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AleBlazers Series | One Year Later with Funkytown Brewery
April 10, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
A brewery that has made a huge splash on the Chicago craft beer scene over the past year has been Funkytown Brewery, who brews at Pilot Project Brewing in both Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI. Owners Richard Bloomfield, Zachary Day and Gregory Williams chatted with PorchDrinking in February 2022 as a part of our AleBlazers series, so naturally we needed to catch up with them and see how the last year has been and where 2023 is taking them!
LUKI Brewery | Hop Juggling Hazy
April 7, 2023 | Seth Garland
There’s something about the experience of drinking at a local brewery before distribution enters into the equation. In the best way, it’s a lot like how TV used to be pre-DVR, pre-streaming. There’s a greater appreciation of the current tap list, knowing that you may not always get to enjoy one of your favorites year-round.
Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 4/6
April 6, 2023 | Mackenzie Helms
Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.
While most areas around the country relate April to rain showers, we all know that’s not the case in Colorado where it’s still snow showers. But that’s part of what makes Colorado special! Another thing that makes Colorado special is our LOVE of craft beer. That love can be seen all around the state next week on Colorado Pint Day. Be sure to stop in at one of the 215 participating locations around the state to grab this year’s official pint day pint glass!
No Big Deal: Why Craft Brewery M&A’s Have Lost Their Shock Value
April 5, 2023 | Julie Rhodes 1
Goose Island, Bluepoint, Boulevard, Sweetwater, Founders, Wicked Weed, Anchor, Oskar Blues, Lagunitas, Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, Cigar City, Modern Times, Stone, Bell’s, and most recently Avery Brewing – not a comprehensive list by any means, but just a sampling of formerly independent craft breweries that merged with or were acquired by larger parent companies over roughly the past decade. The difference between now and then is that craft brewery M&A’s are just not that big of a deal anymore. Back then, craft beer drinkers and superfans would be up in arms over a buyout or partnership deal of any size – suggesting boycotts, bashing brands online, and protesting festivals where “sellout” breweries would be pouring their liquid. Today, that’s not quite the case, with deals like the Bell’s and New Belgium merger or the acquisition of Avery Brewing by import giant Mahou San Miguel barely sparking a peep of controversy online. So what’s changed – the craft beer fan or the business of craft beer?
2023 Colorado Pint Day Locations Includes Over 200 Participating Breweries
April 5, 2023 | Scott Grossman
Colorado Pint Day returns for its eighth anniversary next week on April 12, 2023, and this year’s event will feature a record number of participating breweries. Hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG), the statewide event gives craft beer lovers yet another reason to head to their favorite brewery to enjoy a beer and take home acommemorative glass.
Participating breweries will be selling 2023 commemorative pint glasses and with $1 from every glass benefitting the not for profit Colorado Brewers Guild. The event helps further the guild’s mission to support and strengthen craft beer in Colorado. Read More
Staff Picks for Best Beers of the Month | March 2023
April 4, 2023 | Brandon Cohran
April showers bring—wait, what the hell? It’s April? As in basically summer? Sheesh! At least the beer festival and baseball seasons are here. We’re back to focus and highlight some of the best beers from across the country that PorchDrinking.com staff has enjoyed over the last few weeks—and no, no April Fools’ jokes here. Regardless of your constant plans or practically full fridge, be sure to grab these beers if you’re out and about.
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Flora Brewing Set to Make Commercial Debut at Pilot Project Brewing
April 3, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
Pilot Project Brewing, a brewery incubator based in Chicago, with a second location in Milwaukee, WI, is a collaborative space where multiple breweries are able to enter the market without certain barriers that traditionally plague startup breweries. Their newest addition is Flora Brewing, Sarah Flora’s brewery that started contract brewing recently, though many know her from her homebrewing videos over the past six years. Flora Brewing will be launching four beers, with the release event set for Saturday, April 29.
Firestone Walker Debuts Double Hopnosis Imperial Cold IPA in 19.2oz Cans
April 3, 2023 | Tristan Chan
Firestone Walker is doubling down on its wildly popular Hopnosis brand by introducing a bigger, more hop-forward Imperial Cold IPA version appropriately dubbed Double Hopnosis.
Inspired by the robust blast … Read More
Crafting History | The Lost Abbey
March 31, 2023 | Eric Griffin
Round two of Crafting History circles back into the familiar territory of Belgian-influenced beer. A mysterious hybrid concept rooted in monastic tradition, The Lost Abbey out of San Marcos, California found historical success through flavorful, imaginative beer with no boundaries. And here we find ourselves 17 years later, with Head Brewer/Co-founder & COO Tomme Arthur still holding tightly to those founding values, and creating a product that both retains its relevance as well as reminds consumers why this brewery has solidified itself a coveted spot in craft beer history. We had the privilege of speaking with Tomme, gaining first-hand insight into the brewery itself, their development over time, and some more history behind some of the bigger beers in their portfolio.
2023 Collaboration Fest Showcases a Spectacular Return to Form
March 30, 2023 | Tristan Chan
Throughout the years, Collaboration Fest has already cemented itself as one of the best festival concepts and experiences in Colorado. But even with its already high regard among beer fans, this year’s festival found ways to continue to impress. Despite concern about its move out to The Westin Westminster for the first time, this year’s venue proved to be a vast improvement over last year’s stint at The Fillmore. With a more spacious layout across two ballrooms and a greater overall ambiance, the 2023 Collaboration Fest felt like a true return to form.
Nevertheless, We Persist: Eden and Anxo Cideries Launch 5th Collaboration WHM Ciders Benefiting Women’s Rights Charities
March 30, 2023 | Ruvani de Silva
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”
In February 2017, Mitch McConnell’s attempt to justify his silencing of Elizabeth Warren on the senate floor went viral, backfiring against the Republican party and transforming into a feminist rallying cry. His phrase sparked the hashtags #ShePersisted and #LetLizSpeak and became the theme for 2018’s Women’s History Month.
Can’t Miss Beers to Try at This Weekend’s 2023 Collaboration Fest
March 23, 2023 | Britt Antley
Throughout the years, the Colorado Brewers Guild’s Collaboration Fest has not only represented the incredible spirit of camaraderie and togetherness that has driven the craft beer industry for the last three decades, but it has also served as a platform for experimentation and innovation.
By participating in a festival focused on the creation of one-off, one-of-a-kind releases, breweries have often seized the opportunity to broaden their scope to test out innovative new techniques and also play with bizarre ingredients.
While this year’s fest won’t feature as many non-traditional ingredients like years past, there are still plenty of head-turning beers, innovative approaches, and dream collaborating pairings to get excited about, so we’ve rounded up some of our can’t miss beers ahead of Saturday’s festival.
Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 3/23
March 23, 2023 | Mackenzie Helms
Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.
Collaboration Fest hosted by the Colorado Brewers Guild is finally here! With 175 breweries participating this year, it’ll be the biggest beer festival to make it to as we kick off festival season, and is a huge developer of this year’s beer trends. Grab your ticket to Collaboration Fest while you still can!
PorchDrinking’s Comprehensive 2023 Beer Release Calendar Roundup
March 22, 2023 | Mathew Powers
For the past nine years, PorchDrinking.com has compiled a collection of breweries’ beer release calendars. The PorchDrinking Comprehensive 2023 Beer Release Calendar Roundup offers readers insight into what some of their favorite breweries have planned for the year and provides a glimpse of this year’s brewing trends
We will continually update this page as soon as we receive information. So, be sure to bookmark this page and check back often. If your brewery isn’t listed and you’d like to share your release calendar, please reach out to us via [email protected], and we’d love to add you to the list!
Cerebral Brewing Aurora Taproom Announces Opening Weekend
March 20, 2023 | Tristan Chan
Over the last decade, the greater Denver beer scene has coalesced around a growing number of distinct brewery neighborhoods as part of its national identity. Vibrant areas like the River North Art District, South Broadway, and Tennyson Street have flourished to become destinations for droves of beer fanatics near and far.
Now after a flurry of recent openings from the likes of Second Dawn Brewing, Denver Beer Co. Lowry, the upcoming opening of Cerebral Brewing’s Aurora taproom and more on the horizon like 4 Noses’ Park Hill location, which have all joined early pioneers like Fiction Beer Company, Lady Justice Brewing, Cheluna Brewing, the Aurora stretch of East Coflax is quickly becoming a can’t miss brewery neighborhood as well.
Crafting History | de Garde Brewing
March 20, 2023 | Eric Griffin
As the world of craft beer continually shifts and adapts with the times, consumers are ever-changing as well. Crafting History is a series that seeks to take a closer look at some of the impact factors that have had a lasting influence on the industry; certain breweries, historic venues, and even individual beers have changed the way craft beer enthusiasts view and taste beer now. This series will serve to both educate and remind the community just what (or who) it was that was rewriting the script without even realizing it. It’s at de Garde Brewing in Tillamook, OR, where we will start things off.
BREAKING | Karben4 Set to Re-Release Ale Asylum Beers
March 16, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
For those across the Midwest, Ale Asylum Brewery in Madison, Wisconsin, was a staple of their beer fridge until they closed in July of 2022 after 16 years of operation. Less than a year later, however, their bold flavors are set to make a comeback under the Karben4 Brewing flag. Karben4 owners, brothers Ryan and Zak Koga, are excited to re-launch these staples of Madison craft beer in the same city that they operate their brewery.
2023 Parabola & Parabaloid Vintages Aged in a Trio of Rare Whiskey Barrels
March 15, 2023 | Tristan Chan
One of the country’s most prolific barrel-aged beers just received an added upgrade. Firestone Walker’s Parabola, which is regarded as one of the country’s pioneers in the barrel-aged Imperial Stout … Read More
Event Recap | Altered States Libations & Art Festival Volume II
March 14, 2023 | Alexis Dickie
The Eighth State Brewing Co. hosted Altered States Volume II on Saturday, March 11, in Greenville, South Carolina. The libations and art festival featured breweries, wineries and distilleries from around the world alongside live music, skateboarding performances and artists.
Casey Brewing | BA Never Say Never Barleywine
March 13, 2023 | Britt Antley
Some breweries become known for a certain style of beer and then struggle to expand beyond that, trapped in the successes of their past. While it is never a bad thing to have notoriety for a particular style, it can leave a brewery in a difficult spot as they seek to diversify their lineup and adapt to the everchanging beer landscape. Casey Brewing is known for their incredible sour beer program, churning out highly sought-after Saisons and Wild Ales since 2013. Finding themselves with some extra tanks and a desire to open a new taproom, Casey made the decision to venture into non-sour beer, doing something brewery founder Troy Casey said would never happen. A prophetic cliché that morphed into an incredible barrel aged Barleywine, Casey BA Never Say Never Barleywine exemplifies the non-sour quality of the brewery’s side dabbles.
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