One Minute Beer Review: Great Divide Brewing- Rumble

ABV: 7.1%

One of my favorite things about Rumble is the fact that you can enter any room with a six pack and unabashedly exclaim “LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE” without … Read More

Beervana: Portland, OR (Part 1)

“I gave up clowning years ago.”

“Well in Portland, you don’t have to.”

Easy intro, I know. But here’s the thing—Portland is that hipster. This isn’t a knock against the city. I love Portland. Fantastic public transit, fantastic food, and the beer … my God, the beer. But yes, it’s a very hipster city. More so than Denver. More so than even Boulder. The house we rented on the east side of the city was actually called the “Urban Cabin.” Placard and everything. Read More

One Minute Beer Review: New Belgium Brewing- Red Hoptober

ABV: 6%

IBUs: 60

This fall there were several things that I was really looking forward to, football, fantasy football, Kentucky football, then after last weekend’s performance Kentucky basketball, the … Read More

Ultimate 6er Recipes for Cooking with Beer

I grew up watching my dad pour beer over pretty much every single type of meat you can think of before throwing it on the grill. The funny thing about this technique is that it can make even the worst tasting beer into a valuable component of your meal. My dad would only really use cheap beer—Budweiser, Coors, Olympia—so I followed suit. It wasn’t until I left college that I started incorporating better beers into my cooking. It wasn’t just for grilling anymore—stews, chili and other random recipes were enhanced by introducing beer. Read More

Climbing a 14er and Drinking a 12 Ouncer

Typically, Mike Tolliver serves as our resident outdoorsman who hikes, bikes, camps, climbs, rappels, grapples, boulders, skis, snowboards, what not and what have you, all while enjoying a celebratory beverage, after spiking the proverbial flag into mother nature’s ass. Afterwards he’s nice enough to transpose those travails on PorchDrinking while making us all feel like lesser beings. I on the other hand, went on my first camping trip this June. Yes, my first camping trip. However, like most transplants in Colorado, I’ve quickly acclimated to the rest of this great state’s lifestyle by diving head first into the rugged outdoors. The most recent of these adventures involved completing my second 14er. Read More

Breckenridge Brewery – Agave Wheat

ABV:  4.2%

IBU: 9

I originally wanted to write this review about Maumee Bay Brewing Company’s Agave Chili Ale. I took a sip of it at Ohio Brew Week this June and was blown away by just that small taste. Alas, my emails to the brewmaster and sales manager to get my hands on some were to no avail. I searched high and low for something similar, but it was no use. The closest thing I could find was Breckenridge Brewery’s Agave Wheat. Read More

One Minute Review – Anchor Summer Beer

ABV: 4.5%

Availability: April-October

It’s official: summer is winding down. People are starting to head back to school, pools will close soon, and retailers are putting their summer styles on clearance. It’s time to soak up the last you can of summer—including seasonal beers!

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Agave Wheat – Breckenridge Brewery

ABV: 4.2%

IBU: 9

While attending the first annual Big Denver Barbecue Block Party, I had the pleasure of eating some great ribs and sides, listen to some fantastic live music, both with some awesome friends. At the event, they had a variety of a brew from Breckenridge Brewery. Of the ones available, I decided to choose Agave Wheat. I think the choice was good. Life is good when you sit on the grass in the sun, eat some BBQ, listen to live music, and have a beer to tie everything together.

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Fantasy Draft List

Armchair quarterbacks, it’s time to move your recliners to the porch. Nothing goes better together than football and beer —for proof, look no further than the advertisements during any football game ever. And since there’s no shame in having a cold one during a game, it stands to reason that you might as well drink beer during fantasy football too, right?

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Ultimate 6er | Brew Ha-Ha Hops

As you may have heard from our lovely Kate Stark- Cincinnati’s Brew Ha Ha was a super fun time. Although I successfully ignored the comedians, I did enjoy my fair share of delicious beers. I am happy to say that out of all the beer I tasted, there was only one that I didn’t like. I didn’t like it so much that I’m going to call it out right now. Here it goes. Batch 19. Don’t do it. Unless you love Coors light … Then I guess you’ll love Batch 19, too … “To each his own.”
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Ultimate 6er | Brew Ha-Ha: Malts edition

At Brew Ha-Ha, Betsy and I endeavored to create an Ultimate 6er, however there were 100 beers represented and we didn’t want to leave any of our favorites out. You know what that means? Double-dose of Ultimate 6ers today! I’m taking on my favorites from the malts end of the spectrum, while Betsy sorts out the hops in a little bit.
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Picking Hops With Wynkoop Brewery

On August 9, I was invited to join the Wynkoop brewers and staff to pick locally-grown hops for their beer Belgarado. It is a Belgian style Pale Ale made with all Colorado grown ingredients, except for the yeast. Fresh cut Chinook hops were shipped over to the brewery from Voss Farms in Arvada, CO. One of my friends from Kentucky, Andrew, was in Denver for the week and he was thrilled to be a part of this process. Plus, we were goaded with the promise of free beer.
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Cincinnati Brew Ha-Ha 2012

50 Comedians, 100 Beers, One Million Laughs

For six years now, Sawyer Point has turned into a beer haven for two days over the summer. It’s an event that pulls from all demographics and introduces people to new things, something that always gets me excited. With 100 beers to choose from and 35 breweries represented, chances are there are a few brews that weren’t on your radar before.
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Hoppin’ Frog’s BORIS the Crusher, Russian Imperial Stout.

ABV: 9.4%

BORIS the Crusher, or Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout in long form is a multiple award winning brew from Hoppinfrog Brewery out of Akron, Ohio. It also happens to be extremely rare to find on tap, it just recently has been put into kegs and is crazy expensive in keg form. Nearly double the typical price of any normal craft beer pour.
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Edmund Fitzgerald- Great Lakes Brewing Company

ABV: 5.8%

So, here I am, at the gas station, trying to pick out a new kind of beer that I haven’t previously sampled. It’s slim pickins at the local UDF tonight and now I’m kicking myself for procrastinating on this beer review (something that I put myself through daily, obviously). I’m realllly wishing I would have made it to the liquor store so I could have found something exotic, but right before I gave up, a stormy blue six-pack catches my eye. Edmund Fitzgerald? What a lovely, handsome name for a beer! Sold.

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I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream! And Beer!

My dad (like most dads I would imagine) has a thing for beer, so every time he comes to visit, we take him to Flipdaddy’s, a burger joint that’s anything but ordinary. Not only do they have amazing burgers (you can even create your own!), but they also have 24 beers on tap, all craft brews. The last time we were there, he had a glass of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and then he ordered a pint of The Poet.
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Brouwerij Westvleteren – Westvleteren 12

When I began planning my short, twenty-four hour trip to Belgium, I immediately began looking for the greatest and best beers to try. Having been to the New Belgium Brewery, my eyes had been recently opened to the glories of Belgian beers. So, I asked Google for a list of the greatest and best beers made by the Belgians and Google not only told me that many Belgian beers are absolutely fantastic, but the “best beer in the world” (as rated by Beer Advocate and about everyone else) could be found in Belgium and only Belgium.
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Ultimate 6er | Fall Preview

Fall is my favorite season. As a kid, fall was filled with great fun like hay rides, apple orchards, birthday parties and trick-or-treating. Today, I continue to love fall for other reasons—the temperature cooling, leaf colors changing and the emergence of flavors that just aren’t quite appropriate for the summer months.
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Uinta Brewing – BABA Black Lager

ABV: 4%

IBU: 32

After a tiring day of work, I picked up a 6er of Uinta’s BABA Black Lager at Argonaut. In one sense, my purchase was motivated by getting a beer that would allow me to stagnate on the couch and watch House Hunters International and the Colbert Report. I figured a strong black ale would probably do the job. I also have been meaning to get my hands on other Uinta Brewing products. I am big fan of its Monkshine and wanted to give some of its other offerings a go.
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Avery Brewing – White Rascal

ABV: 5.6%

IBU: 10

Beer has been described as many things, a new acquaintance, an old friend, and some mornings a cruel nemesis. I’ve encountered several anthropomorphized versions of beer but none more useful than White Rascal, my go to beer wing man.
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