Dovetail Brewery Celebrates One Year of Business Plus Other News

Dovetail Brewery, one of Chicago’s most unique micro brewers, recently celebrated their one year anniversary in their Ravenswood brew spot on Malt Row. Dovetail has accomplished a lot in one year and have differentiated themselves from competitors due to their unique open fermentation, European-brew style of lagers, pilsners and hefeweizens.

With a year under their belt, the good folks at Dovetail are doing what any ambitious new microbrewery does: expand, whether that is via increased distribution or new brew styles. Here are a few recent summer announcements you might have missed. Read More

Illinois Brewers Guild President Discusses Welles Summer Fest and Illinois Craft Beer

Once the Illinois Craft Beer Guild (ICBG) event that effectively served as the closing ceremonies to Chicago Craft Beer Week (CCBW), the festival held at Welles Park in Lincoln Square now enjoys the title of Summer Beer Fest. On August 5th, fans can drink beer, gaze upon the large gazebo, listen to live music and purchase food.

We chatted with Danielle D’Alessandro, president of the Guild, to talk Welles Fest, clean water and all things Illinois beer.

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Transient Artisan Ales | Czech Yourself

Summer’s here and in full swing, so going to the beach or hanging around outside are two common activities most people do while drinking beer. Since most people don’t want to wreck themselves, a good idea would be to Czech Yourself with Transient Artisan Ales‘ first lager.
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Event Recap | Windy City Smokeout

The Windy City Smokeout was sold out this year and, after experiencing the event on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Chicago, it’s easy to see why. Music evokes many powerful emotions within people, but there are few greater sounds on a hot summer day than the melodious tunes of a country band. Couple that with copious amounts of craft beer and delicious barbecue, and you have an event that is worth every penny.

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Upland Brewing Company | Petal to the Kettle

Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, Indiana is well known for their wood-aged sour beers. While those are distinct and worth trying, they brew plenty of other tasty beers. I’m a big fan of sours, so when I got my hands on their latest kettle sour, Petal to the Kettle, I was excited to have an easy drinking version to add to my cooler for the summer. It did not disappoint.

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Grand Rapids Beers Made With Tea

Tea and beer have an awful lot in common. They’re both brewed, they each have options for everyone, and often they act as an alternative to coffee.

For years, brewers have been using tea during the brewing process, and it’s proven a success. Here in West Michigan, a few breweries have come up with some lovely beers that celebrate proper relaxation. Read More

Dancing Gnome | Better One or Two

Dancing Gnome has been regularly canning their delicious beers and last week they released one of their DIPA’s, Better One or Two. I’m sure a few of us have seen … Read More

Fast Facts on Lucky Dorr, Wrigley Field’s New Craft Beer Paradise

Wrigley Field is many things, but it has never been an ideal place to indulge in some local craft beer – until now. Opening this week at the beautiful Park at Wrigley complex, Lucky Dorr offers Chicago craft beer lovers a myriad of delicious, local options along with hand-crafted food from Chef Matthias Merges that are sure to leave many baseball fans with a smile on their face before they even enter into the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field. Here are the fast facts on Lucky Dorr.

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Ultimate 6er | Chicago Summer Ale Varieties

The dog days of summer are upon us. With every drop of sweat comes a need for refreshment, and what better way to achieve that relief than with a beer? The citrus-laden and coconut-flavored brews are just begging to be enjoyed under the summer sun. Here are six summer ale selections to help carry you through July and onto the season’s dog days.

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Dovetail Brewery | Hefeweizen

The Chicago metro area certainly has a multitude of beers available for consumption these days, given its now 175+ breweries in operation. But, every once in awhile, a beer comes along that inspires a beer writer such as me to, well, write about it. This time, the beer comes from the mad geniuses of Chicago’s Dovetail Brewery. The Dovetail motto, “We brew like monks (minus the vows),” notes its dedication to traditional, continental European-style brewing methods and that is why the Dovetail Hefeweizen is one of the best you’ll ever have.
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Chicago’s Headquarters Beercade and 3 Floyd’s Present Rick & Morty Beer Event

For all Rick & Morty fans who have ever dreamed of visiting the Blips & Chitz arcade-themed building, the nostalgia-tinged craft beercade hosts an event inspired by the characters of Rick & Morty with beer pairings from 3 Floyd’s Brewing.

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Brewery Showcase | Scratch Brewing

Nestled in the woods of southern Illinois, among the dips and low hills of a surprisingly wild region of the state, sits one of the most innovative breweries operating in the American craft beer scene today. That innovation, however, comes by way of ancient tradition. Owners and brewmasters Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon aren’t pioneering cutting edge brewing technologies or using explosively flavorful new varieties of experimental hops. Rather, they’re reviving the use of ingredients and techniques that humans have used for centuries to make beer. Foraging among the underbrush of their wooded property for edible bark, nuts, fruits, flowers, roots and mushrooms, and growing yet more ingredients at their brewery garden, the folks at Scratch are bringing unexpected flavors to beer drinkers lucky enough to make it to their rustic property.

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2nd Shift Brewing | Hibiscus Wit

Is there a beer out there that has had such a profound effect on you that you remember everything about the first time you sipped it? I do.
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Cider Showcase | Cidergeist (Rhinegeist) Bubbles

ABV: 6.2%

Full disclosure – I have never been much of a cider drinker. My friends can all attest that whenever we head out to a bar, I’m sticking to beer. Whether it’s the cloying sweetness of some or the champagne dryness of others, I haven’t quite had the best luck when it comes to craft ciders. So when I was recently offered a can of Bubbles by Rhinegeist, needless to say my past experiences prompted me to accept with some hesitation. Luckily, any and all hesitation was obliterated as soon as I took that first sip. It was amazing.

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Brewing News Roundup | Several New Beers Are On The Way

While we can’t pretend to list every new beer release, here are several tasty tidbits that have come across the PorchDrinking.com desk from around the nation. New beers, new packaging, new collaborations and so much more.

Jump to the beer release(s) from the following breweries:

Avery Brewing | Bear Republic | Bell’s Brewery | Brewery Ommegang | Firestone Walker | Forbidden Root | Fremont Brewing | Green Flash | Great Divide Brewing | Modern Times Beer | Moody Tongue | New Belgium Brewing | Reformation Brewery | Rogue Ales & Spirits | SweetWater Brewing | Terrapin Beer Co. | Hopstix

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Bell’s Brewery | Two Hearted Ale

ABV: 7% | IBU: 55

For most new to beer, and a sizable number of those well-versed in the various styles beer has to offer, trying an IPA is like sneaking a swig of your dad’s whiskey after everyone has gone to bed. It is an unpleasant rite of passage into the craft beer world that I, simply put, did not agree with. There was too much out there to enjoy without forcing myself to drink something I didn’t enjoy. Read More

Brewers Describe the Value of Brewing Independence

The United States started as nothing more than an idea, a dream and a determination to overcome perceived empire-driven injustices. For the overwhelming majority of breweries, those values presented by our Founding Fathers echo the idea of independent brewing. Sure, there are brewing empires that could lure one to the economic promised land, but the pursuit of “hoppiness” for independent breweries is best served through self-determination rather than corporate funding. As the nation moves toward celebrating its independence, we at PorchDrinking.com wanted to discuss brewing independence with a few breweries who have thumbed their proverbial noses at the King Georges of the world and exercise their freedom to brew.

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Event Preview | Chicago Square Roots Three-Day Beer and Music Festival

The 6th Annual Square Roots craft beer and music experience in Chicago’s Lincoln Square (July 7 – 9) consists of 40 local craft brews (including special batch and limited release taps), a spectacular collection of food vendors, more than 60 acts on four stages, family activities and the chance to explore the Old Town School of Folk Music.

Craft beer is all about community, and this fest embodies that philosophy. Suggested donations of $10 for adults, $5 for kids/seniors, and $20 for families help fund Old Town School of Folk Music scholarship programs and the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce farmers markets and concerts, not to mention every local business attending the festival.

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Sour Summer: Five Sour Craft Beers to Beat the Heat

Featured image courtesy of Braxton Brewing Co.

For most, the hot summer months mean moving to lighter beers. It makes sense that a light, crisp, refreshing beer is better when you are in the sun, but that doesn’t mean you have to default to a light lager or blonde ale. Many other styles fit the hot summer months just as well, such as sour craft beers. And I am not talking about the traditional sours like lambics but rather kettle sours (aka quick sours). There’s been a huge influx of this type of beer and I think they are a great fit for a hot summer day because they offer low ABV, are ideally drank cold, and provide a crisp, refreshing taste that fights off the effects of the hot summer sun.

Here in Cincinnati, we have a lot of great options that fit this style. Plus, these beers are easy to bring along when you are enjoying the outdoors. Here are five of my favorite Cincinnati summer sours.

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Why DryHop and Corridor Brewery are Embracing the Hazy IPA Trend

Feature image courtesy of DryHop Brewers

For DryHop Brewers & Corridor Brewery & Provisions head brewer Brant Dubovick, the insight to start focusing on hazy IPAs started when he was in DC for the Craft Brewers Conference with DryHop Lead Brewer Adrian Vidaurre and Corridor Lead Brewer Roger Cuzelis. While there, Brant decided to wait in line for up to 2.5 hours for a Trillium and Bissel Brothers New England-style IPA at a tap takeover. Since then, the haze craze has been front and center for both DryHop and its sister brewery Corridor Brewery & Provisions in particular. Corridor has proven to be a particularly good testing ground to test Chicago’s demand for the hazy IPA, and according to Dubovick, the response has been “amazing.”

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