PorchCast Ep 73 | End of Year Recap & Boys Are From Märzen Podcast

In episode 73 of the PorchCast, we got the entire PorchCast gang back together to take a look back at some of the biggest craft beer news from 2020 as well as some of our favorite breweries, beers, and trends from the last year.

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Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines | A Look Back on Your Favorite Memories

To the uninitiated, Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines might have appeared indistinguishable from the sea of thousands of beer festivals that proliferated the country prior to the pandemic. But those … Read More

30 Reasons Why You Should Skip Dry January in 2021

While the first month of the year is typically the perfect time to reset, detox, and start the year off with a cleaner, healthier slate, many in the industry have … Read More

Rake Beer Project Dragged Over Coals for Reppin’ Michigan’s Gov. Whitmer

Rake Beer Project, in Muskegon, Michigan, is less than two years old, and whether you love them or hate being told to stay home to help curb a relentless global pandemic, they’ve probably slowed your newsfeed scroll at least twice in 2020. And, like it or not (trigger warning): they’re about to do it a third time.

At the onset of Covid-19 flipping Earth into The Upside Down, Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer was unfazed after being slapped with a belittling nickname, “That Woman From Michigan,” by (three guesses) “That President From New York.” Twitter deflected the shade and clapped back on her behalf: Photoshop helped place a pair of Cartier sunglasses (known as “Buffs” in Detroit) on Whitmer, and The Michigangster was soon rebranded “Big Gretch.” In a public display of support for the governor’s Stay at Home Order, Rake joined the party, threw a non-red hat in the ring, and made a beer in her honor.

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Ultimate 6er | Ski-Themed Beers

Après-ski. Taken literally, it is a French phrase that means “after ski.” However, to anyone who has ever skied, snowboarded or been anywhere near a mountain in the winter, it is so much more than that. Après-ski is more appropriately defined as the social activities that take place after a day of skiing or riding. No day on the mountain is complete without it. It’s filled with good food, good cheer and, of course, good beer.

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Hairless Dog Brewing Co. | NA IPA

Ah, January–that month when the misdeeds of the previous weeks (or more) of debauchery catch up, and New Year’s resolutions are front and center. For some, this means getting back into an exercise routine or “eating better”. For others, Dry January is the key to starting the year off right.

I completed my first Dry January last year. To be honest, it was easier for me to simply stop drinking altogether than try and find a non-alcoholic (NA) beer that was worth drinking. However, this year’s experiment might look a bit different because of Hairless Dog Brewing Co.

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2020 Utah Best in Beer Year-End Honors

Well, 2020 was certainly one for the books! And, while most of these year-end reports could go on about how difficult the year has been, there is a lot to celebrate. Of course, with lockdowns, restrictions, and curfews all contributing to a down year, we are happy to say that our local breweries have so far made it through by weathering the elements and persevering.

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2020 Kentucky Best in Beer Year-End Honors

Kentucky’s craft beer scene was set to explode in 2020, but due to COVID-19 that didn’t happen. Still, despite pandemic and shutdowns, five breweries opened their doors in Kentucky–four in Louisville in 2020. There are currently 88 brewery licenses in Kentucky (some breweries have multiple licenses) and while Kentucky is not a state known for craft beer, I think 2021 has big things in store for “the Bourbon State.” Until then, let’s take a look at the 2020 Kentucky Best in Beer Year-End Honors.

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Six Colorado Beers to Ring in the New Year from Molly’s Spirits

While the collective humankind would likely agree that 2021 can’t arrive soon enough, we’d be remiss if we didn’t blow the doors off of 2020 with one final calamitous she-bang. As we reflect on this past year’s highs and lows, we can all cheers toward looking forward to better circumstances and hope.

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2020 Michigan Best in Beer Year-End Honors

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What a year we’ve had in Michigan, eh? Nothing went the way anyone expected and for many, it went worse than they ever imagined. If you’re still standing, congratulations. However, one thing that definitely stayed as expected: Despite shutdowns and sickness and protests and kidnapping threats and endless elections, Michigan brewers once again made some of the best beer in the country in 2020. Which, of course, makes my job that much more difficult. I’m certainly not new to beer, but I am brand new to picking the Michigan Best in Beer Year-End Honors which, at 300+ breweries, is a daunting task, to say the least.

That being said, I still get the good news–and there certainly was plenty of it. So, I’ve compiled what I can of the best in Michigan. Here’s to an absolutely horrible, but completely wonderful, 2020.

Cheers!
~Jess, Michigan Editor at PorchDrinking.com

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2020 Virginia & D.C. Best in Beer Year-End Honors

The 2020 Virginia and DC Best in Beer features a community surviving and even thriving in this most unusual year. It was a time of coming together where local breweries invented new ways to reach their loyal customers, and those customers took their “drink local” mantra to new heights.  Together, the local craft beer community weathered the storm with remarkably few breweries closing, and even a few new ones opening.

Local breweries continued to put out some wildly creative and delicious beers and perhaps more than ever proved their worth as creators and sustainers of social bonds. The Virginia and Washington, DC craft beer communities look forward to a more “normal” 2021 while taking pride in their remarkable resiliency throughout the unprecedented global challenges of 2020.

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Six Colorado Beers to Enjoy this Holiday Season from Molly’s Spirits

While nothing is exactly traditional these days, the holiday season is typically the perfect excuse or occasion to enjoy Dark Lagers, Barrel-Aged Stouts, Double IPAs, and generally any kind of … Read More

What We’re Cooking | Imperial Stout Infused Salt

One of the greatest benefits to our “What We’re Cooking” series is that PorchDrinking has the chance to do our own special kind of recipe development. Any chef will show you how alcohol can be present in just about any kind of dish for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert but beer is mysteriously underrepresented. However, just like home brewing, it means there’s a world of undiscovered projects just waiting to be uncovered. And Scott Johnson may have found a new beer-tasting seasoning to hit the shelves with Imperial Stout Salt! Read More

Ultimate 6er | The Bounty Hunters Hunt Down Great Beer

Bounty Hunters may like to consume more than Blue Milk. It’s also possible they enjoy some mystical ale fermented on Endor with its unique natural yeast and microbiota that must add a unique flavor to the ale not seen on planet Earth. The Bounty Hunters fill Star Wars lore and their stories have given us fantasy and fascination with the likes of characters such as the Mandalorian. Freelance Bounty Hunters must enjoy our planet’s exquisite craft beer on special occasions (never when piloting their aircraft!) and this is what we have chosen based on their backgrounds and personality. For the uneventful weekday an easy-drinking Lager, such as the Big Yellow Truck by Territorial Brewing, might commonly be found in the bounty hunter ships in the beer fridge or cooler.

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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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Braxton Brewing’s Evan Rouse Named to Forbes 30 Under 30

People are always told to sit down when they are about to be told big news. Thankfully, Braxton Brewing’s Evan Rouse was doing just that when he found out he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Food & Drink category.

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