Features
It’s All In The Blend | Tasting Eleven Years of Firestone Walker Anniversary Ales
December 28, 2022 | Robert French
The coming together of brewers and winemakers mixed with the art of blending and barrels is the genesis of Firestone Walker Brewing Company Anniversary Ale. Read More
PorchDrinking’s Year in Ohio Beer 2022
December 16, 2022 | David Nilsen
Ohio is much more than the butt of TikTok jokes. We’re perenially hovering around the top five craft beer-producing states by volume, and bring in a healthy haul of medals at every World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, and Festival of Barrel-Aged Beer. With numerous mid-sized big cities, Ohio has countless beercation destinations for the beer savvy traveler. Here are my picks for the noteworthy beers, breweries, and stories of 2022 in Ohio beer.
Seventh Son Reborn | One Brewery’s Unusual Strategy for Expansion
December 14, 2022 | David Nilsen
Seventh Son Brewing opened in the historic Italian Village neighborhood of Columbus, OH, in April 2013. Their beer was good and their taproom was friendly and inviting—obvious prerequisites for success—and they set about doing what many other breweries around the country had done before them and have done since: offering classic American craft styles in a communal, social atmosphere.
Exploring Mexican Craft Beer
December 13, 2022 | Scott Grossman
Mexican beer has come a long way from the thin-bodied, flavorless yellow beverage chugged poolside on spring break. These days there’s a burgeoning Mexican craft beer scene featuring the robust and flavorful styles that craft beer lovers are familiar with. Read More
Barrel Room Spotlight | Horus Aged Ales
November 30, 2022 | Eric Griffin
Welcome to Round 3 of the Spotlight! For this installment all eyes are on Horus Aged Ales, a one-man operation out of Oceanside, CA. Kyle Harrop, the mastermind behind Horus, originally established himself in 2015. From there, he progressed it from a humble homebrew operation into what it has become today. Through experimental barrel-aging, unique adjunct additions, and countless collaborations with breweries all over the country, Horus has been able to stand out in one of the most competitive beer regions in the United States. We had the opportunity to pick Kyle’s brain and learn more about the methods and techniques he uses, and gain some further insight into what makes his barrel program successful.
Barrel Room Spotlight | Mortalis Brewing
November 16, 2022 | Eric Griffin
Entering the Barrel Room Spotlight for round two is another young but quickly-growing brewery out of Avon, New York. Since opening their doors in 2018, Mortalis Brewing has striven to create a portfolio of beers that both utilize the finest ingredients and break the mold to stand out in a competitive market. Beyond that, they want their beers to be enjoyed in a relaxed environment that promotes memorable and heartfelt human connection. Through this unpretentious and admirable formula, Mortalis has also succeeded in establishing a strong program of barrel-aged beers. We had the opportunity to speak with Paul Grenier, one of the co-owners of Mortalis Brewing, and really get a “behind-the-scenes” look at the inner workings of their barrel room.
2022 Midterm Election Night Drinking Game
November 7, 2022 | Tristan Chan
It may not be a presidential election year, but it feels like the stakes are higher this year than any other midterm election year in recent memory. With highly combustible perspectives on initiatives like reproductive rights, immigration, inflation, gun violence, and election fraud all weighing heavily on the country it feels like a major turning point for the country.
With as stressful and anxiety-ridden as this election might be, we thought we’d lighten up the room a bit by reviving our Midterm Election Night Drinking Game. If anything, pour yourself a few glasses of something nice and easy-drinking and find solace in the fact that you now have a two-year reprieve from political mailers, robocalls, and SPAM texts.
So kick back, take a deep breath, and enjoy a bit of levity with our 2022 Midterm Election Night Drinking Game. Keep in mind, that we in no way recommend that you actually adhere to the rules presented below as you would assuredly require a trip to the hospital. This post was meant as a parody. Please drink responsibly.
2022 FoBAB Results | Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beers Award Winners
November 5, 2022 | Tristan Chan
The results are IN and we now know all of the big award winners from this year’s 2022 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers (FoBAB). This year’s 20th anniversary of FoBAB was once again a spectacular success with over 160 breweries showcasing the country’s absolute best producers in the wood and barrel-aged beer categories.
District Brew Yards Now Open in Wheeling, IL
November 4, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
District Brew Yards is well-known within the West Loop of Chicago as a pour-your-own beer hall with four different breweries in operation. After looking for expansion opportunities throughout the past year, the previous Ram Brewing location in Wheeling, Illinois was the perfect fit. The current West Loop location has four breweries in residency: Around the Bend Beer Co, Burnt City Brewing, Twisted Hippo and Casa Humilde Cerveceria. At the Wheeling location, customers will find these four breweries, as well as Histrionic Brewlab. In addition to these five breweries, there is an Added Libations Tab, where ciders and wines will be available.
These Are America’s Best Breweries for Barrel-Aged Stouts
November 3, 2022 | Tristan Chan 28
As warmer days begin to dwindle and the daylight hours dissipate, it feels only natural for our taste preferences to evolve accordingly. The onset of colder weather, as well as the arrival of the holiday season, always feels like a natural signal for beer drinkers to shift their focus toward boozier, barrel-aged Stouts. In addition to the perceived liquid layer of warmth, these specialty releases also feel fitting for gifting or saving for special occasions, which become more bountiful as the end of the year draws nearer.
Coincidentally, in celebration of International Stout Day, we decided to showcase the country’s best breweries for barrel-aged Stouts. This post was co-authored by Tristan Chan, Eric Griffin, Alysia Shoemaker, and Britt Antley.
This post was made possible with the support of Laws Whiskey House. In addition to their no-shortcuts approach toward producing world-class whiskey. They also have lent their barrels to some of the best barrel-aged beers in the country. Explore more at www.lawswhiskeyhouse.com
Barrel Room Spotlight | Pulpit Rock Brewing
November 2, 2022 | Eric Griffin
While many breweries may claim it to be unspoken, there has undoubtedly been good-spirited competition across the country when it comes to the realm of barrel-aging. Whether it be the value placed on selected barrels versus adjuncts, formulas for length of aging time to establish a specific finishing gravity, tweaking the interplay of base malt and barrel, or the variation of countless other factors throughout the process, every brewery has their own way of creating a product that is both unique and marketable.
Beer Is Art | Obakeng Malope’s Campaign to Lift South Africa’s Youth Out of Poverty Through Craft Beer
October 14, 2022 | Ruvani de Silva
Obakeng Malope has a mission. The South African brewer and filmmaker has started a project blending beer culture and social change with enormous scope on both a national and international level, and her hard work and tenacity has already led to significant press and multi-national collaboration.
Malope is the creator of Beer Is Art, an initiative to offer access to the craft beer industry to South Africa’s unemployed young people. In the second quarter of 2022, 4.8 million 15-34 year old South Africans were unemployed, 46.5% of the population in that age group. Malope believes that the growing South African craft beer industry has the potential to help lift some of these young people out of poverty. “The youth are sitting at home unemployed here in South Africa. The campaign teaches about beer, that beer is not something that you drink and get drunk off. We teach beer and food pairing, brewing, beer podcasting and licensing. We show them that they can turn beer into a career,” she says.
Staff Picks for Best Beers of the Month | September 2022
October 10, 2022 | Brandon Cohran
Spooky season is upon us and we’re thinking back to some of our favorite beers over the last month or so. Schedules and holiday plans are probably dotting your calendars already as the football season rolls on and winter sports are about to start. The positive thing about having such chaotic weeks lately is that beers have tasted really great. Each one allows for that small break from reality for just a few minutes. As always, we hope you’ve had some of these beers we loved, too. Read More
Beer Industry Workers Find Community Through Craft Beer Professionals Group
September 2, 2022 | Tristan Chan
For an industry so tightly built around togetherness and community, the pandemic could have easily crippled many aspects that came to define the very fabric of craft beer. But the digital age has helped us to adapt quickly and for one online beer community, it was the perfect opportunity to serve as a resource for togetherness at a time when connecting in person was prohibited.
PorchDrinking’s Best Beers of the Month | August 2022
August 31, 2022 | Brandon Cohran
Vacations are ending, and school is starting back. That can only mean one thing: summer is ending and 2022 isn’t slowing down at all. That’s alright, though, because the last quarter of the year means good weather, football and big beers. Most of the time anyway. Before we get ahead of ourselves and send summer sailing, let’s all raise a glass one more time for the staff favorite beers of August. Read More
Could Novel Strand’s New Fermented Tea Beverage Spark The Next Big Trend?
August 19, 2022 | Tristan Chan
The art of fermentation has been around for thousands of years, with evidence of fermented beverages tracing back to as far as 7000 BCE. Even still, innovative new techniques, modern ingredients and a deeper understanding of the science of fermentation have broken ground for new advancements in the field.
Tamir Danon, co-founder of Denver’s Novel Strand Brewing has embraced an unconventional approach toward microbial sciences since beyond the Baker neighborhood brewery first opened in 2018. Prior to Novel Strand, Danon earned his master’s degree in microbiology with a focus on genetically modifying yeast to model diseases like cancer for his graduate thesis. And at NYU, Danon worked studying genetic disorders. But nowadays, he’s applying what he’s learned toward experimenting with Brettanomyces and testing out unique new hop varietals.
AleBlazers Series | Q&A with Japas Cervejaria
August 18, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Japas Cervejaria is a brewery that has been around for seven years, and is now taking America by storm with a series of special events throughout the month. Owned by three Nipo-Brazilian women, Maíra Kimura, Yumi Shimada and Fernanda Ueno, they have been brewing in Brazil since 2015. The Japas Cervejaria brand has already begun distribution throughout California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with plans to open South Carolina and Texas soon! We were able to connect with the three founders to discuss how they got started brewing beer and how it helped them explore their Japanese-Brazilian ancestry.
South Asian Heritage Month | Why It Matters To The Beer Industry
August 9, 2022 | Ruvani de Silva
Being a South Asian in beer within the diaspora can be a lonely business. As per Brewer’s Association data from 2021, just 2% of US breweries are owned by Asians, with no available information on South Asians specifically. With so few South Asians involved in the beer industry, taking time to reflect on and celebrate South Asian Heritage Month* (July 18 -August 1**) offers an opportunity to amplify our presence, support one another, and reach out and share our culture through the medium of beer, our chosen career or interest.
Celebrate IPA Day with Firestone Walker’s Hop Dreams: A Brewer’s Journey
August 4, 2022 | Tristan Chan
The idea of craft beer is often romanticized around the idea of artisan-grown hops, grain, and locally sourced water. But over the years as the craft beer movement has exploded and craft beer’s base has grown wider, some of that sense of craftmanship may have gotten lost in the messaging.
Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack Featuring Melon Conspiracy
July 22, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Much like ordering a flight at a new brewery, mixed packs are a great option when you want to have a variety of beers available to you. If you find yourself unsure what to bring to that summer barbecue or boat ride, variety packs can provide the perfect solution! Fortunately, Firestone Walker has a variety of mixed packs to choose from, including the new IPA Mixed Pack featuring Melon Conspiracy.
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