Schlafly Brand – Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 5.7%

Is it nerdy to love oatmeal? It’s kind of a weird food. If so, I’m a nerd—and that’s why Schlafly’s Oatmeal Stout hopped right off the shelf and into my hands. I think it goes along with the season, too.
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One Minute Beer Review: Southern Tier – Imperial Creme Brulee Stout

ABV: 9.6%

Take a moment and just take a big whiff of this beer before you actually drink this creme brulee stout. Goodness that’s heavenly. This brew treads that line … Read More

In Case of Emergency … Drink Beer

A recent NPR article explores a study conducted in 1957 titled Operation Teapot or “The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages.” The experiment examined the safety and drinkability of sodas and beers after placing cans and bottles of beverages next to an exploded atomic bomb. The verdict, bottoms up! Read more at NPR.
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Founders Brewing Co. – Double Trouble

ABV: 9.4%

IBU: 86

When choosing which beer to review this time around, I had one of two choices sitting in my fridge. Based on how the Bengals were playing in the first quarter against the Ravens, I opted to go with Founders Double Trouble IPA.
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Cincinnati Brew Fest Recap

As we often encourage, one of our PorchDrinking followers wanted to join us on the porch. So when Jason Behler requested to share his take on this year’s Cincinnati Brew Festival we were more than happy to give him the floor. Please welcome his contribution! Read More

PorchDrinking Fall Beer Preview 2012

One of the greatest things about fall along with football, leaf piles and apple cider is the stable of fall seasonal beers available. Honestly the multitude of pumpkin and spiced beers on the market can be a bit overwhelming so we tasked our writers with coming up with a fall beer preview. Here’s the variety of fall samplings they came up with. Read More

Ultimate 6er: Gettin’ Off Grid

Many of the writers here at PorchDrinking work hard and play harder in the beautiful state of Colorado which we call home. Somewhere in everyone’s soul is a need for exploration and discovery. I enjoy wandering the path less taken and it often takes me way off grid. In this ultimate 6er I exclusively review beers that are canned. Why you ask? Read More

Inaugural Boulder IPA Festival Part 2

Scott and I originally went into the inaugural Boulder IPA Festival believing that we would only receive 16 four oz. pours. So, when we arrived, we studied the list of 90 beers to star the must-drinks and quickly weeded out the beers we have had over and over again. However, once we checked in and dropped the completely badass “we’re on the guest list” line, we found out that we were VIPs.

Very. Important. Persons. Read More

Tommyknocker Brewery- Small Batch Harvest Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 5.0%

September weather calls for Pumpkin Ale

Fall is the time to be outdoors. Everyone, including myself, loves the summer weather, but there’s something very charming and complimentary about sipping on a nice brown pumpkin ale and not wasting headspace on whether I need sunscreen.
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Inaugural Avery IPA Festival Recap

Here’s the challenging aspect of taking notes while drinking—the more you drink, the more incomprehensible and terse your notes become. You start out detailed, taking into account every distinct characteristic. After several beers, the notes become more brief. Maybe they’ll just list your first impression, if you’re lucky. Several beers later, you’re fortunate to have a listing of the beer you’ve tried. Read More

Punkin Brown Ale – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

ABV: 7%

IBU: 28

Let it be on the record. As many of my friends know, I usually have nothing to do with brown ales. I have had a few of them here and there, and not one of them has really stood out for me as a solid beer worth buying again. That being said, autumn is coming and I’m starting to see all the fall beers hitting the shelves so I decided to try this out. Read More

Hoppin Frog Brewery – Hop Heathen Black

ABV: 8.8%

IBU: 70

Hoppin Frog is a brewery that is new to me. Until B.O.R.I.S the Crusher was put on tap at the pub I work at I had no idea that it existed. Generally that doesn’t surprise me but being located in Akron, Ohio, a town I pass through each time I visit my family I thought I would have heard of it by now. Akron is devoid of any attractions besides the childhood homes of The Black Keys and a quality brewery should generate a lot more interest.
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David Markham’s Avery IPA Winning Homebrew Recipe

We caught up with David Markham, the winner of the Avery IPA Fest homebrew contest, and he was nice enough to share some tips for starting your own homebrew as well as some info about his winning homebrew recipe. David’s Belgian Pale Ale had prominent yeast flavors, but it finished clean. It was not so strongly hop forward nor was it very citrus-y which differs from most traditional American IPAs, but matched well with it’s subtle malty flavors in the background. It would work well as a fall seasonal. Read More

Oktoberfest – Left Hand Brewing Company

ABV: 6.6%

IBU: 24

In my preparation for my stein raising trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, I wanted to have at least one local Märzen lager to compare with the brews offered in Germany. Since my favorite beer is Sam Adams version of Oktoberfest, I’ll try not to be biased. That being said, I am setting my sights on Left Hand Brewing’s Oktoberfest.
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Beervana: Portland, OR (Part 2)

Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF from here on out): So let’s first go over some of the logistics of OBF.  As I said in my previous post, there were about 80 or so breweries present, and it’s all outdoors. Unlike other beer fests, you also choose how much beer you get at each booth. Do you only want a sample? That’ll be one token. A full mug of beer? Four tokens. It’s really a beautiful system. Read More

Blue Point Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 6.0%

IBU: 26

Availability: Mid-August-December

The dog days of August have ended; cooler weather has prevailed. And with the changing weather comes a slew of seasonal beer offerings—a surefire sign winter is fast-approaching. Oktoberfests, pumpkin beers, winter ales—as the heat subsides, they all brave Indian summers to wet our palettes and whet our appetites for blazing fires and snowball fights. Read More

Labor Day Fall Beer Preview Ultimate 6er

In the club of so-called rich countries around the world, workers in the United States put in more hours on the job than any of their peers (source: OECD). The U.S. also consistently ranks as one of the most productive workforces in the world. Although American productivity has recently fallen from historical highs (due to more hours/strain put in at the job during the global economic/financial crisis), there is no question about the effort we put in relative to others around the world. Even more important, then, that we force ourselves to carve a vacation day each September to save each other from our otherwise hectic lives. With a nod to how hard we’ve all worked over the past several years and an eye towards the glorious Fall and its sporting festivities, here’s an Ultimate 6er to get us going with some delicious fall beer this September. Read More

Deschutes Brewery – Chainbreaker White IPA

One of the most important factors to consider when searching for a new home, or at least somewhere new to live, is the availability of a quality neighborhood bar. Seriously, forget the school district and don’t pull your hair out over the distance to the nearest grocery store. It’s all about whether your neighborhood bar has:

1. A solid beer collection
2. A great staff/great service
3. Reasonable prices
4. Great atmosphere
5. Solid food
6. Is close by
7. Non-douchey clientele. Read More

Ellie’s Brown Ale- Avery Brewing Co.

ABV: 5.5%

Mmmm… Brown Ale. You had me at hello.

Brown Ale may or may not be the key to my heart. I do love most beers – yes- but I will never turn down something specifically classified as a “Brown Ale”. Read More

New Belgium Tour De Fat 2012 – Fort Collins

On a sunny summer Saturday, it’s only 8am and the mercury is already over 80 degrees; today is going to be a hot one. I dug into the bowels of my closet to find whatever mismatch of clothing and/or flair I could get my hands on, grabbed a backpack full of water, sunscreen, and PBR and hopped on my bike. This, my friends, is the beginning ritual for thousands of beer enthused, fun lovers all around the country when New Belgium Brewery’s Tour De Fat rolls into town. Read More