Midwest
Goodwood Brewing Company expands to Chicagoland area
July 6, 2016 | Mike Zoller
Louisville-based Goodwood Brewing Company will begin distribution in the Chicagoland area as early as next week. It’s the first time the brewery’s beer will be available in the area.
The Art of the Summer Backyard Bash
July 5, 2016 | Ross Larwood 5
Ah, summer is here. Can you smell it? If you’re like me and the sprouting weeds and blossoming trees have wreaked havoc on your once empty sinus cavities, probably not. Summer means many things to many people. To me, aside from the whole allergy thing, it means the pinnacle of outdoor hangout season is officially upon us. Don’t get me wrong winter can be nice for a bonfire, but as soon as Memorial Day has passed and the mercury has risen, the seasons for cookouts, barbecues (no, they’re not the same thing, more on that later,) pool parties, and tailgates are officially here! So, set aside those last few stouts in your beer fridge until the next snowfall and hope time treats them well. Grab yourself some summertime brews, gas up the lawn mower, pop some Claratin, and get ready for the best year of outdoor entertainment yet.
What We’re Drinking | July 2nd, 2016
July 1, 2016 | Lanie Novack
4th of July has arrived, my friends. We’ve got a long few days of PorchDrinking and sparkler-waving ahead of us, so stock up on your favorite summer brews and get ready to celebrate. Here are a few of our favorites. Break out the koozies and red solo cups… this weekend, we drink to Amurica! *clink*
Spiteful Brewing | God Damn Pigeon Porter
July 1, 2016 | Mike Wronski
ABV: 8.2%
City living comes with its annoyances. Plenty to find just in being around large amounts of people. But the special treat comes from dealing with the variety of “wildlife” that the city harbors. Rats, pigeons, squirrels, rabbits, centipedes, ginkgo trees, invasive ivy. Every city dweller has a story about a run in with city nature. Girlfriends screeching to kill a ceiling centipede, rats running into your foot on a bar’s back patio, or pigeons decorating your suit coat on the way to work. Just daily city navigating. But one way to take your mind off the animals (other than employing your own feral cats) is to sit down with Spiteful Brewing’s God Damn Pigeon Porter. Read More
Rhinegeist | Streaker Rye IPA
June 30, 2016 | Mathew Powers
ABV: 6% | IBU: 60
Streaker Rye IPA from Cincinnati’s up-and-coming Rhinegeist provides insight into why this Queen City brewery is enjoying such rapid success. Rhinegeist recently celebrated its third anniversary, only days after partying with friends from New Belgium Brewery to help kick off the release of the Fat Tire and Friends CollaBEERation 25th Anniversary project (as reported by PorchDrinking’s Jasmin Hudacsek). In a crowded world of craft brewing, Rhinegeist is making beer enthusiasts take notice. Read More
Event Recap | Chicago Ale Fest
June 29, 2016 | Mathew Powers
Like a symphony orchestra that brilliantly melds the sounds of a drum, bassoon and violin together into one harmonious musical piece, the Chicago Ale Fest proved most enjoyable because from tent to tent; one could sample a black or red IPA, porter, an ale with green tea and lemongrass, fruit-forward beers, barrel-aged brews, helles, pils, maibocks, saisons, sours and gose…and a partridge in a pear tree, I think. Each beer was good on its own, but collectively it makes for one terrific beer experience. Read More
Brewery Showcase | Temperance Beer Co.
June 28, 2016 | Mathew Powers
Who better to build a craft brewery from the ground-up than a former architect? Josh Gilbert, born and raised in Evanston, IL (a northern suburb of Chicago), left the world of architecture and founded Temperance Beer Company in 2013, the town’s first brewery since Prohibition. Three years later, the brewery can best be summed up with one word — balance. Balance in beer. Balance in approach. Balance in philosophy.
Schlafly to Release 12-Pack Focused Around Individual Hops
June 28, 2016 | Mike Zoller
Schlafly Beer is getting ready to release a new variety pack that features relatively new hops in a SMaSH (single malt & single hop) format to showcase the unique characteristics of the hops. The Hop Trial SMaSH Pack will be available everywhere Schlafly Beer is available starting July 4th.
Goose Island releases latest Fulton & Wood Series beer: Bee Squad
June 27, 2016 | Mike Zoller
Brewed with honey and the proceeds going to help beekeeping education and training, Goose Island released Bee Squad last Wednesday night at a sold out event at The J. Parker Rooftop.
Petoskey Brewing Company | Cranium Crush Waffle Cone Raspberry Cream Ale
June 27, 2016 | Timston Johnston 1
7.0% ABV
The Sunday evening before Memorial Day brought rain, but it let up when I was feeling most productive. When the clouds broke and the western skies opened, I walked to the laundromat, washed, and exchanged a dollar for dryer quarters. Read More
Iron Spike Brewing Company | Locomotive Lager
June 24, 2016 | Nick Ostdick
ABV: 6%
For a brewing landscape as diverse as American craft beer, there appears to be only two camps which breweries occupy when it comes to location: remote, rustic, farmhouse-style outfits steeped in terrior, or urban and suburban operations in refurbished warehouses or corrugated steel garages hidden amongst industrial parks.
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company | The Class of 2011
June 23, 2016 | Jordan Palmer
Beers are like years. There are a lot of them in the past, more are coming, and some are better than others.
There are four specific years that stand out in the annals of St. Louis’ rich beer history. 1852 is perhaps the most important, as it is the year Anheuser Busch was founded. In 1991, we saw St. Louis enter the world of locally owned craft beer with the establishment of the Schlafly Brewing Company. And in 2008, well, that’s a year that most St. Louis beer lovers would rather forget… it’s the year AB allowed itself to be bought and owned by Inbev. That was a sad year. Read More
Ultimate 6er | Netflix Original Programming
June 22, 2016 | Scott Johnson
Netflix is the little technology business that could, going from movies-through-the-mail to one of the largest streaming services in the world. Available on every smart device and video game console available, Netflix has a reported total of 81 million people – with 46 million being in the US alone. It’s replaced cable for most of us, opening up a treasure chest of hidden gems and old classics in the most digestible manner possible. Netflix is now a powerhouse in the audio/visual world after acquiring exclusivity rights with Disney, but also through releasing their own original content.
For this week’s Ultimate 6er, we’ll be looking at several of the heavy hitters in the Netflix Original Lineup. Don’t fret if you don’t see any of your favorites here, but these have some of the best beer combinations you could hope to ever watch with your favorite show. So let’s Netflix and Chill (more like cooler) for some summer streaming! Read More
The Six Best Beers for Summer Backpacking
June 22, 2016 | Dan Bortz
You have finally reached your campsite after hiking 20 miles over rugged terrain with all of your gear on your back. A heavy band of sweat clings to your head as you finally drop your pack and begin to set up your shelter. Once you’ve eaten and settled in for the night, you reach into your pack and pull out a beer. Beer might not be as essential as food, water, shelter or clothing, but, in your modest camp, it’s nothing short of a luxury.
Since the most important criterion of a backpacking beer is portability, every beer on this list will be canned. Cans are much lighter than glass and don’t require you to pack a bottle-opener. You also do not run the risk of a can breaking and leaving dangerous shards all over the campsite. Last but not least, aluminum conducts heat faster than glass, which means they’ll get cold faster when you stick them in a creek. There are many to choose from, but, if you ask me, these are the best summer backpacking beers. Read More
Goose Island Collaborates with Local Chicago Band
June 21, 2016 | Mike Zoller
For the fourth year, Goose Island has teamed up with a band performing at the Pitchfork Music Festival to create a unique beer that represents the bands taste in beers. This year the brewery collaborated with Chicago’s own Twin Peaks to create Natural Villain, a garage/pilsner-style lager.
Event Recap | #CCBW Miskatonic Brewing Mystery Infusion Contest
June 20, 2016 | Mathew Powers
Suburban Chicago’s Miskatonic Brewing (Darien, IL) challenged patrons to a test their skills as a beer connoisseur during Chicago Craft Beer Week. Sure, it’s easy to log on to any one of the numerous beer rating sites and provide insight, but just how good are you? More to the point, as the writer who covered the event, how good am I? Read More
New Glarus Brewing Co. | Spotted Cow
June 13, 2016 | John Amantea
ABV: 4.9%
It’s been said that the best things in life are worth working for – a new job, your dream car, that perfect house. The work put in makes the end goal that much more rewarding. While the motto normally applies to loftier, greater goals, the same can be said for New Glarus Brewing Co.’s Spotted Cow. Only available in Wisconsin, Spotted Cow has been a favorite of mine since I began making college visits to my brother Mark when he attended Marquette University almost 10 years ago and continues on today (except now it’s little brother Matt holding it down in The Good Land).
Inside the Tank | Forbidden Root’s BJ Pichman
April 21, 2016 | Mike Zoller
With so many breweries operating in Chicago, the ability to stand out is critical. Forbidden Root has been brewing beer for a couple of years now, and in February of this year they opened up a beautiful new tap room in West Town. The brewery uses botanics in its beers such as ginger, cherry stems, black walnuts and licorice to create unique flavor profiles.
3 Floyds Brewing Co. | Zombie Dust (Zombie Edition)
October 21, 2015 | Gregory Acero
Style: Pale Ale | ABV: 6.2% | IBUs: 50
Halloween is right around the corner and it is one of my all time favorite yearly celebrations. I love scary/horror movies and the month of October is just filled with them, but my all-time favorite horror movie genre is ZOMBIES! Living in Western Pennsylvania you can’t help but be a zombie fan, because the genius behind the genre, George A. Romero, attended college here and also filmed his his first zombie flick, Night of the Living Dead right here in Western Pennsylvania. Ever since then, zombies have been a huge hit in pop culture: movies, television series, clothing, sport events and beer. So what better way to bring in the zombie hoard than with 3 Floyds Brewing Zombie Dust?
Ultimate 6er | The 6 Stages of Cleveland Browns Fandom
August 26, 2015 | John Amantea
As summer comes to a close and we make our way into fall, one thing becomes more imminent than anything: FOOTBALL. And what better way to celebrate the advent of a new season than with some brews? As a native Clevelander and lifelong Browns fan, I know the football season brings with it a roller coaster of experiences spanning across a wide spectrum. So, in anticipation of another grueling season, I present to you the 6 Stages of Cleveland Browns Fandom, as described by beer.
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