Features
Stem Ciders + Stowaway Kitchen Partner on Progressive Meal at Acreage
November 18, 2019 | Tristan Chan
This is a sponsored post from our friends at Stem Ciders
If you haven’t made the pilgrimage out to Stem Ciders’ Acreage facility in Lafayette, CO you’re sleeping one of … Read More
All of the Colorado Stouts, BA Stouts, & Variant Releases Through 2019
November 15, 2019 | Tristan Chan
Judging by the fact that Colorado has already experienced record snowfall in the month of October, it’s safe to say that Stout season has officially arrived. To help Colorado craft … Read More
Chicago’s Luna Bay Booch Co. Looks to Make its Mark in Busy Craft Beer Market
November 15, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Drink good, feed good? That’s the vision behind Chicago’s first local hard kombucha maker, Luna Bay Booch Co. While Chicago is home to the nation’s most craft breweries per capita, the city’s appetite for lighter alternatives like White Claw and Truly Spiked Seltzer is also clear. So, why not hard kombucha as well? Kombucha continues to increase its popularity in the health and wellness market, especially among younger drinkers, creating a myriad of adjacent business opportunities for courageous thinkers like Luna Bay Booch Co. founders Bridget Connelly and Claire Ridge. The two saw the opportunity to bring hard kombucha, a popular product on the West Coast, to the Midwest by creating a local, Chicago-based brand that targets Chicago drinkers looking for a break from a beer along with those wellness-focused folks looking for a fun, spiked alternative to their favorite antioxidant-laden kombucha beverage. To find out more about the upstart hard kombucha business and what Chicagoans can expect from Luna Bay Booch, PorchDrinking spoke with Bridget.
Revolution’s Gold Medal Beer FoBAB Winner V.S.O.R. Releases Friday
November 13, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Before Revolution Brewing releases the next two entries in their highly vaunted Deep Wood series, they’ll already be able to boast a FoBAB gold medal for one of those two. Very Special Old Ryeway (V.S.O.R.) and Straight Jacket will be released at the brewery after V.S.O.R. earned top marks in the Other Strong Dark Beer Category at this weekends Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers.
Twitch + Beer | A Few Options to Enjoy While Watching Live Streams
November 5, 2019 | Karen Mills
Twitch has become an increasingly popular platform since it launched back in 2011. Now, in 2019, the platform reported having over 15 million daily active users who watch video streams. Although Twitch streams cover a plethora of genres, market researcher Newzoo reported that eSports account for 21.3% of Twitch viewing; Which doesn’t really come as a surprise with the popularity of Fortnite and gaming influencers/professional gamers such as Dr. Disrespect, Tfue, and Ninja (who actually announced an exclusive partnership with Microsoft’s Mixer streaming platform so he is no longer active on Twitch). Like many other activities, cracking a beer while watching your favorite stream can only enhance the experience. Although I personally have not dabbled much in the world of Twitch, I’m very fortunate enough to be dating someone who is. So, he was not only able to teach me more about one of his passions, but help me pair it with one of our shared passions: craft beer!
Illinois Breweries are Preparing for FoBAB
November 4, 2019 | Mike Zoller
In any industry, to be recognized for exemplary work is an incredible feeling. To win a medal at the Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer (FoBAB), one of the country’s premier barrel-aged beer festivals, is a massive accomplishment.
Market Garden Brewery | Prosperity Wheat
November 4, 2019 | David Nilsen
Market Garden Brewery in the historic Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, has made a name for itself on the success of an unlikely flagship beer for a modern craft brewery. Prosperity Wheat is a Bavarian-style Hefeweizen, and it won the gold medal for the style at the Great American Beer Festival last month.
5 Questions With Brink Brewing’s Head Brewer, Kelly Montgomery
October 31, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Winning something once is tough. Repeating that successful feat is an even tougher task. So, when Cincinnati-based Brink Brewing won GABF gold for “Very Small Brewing Company” for a second consecutive year, a lot of people took notice – myself included. As a young operation, volatility and uncertainty are commonplace. Making good beer, consistently, at a profit, is an arduous task that not many can master. Building a loyal drinking base and gaining accolades for your creations become even more difficult as you try to keep your core business afloat. This is what makes the work of Head Brewer Kelly Montgomery even more impressive. To find out more about the success of their small but stout operation, their reaction to GABF gold, and what comes next, we posed 5 questions to Brink Brewing’s Kelly Montgomery.
Cruz Blanca’s Luchador Series Continues to Fly Under the Radar
October 31, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Chicago’s barrel-aged beer selection is second to none when it comes to quality and quantity. While it’s easy to get lost in the releases of Bourbon County or Deep Wood, there are many smaller barrel-aged releases that deserve the attention of the craft beer market. For the second year in a row, Cruz Blanca’s Luchador Series brings big flavors and unique adjuncts to a set of beers that are standouts in a crowded market.
Resident & Moksa Brewing | Baby Sips Pastry Stout
October 31, 2019 | Jadon Flores
Baby Sips, a “pastry stout,” is a new Imperial Stout from Resident Brewing, in collaboration with Moksa Brewing and Mostra Coffee. This is a very limited release of only about 350 bottles. There will also be a release party on Friday, November 1st where the collaboration will be on tap for patrons to try out!
Six Haunted Breweries to Check Out This Halloween
October 30, 2019 | Chea Franz 1
With Halloween fast approaching, there’s nothing better than sharing some good old-fashioned ghost stories with a beer in-hand. From pesky ghosts that interfere with a beertender’s duties, to restroom peeping toms, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite haunted brewery establishments and bars. Trust us, you’ll need some liquid courage to enter through these doors. Read More
Exploring the Haunted History of Jolly Pumpkin’s Traverse City Location
October 29, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales is most known for its well-crafted array of sour ales, but it’s Traverse City brewpub location is known for something else. The brewpub is attached to Bowers Harbor Inn, home to upscale restaurant, Mission Table, and gorgeous views of the waterfront. It might also include a haunted spirit. Just in time for Halloween, here’s what you need to know about this Jolly Pumpkin location’s haunted history, which may be one of spookiest brewpub spots in the U.S.
9 Best New Mexico Breweries to Import After Trump’s Wall in Colorado
October 25, 2019 | Tristan Chan 1
Two days ago, President Trump announced that he would be building a wall in Colorado to presumably keep out the New Mexicans for whatever offense they may have committed against him. One could surmise that their green chile was too spicy and flavorful for his bland palate, or perhaps saw tweets from their visitor’s bureau of Meow Wolf and thought we were being attacked from another dimension by another planet’s space force.
Regardless, Trump’s alleged wall in Colorado will surely have dire repercussions for the rest of the country including the fact that we’ll no longer have easy access to a number of the state’s prolific breweries. Here’s a list of the nine best breweries out of New Mexico, which we’ll have to import once Trump’s Colorado wall is built.
Primitive Beer Redefines Spontaneous in America and Launches Bottles
October 25, 2019 | Scott Davidson
Primitive Beer is Colorado’s first exclusively spontaneous, barrel-fermented and barrel aged beer blendery, that uses only 100% Colorado ingredients (hops, grain, fruit, microbes, and water), inoculated and fermented entirely by … Read More
Learn to Homebrew Day is November 2
October 24, 2019 | Jadon Flores
In 1999, Learn To Homebrew Day was established by the American Homebrewers Association to promote the most rewarding, and delicious activity of all time — homebrewing. This is what is written on the AHA’s website about this event. It is a day that many homebrewers the world around have come to their local homebrew stores or friends or even the internet to learn the hobby that you can literally drink to!
Grisette | The Grey Lady of Belgian Beer
October 24, 2019 | David Nilsen 1
The name “grisette” has popped up on brewery taplists more and more in recent years, but the style is still poorly understood by many. What is this curious little beer, where did it come from, and why is it growing in popularity? Turns out none of those questions have easy answers.
The popular origin stories for many historical beer styles are often festooned with fanciful narrative elements of dubious veracity. Ask any dudebro at a bar about how IPA was created and be prepared for a tall tale involving colonialism and sea commerce. The true story is often a little more complicated if it can be uncovered at all, and grisette’s backstory is no exception.
First Taste | 2019 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
October 24, 2019 | Mike Zoller 4
Following a year that saw Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout go heavy on adjuncts such as vanilla, orange, berries, and chocolate, the 2019 lineup is focused on the barrel itself.
The eight-beer lineup will be released, as is the tradition, on Black Friday but those attending FoBAB or Prop Day will have a sneak peek at the beers ahead of their official release. The media was invited to the Goose Island Barrel House for the first public tasting of this year’s lineup.
Inaugural Beer Culture Summit Aims to Educate Chicago Beer Fans
October 18, 2019 | Mike Zoller
It’s only fitting that the city with the most breweries would host a first of its kind conference exploring craft beer from the culture, history, diversity, and everything in-between. Chicago will be hosting the inaugural Beer Culture Summit on October 24-27, organized by The Chicago Brewseum.
Where Do the Barrels Go After They’re Done Aging Beer?
October 16, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
It’s finally the season for barrel-aged beers. Chicago is spoiled with its options: Revolution’s Deep Wood series kicks off this weekend; Cruz Blanca also has standout offerings – oh, and Begyle won gold for their Barrel-Aged Imperial Pajamas at GABF this year. While the beers get all the glory, the barrels that produce them sometimes get lost in the fray. Ever the creative-types, breweries typically find alternative use cases for these barrels after their primary usage days are past them. To find out how these barrels find new life post-barrel-aging, we asked the breweries.
2019 Great American Beer Festival | Brink Brewing’s Incredible Success
October 10, 2019 | David Nilsen
Brink Brewing in the College Hill neighborhood of northern Cincinnati just opened in 2017, but they already have seven medals and awards from the Great American Beer Festival. In fact, they’ve never failed to medal in the three GABFs since their founding. Last week they brought home gold medals for their Hold the Reins English Mild and Moozie Milk Stout, as well as top honors for Very Small Brewing Company of the Year, which is awarded to a brewery producing fewer than 1,000 barrels of beer annually.
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