Ultimate 6er | Six Beer Styles For The Players To Watch In Super Bowl LVIII

Alright Alexa, hit us with “…Ready for it?” by Taylor Swift. With Super Bowl 58 almost here (add a day if you’re reading from Tokyo, Japan) there’s only one question left to ask: who’s going to be the X-factor in this San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs showdown? To answer that question, we’re opening beers in addition to playbooks. So crack open a cold one and let’s see which beer styles best match up with the “ones to watch” in this NFL season finale.

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Downloadable 2024 Bingo Boards for Super Bowl LVIII

It doesn’t matter if you’re only tuning in to catch glimpses of a potential Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce proposal after the Chiefs win yet another Super Bowl, or perhaps you’re looking to re-live your high school prom by making some Love in this Club with Usher. Or maybe you’re just in it for the commercials. Either way, we’re here to help spice up your Super Bowl viewing experience once again with this year’s 2024 Super Bowl Bingo Boards for Super Bowl LVIII.

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80+ Black-Owned Breweries to Support Across the Country

Back in 2020, PorchDrinking released this list of Black-owned breweries, and we’ve recently updated it to reflect new breweries that have opened across the country. While other prolific beer writers and media members like Ale Sharpton and @BlackBeerTravelers have laid the groundwork previously, we also wanted to help highlight the black-owned breweries who are doing tremendous work in beer throughout the United States.  As we continue to reflect on ways to more directly make the craft beer industry a more diverse and welcoming community, one of the easiest ways is by actively spending your money at Black-owned breweries. 

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Collaborating for a Cause | Alex Reserve

In this week’s installment of Collaborating for a Cause, we switch gears from beer to mead. On Nov. 14 of last year, Alyson Schramm of Schramm’s Mead announced an upcoming release to represent their participation in GivingTuesday 2023. In an amazing show of kindness and generosity toward a craft beer and industry icon, Schramm’s donated 100% of profits from its Nov. 28 webstore sales to the Kidd family GoFundMe to go toward medical expenses and future needs. Additionally, Schramm’s conducted a pre-order for custom-labeled bottles of Alex Reserve, its limited-batch apple mead.

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Great Divide Brewing Announces New Taproom

Denver’s Great Divide Brewing has announced the opening of the Great Divide Brewery and Roadhouse in Lone Tree, Colo., next month. This will be the second location for the drinking and dining concept and builds on the popularity of the original establishment in Castle Rock, Colo., which opened in 2020. Great Divide also has two locations in downtown Denver and an outpost at Denver International Airport. Read More

Collaborating for a Cause | Fox Farm Copestone

Happy New Year! When we began this series last year, we had no idea what to expect. No one was quite prepared for the sheer magnitude of support Alex Kidd and his family would receive after his cancer diagnosis, but it’s been incredible to watch unfold. This series powers ahead into the new year, beginning with Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, Connecticut.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Westum Hjemmebryggeri

Back in May, immediately after hearing the news of Alex Kidd’s cancer diagnosis, PorchDrinking helped to organize a razzle with the Barleywine is Life Facebook group to raise money for his recovery through donations to his GoFundMe.  On the 19th we published an article outlining how breweries could get involved with rare bottle contributions for the razzle, and then on June 6th officially announced the packages up for grabs. For every $10 forwarded to his recovery fund (with emailed proof), donors would receive one entry. Submissions closed at Midnight EST on June 18, with winners selected live on the morning of Tuesday, June 20 by Stephen Loh and Michael Gabriel of Malt Couture on Instagram.

One brewery donation in particular came all the way from Norway, contributing two special iterations of home-brewed, high-gravity ales that were randomly added to three winning boxes from the PorchDrinking razzle. We had the privilege to talk with Espen Westum extensively about his passion project, Westum Hjemmebryggeri, as well as the inspirations provided by Alex Kidd and what’s led him to this point in his brewing journey. Additionally, we were able to review and share the very exclusive charity releases Westum sent stateside to support the Kidds.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Life Jacket

As 2023 nears its conclusion, many families and businesses feel the strain and chaos of the holiday season and the deadlines associated with the final months of the year. Fortunately, the support for Alex Kidd and his family has not even considered pumping the brakes, and we are happy to welcome Revolution Brewing to this week’s installation of Collaborating for a Cause.

(Read: Collaborating for a Cause Series)

Adjusting the spotlight to a beer that Alex himself helped co-create with the Revolution team, this well-known Chicago brewery organized an incredible gesture spanning the month of November involving their Life Jacket Barleywine.

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Living The Dream taking over Grist Brew spaces; Ursula Brewery Announces Sale of Business

As we near the end of 2023, several Colorado breweries are making changes. On November 30, 2023, two Colorado breweries reported significant news changes to their businesses. First, Living the Dream Brewing Co. in Littleton shared they will be opening a tap room at the Sterling Center in the Sterling Ranch neighborhood in Littleton. Then, one week later Living The Dream announced it would be taking over the assets and leases of Highlands Ranch’s Grist Brew Co. In an interview with the Denver Post, Grist Brew Co-owner Chuck Norman said, “Grist will still be alive, but what we do with it, I don’t know.”

Secondly, Jonathan Shikes of the Denver Post shared that Ursula Brewery of Aurora is selling its business to unnamed owners. The new owners will shut down the business temporarily and reopen under a new name at some point in the first half of 2024.

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Collaborating for a Cause | DDBIL

This week, Collaborating for a Cause sets its sights on Florida, where Hialeah-based brewery King Fox joined forces with Shōjō Beer Co. and Odd Breed Wild Ales to release DDBIL, a special beer to support Alex Kidd. This is unbelievably the tenth installment in this series, with more to come. We can only hope that by highlighting the immense generosity from the Industry through these dedicated releases that we’ve not only inspired others to contribute help, but also motivated people to get checked regularly and learn the importance of monitoring their bodies.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Timber Ales’ Stay Strong Alex

This series has been a humbling experience. Not only have we had the opportunity to cover more participating breweries than we ever thought, but we have also seen endless generosity both in support of these installments and, more importantly, in support of Alex Kidd as he continues to fight for his life. Timber Ales is the next feature in Collaborating for a Cause, and we had the privilege of talking with Owner and Brewer Jason Stein about his iteration of Stay Strong Alex and the impact that Don’t Drink Beer has had on his own journey.
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Collaborating for a Cause | Altar of the Orc Lord: DDB Edition

Those who have followed Alex Kidd since the beginning know him to be a long-time supporter of Modern Times. His reviews of their products have contributed to the growth of their barrel program and special projects, and the news of his cancer diagnosis back in May really hit the team in a personal place. Less than a month after Alex shared the news on social media, Modern Times had already organized a release in an effort to help cover his hospital expenses. We had the opportunity to work briefly with the Special Projects team at Modern Times to gain more insight on the beer itself and Alex’s impact on their development.

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Collaborating for a Cause | ALEX KIDD IS LIFE!

While Mikerphone Brewing out of Chicago is the latest brewery in this series, they were one of the first to take action in support of Alex Kidd and his family following the news of his cancer diagnosis. Just like what we saw most recently with Bob D’Angelo and Esker Hart Artisan Ales, Mikerphone Brewing was founded from a passion for homebrewing. Now, eight years since their first commercial beer, Mikerphone has become a Chicago beer staple and Owners Mike and Lisa Pallen have been fortunate enough to travel the world making and sharing beer. Upon hearing Alex’s devastating news, they knew they wanted to do what they could for him and his family during this unprecedented time. We were able to talk briefly with Mike and discuss a little more about the special single barrel English-style Barleywine released for the man behind the Barleywine is Life movement.

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Collaborating for a Cause | Bear: Stay Strong Alex

The Stay Strong Alex initiative continues this week with a special iteration of Esker Hart Artisan Ale’s Bear series. With his first full-production location slated to open in early 2024, Bob D’Angelo started his brewing journey nine years ago. Early support from Alex served as a huge kick start to what has now become Esker Hart, and in the wake of his unanticipated cancer diagnosis, Bob knew that he wanted to honor and dedicate this second Blend of Bear to him in support of the long road ahead. We had a chance to talk with Bob and learn more about his history with Alex as well as the beer itself and the special raffle that was set up to help raise money for the Kidd family.
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Ultimate 6er | Six Beers for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift

With Taylor Swift attending the Kansas City Chiefs game this past Sunday, the dating rumors between her and Travis Kelce are reaching a boiling point. This is a cultural crossover for the ages, thrilling both Swifties and NFL fans alike. Until these rumors are actually confirmed, I’ll be busy setting my fantasy football lineups, streaming Getaway Car (IYKYK) and daydreaming about this perfect duo. And speaking of perfect pairings, here are 6 beers the maybe couple should be sipping on as their love story unfolds.

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Collaborating for a Cause | 2 Live Gran Kidd

In a continually impressive showing of togetherness for a shared cause, Stay Strong Alex and similar initiatives have been raising an incredible amount of money to support Alex Kidd and his family as they navigate the road ahead following his Stage IV cancer diagnosis. This week we look to Pennsylvania and Voodoo Brewing Company. Having just celebrated the 10th anniversary of its original Arch Street Brew Pub last year, these guys are no strangers to the industry. The devastating diagnosis of the satirical beer icon resonated heavily with the team in Meadville, and we had the opportunity to speak briefly with Voodoo CMO Tom Guzick to gain some insight about the most recent release in their famous Barrel Room Collection series dedicated to Alex Kidd.

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Collaborating for a Cause | For The Kidd’s

The high-production powerhouses of the industry have been far from the only ones showing support towards Alex Kidd and his family during his continuing fight with Stage IV cancer. A collaborative effort out of New Jersey, For The Kidd’s is the next feature in a growing series highlighting the incredible support provided by the craft beer community for a craft beer icon. Chris with Shore Side Brewing allowed us the opportunity to sit down and discuss a beer that he felt was more than fitting to be released for Don’t Drink Beer.

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Copper Kettle Brewing Announces Rebranded, Greener Cans

In what’s hopefully the start of a trend for small craft breweries, Denver’s Copper Kettle Brewing announced a switch to environmentally friendly printed cans for its flagship beers. Earlier this year we talked with head brewer Greg Moore about barriers to greener packaging. Since then, Copper Kettle has worked diligently to find a option that’s easily recyclable, cost-effective and actually easier on the production line. Read More

Collaborating for a Cause | Kidd Beer

Alex Kidd and his family have been incredibly humbled by the support they continue to receive from the Beer Community. With this installment, Collaborating for a Cause is highlighting HOMES Brewery, a small but progressive program out of Ann Arbor, MI. Maybe most famously known in recent years for Smooj, their line of all natural fruited seltzers, they also boast a varied and impressive portfolio of uniquely nuanced traditional beer styles. For their ode to Alex Kidd in support of his fight with cancer, they knew they had to go big. We had the chance to chat briefly with Nick Panchamé, Head Brewer at HOMES, about this recent charitable effort and how Alex was able to inspire the amazing gesture. Enter KIDD BEER.

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More Than a Patio | Breweries Expand Outdoor Activities

While virtually every craft brewery has a patio where patrons spend afternoons knocking back sessionable summer brews, several Denver-area breweries have taken the concept to a whole new level with a multitude of outdoor activities. These  taprooms offer more than just the patio experience, giving beer-lovers entertainment options like golf, games, dogs and mountain biking. Read More