Holiday
Ultimate 6er | Christmas Cookie & Beer Pairings
December 14, 2016 | Holly Gerard
It’s that time of year again for Christmas Cookie and Beer Pairings! Our first edition of this pairing theme kicked off last year as you may remember, and I was very excited to bring it back for a second time this year. I was torn between sticking to all American brews for this year’s edition or if I should add some of those fantastic Belgian Christmas Ales in the mix, but then decided that this year’s version should be strictly All-American. There were definitely some great options for pairing. Also, just like last year, I did some homemade cookies and some store-bought for those of you that like to bake and for those of you that would prefer not to. Now let’s get on to the goods!
12 Days of Christmas | Anchor Brewing | Christmas Ale
December 14, 2016 | Chris & Sylvia Hollands
ABV 6.5%
Welcome to the time of year when families gather to spend quality time in the same room staring at their phones. With all kidding aside, sometimes it is nice to take a step back to reflect on the good old holiday traditions of the past, with a good old Christmas Ale.
The Greatest Christmas Movie of All Time | Round 2
December 13, 2016 | Drew Troller
Round 1 of our Christmas movie tournament had some surprises. We saw some real blow-outs – Home Alone crushed its sequel, and Christmas Vacation trounced The Santa Clause. There were also some real nail-biters: Scrooged narrowly got past the Muppets, and Elf beat A Christmas Story by a single vote. (Jill Stein is raising funds to order a recount of that one).
(More: See How Close Round 1 Actually Was!)
Round 2 begins now, with four match-ups between some of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. But there can only be one winner in this battle. Review the battles below – every vote counts!
BrewLights 2016 | 12 Samples of Christmas Beer
December 7, 2016 | Mathew Powers
What better way to get acquainted with Holiday beer than a December beer festival offering local, national and imported selections? For instance, BrewLights 2016 — a craft beer festival held amidst Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo’s animal family, adorned by a plethora of holiday lights and accompanied by plenty of holiday tunes. The scene at BrewLights made it tough not to get into the holiday spirit. Throw in a little nip in the air and the smell of Christmas beer, and it’s as if Santa himself has arranged the party. As you shop this year, it may be difficult to know what holiday-seasonal beers to purchase, so let’s go through the 12 beer samples of Christmas provided at BrewLights 2016.
The Greatest Christmas Movie of All Time | Round 1
December 5, 2016 | Drew Troller
Are you counting down the days until Christmas? Are you decking the halls with boughs of holly and fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-ing? If your holiday traditions include watching Christmas movies… you may find yourself questioning where to start. There are dozens of great Christmas movies (and thousands of mediocre ones). And it’s hard to say which is the best.
Moody Tongue Brewing Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner Returns December 2
December 1, 2016 | Mathew Powers
Moody Tongue Brewing in Chicago, the brainchild of Jared Rouben, a graduate of both the Culinary Institute of America and Seibel, recently opened its new, cozy taproom on the city’s west side. With that opening, Moody can now provide its coveted Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner on draft – a sinful holiday beer treat for either the naughty or nice this year.
Read More
PorchDrinking Playlist | Christmas Mix-teen for Twenty Sixteen
November 29, 2016 | David Thompson
Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post.
Every year my wife spends days combing through new Christmas music, and revisiting classic versions and compiles a new seasonal mix of music. Every … Read More
PorchDrinking’s Winter Movie Preview: Part One
November 23, 2016 | Drew Troller
This is a sponsored post brought to you by Alamo Drafthouse’s Glass Half Full Bar
Summer is for comic book movies, action flicks, and blockbusters. Fall and winter are for dramas, passion projects, and the films most likely to be nominated for awards. That’s the conventional wisdom regarding the movie releases around the holiday season. And there’s no denying that recent TV spots and theatrical trailers are teasing some highly anticipated films.
Platform Beer Co. | Yammy Yammy
November 23, 2016 | Mary Ellen Finnegan
ABV: 7.7%
Pair with: Friendsgiving gatherings. Thanksgiving leftovers.
‘Tis the season to embrace all things fall. If you’re burnt out on pumpkin-spiced everything, Yammy Yammy by Platform Brewing Co. features another … Read More
PorchDrinking Playlist | Thanksgiving
November 22, 2016 | Holly Gerard
It’s that time of year again. The holidays have begun and Thanksgiving is already here! Be prepared (at least with the music you’re going to play) with this Thanksgiving playlist. It holds a nice mix of modern indie and americana, classical strings and piano, retro jazz, and even a little bit of 60s folk the perfect background tunes to pair with your meal. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Ultimate 6er | Beers to Pair with Your Thanksgiving Meal
November 21, 2016 | Jeremiah Cornelius
Holiday season is underway and it’s almost time to gather with family and friends to overindulge in the largest meal most of us will eat all year. Hours upon hours are dedicated to cooking an assortment of dishes. Each dish has been tried and tested for years, coming together into a well-thought-out, complex meal. Some recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and some recipes were probably Googled the day before in an effort to find a new tasty dish to wow the family.
Ultimate 6er | Christmas Cookie & Beer Pairings
December 16, 2015 | Holly Gerard 1
This is one of my favorite times of year. Especially because I have an excuse to bake up a storm of Christmas cookies and sweets. So why not punch up your treats with some Christmas Cookie and Beer pairings? Who needs Christmas whiskey when you have winter beers? But don’t worry, if you aren’t a big baker or candy maker, there are a couple of store bought options for you to pair that beer with as well.
Ultimate 6er | Beer Pairings for Your Holiday Dinner Party
December 9, 2015 | Katelyn Pelak
The holidays are the time to enjoy exceptional food, delicious beers and your favorite people – so why not combine all three this year? We’ve compiled the Ultimate 6er for holiday dinner party beer pairings, so break out your tastiest recipes and throw a party!
Ultimate 6er | Secret Santa Gifts for Hard-To-Buy-For Family Members
December 24, 2014 | Danny King
It’s December 24 and after a month of delaying, you’re still trying to figure who the heck who it is you pulled from the Secret Santa bag for your family party. Jeremy? Did someone have a kid and you didn’t notice? Is he a long last cousin that’s been living Potter-style under the stairs all these years? Whose aunt is Aunt Kathy cause you’re pretty sure she isn’t yours.
My family party this year is at a record low of 29 people this year, but with a family that big there’s no way you can know enough about everyone to get them a perfect gift. In an effort to make sure that poor Jeremy doesn’t end up with the re-gifted candle for Christmas, below I’m giving you six beers for the family party members you don’t know well.
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas | Craft Beer Edition
December 22, 2014 | Niel Stender 2
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
many critters were stirring, including a mouse.
The stockings were stuffed with craft beer … Read More
How To Celebrate Festivus
December 23, 2012 | Nik Heimach 5
With each passing holiday, it seems more and more like American consumerism knows no bounds. Every superstore begins their holiday-hyping months in advance, and the majority of American consumers spend exuberant amounts of cash fulfilling every advertised need. From thousands of Christmas lights perfectly choreographed, to beating your neighbors bloody for the last honey-glazed ham, it would seem Americans love spending money on holidays almost as much as businesses love exploiting them. The mere opportunity of Black Friday deals turn regular people into riotous mobs, with incidents of trampling becoming commonplace each year. But it was in a similar moment of impassioned consumerism when Frank Costanza, after raining blows upon a rival buyer, realized there had to be another way. Soon after, Festivus was born. “Festivus for the rest of us!”
Story Time With Hank | A Very Cloying Christmas
December 21, 2012 | Hank Henry
When I was a kid, I was a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer man. I watched—and loved—all the schmaltzy Christmas specials—your Charlie Browns, your Garfields, your Frosty the Snowmans—hell, I watched Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey once, and didn’t even kill myself after—but Rudolph was my favorite. I bet there’s an Angelfire website that would tell me what that says about me as a person.
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