Ultimate 6er | Beers to Numb the Surreal, Disconnected American Fauxscape

Last year the surgeon general issued a 60+ page report on the epidemic of loneliness that has been pervasive in the post-COVID world. Whatever you felt about the recent election, it had to at the very least remind you that we’re living in extraordinarily strange times. How do we find new and improved social connections amid the deepest national division in our collective lifetimes?

Beer, that’s how. Your local craft brewery has become the gold standard of post-pandemic community interaction. Beyond whatever product is delivered through the taps, craft breweries are every bit as important to the community as bars and saloons were in the Old West, or as taverns were in pretty much any other point in human history.  They are the hubs of social interaction — the great equalizer of humanity that transcends class, age, affiliation or taste.

Read More

Collaborating for a Cause | New Image Brewing

It’s honestly baffling to come to the realization that it has been 17 and a half months since Alex Kidd’s shocking announcement that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic colon cancer. The beer community immediately rose to the occasion, raising over $400,000 for Alex and his family to help with his medical bills. Even after all this time, PorchDrinking still has yet to feature all of the breweries and their beers and/or releases dedicated to the man behind Don’t Drink Beer. That said, we started this journey back in June of last year with Horus Aged Ales’ Stay Strong Alex, and this is now the 23rd installment of Collaborating for a Cause. For this spotlight we zoom northwest of Denver, CO, and set our sights to New Image Brewing.

Read More

Table by New Image Brewing

Food at a brewery is often an afterthought. People go there for the beer being brewed, says common thinking, and then need something to eat – some type of nourishment should be offered. While this beer-first mentality makes sense for a business whose primary income is from beer, there exists the possibility to do things differently, giving a brewery’s food its moment to shine. Brandon Capps, founder of New Image Brewing, sought to redefine the taproom experience by transforming New Image’s Olde Town Arvada, Colorado location into Table, an approachable farm to table restaurant whose focus is all on the food and its quality ingredients. Brandon has “always been frustrated at why great food and great beer almost never seem to arrive side by side,” and he’s seeking to fix that flaw.

Read More

Wayfinder Beer Crowned the Krispy King

For the third year in a row, Barrels and Bottles Brewery in Golden, Colorado, hosted the Krispy King Lager Competition in advance of the Great American Beer Festival. This year — for the first time — they crowned a Krispy Queen. Read More

Odell Brewing | Lincolns Lager

It’s no surprise that craft beer is expensive. Perhaps it has always been this way, especially compared to macro beer. The strain of high price points to consumers is more acutely felt these days. To be sure, prices are high at every point in the supply chain, from raw materials to reliable labor to taproom space, and breweries themselves are struggling to balance all of these factors while still providing quality product at a palatable cost. It is because of all these elements that it is all-too-refreshing to find a good and affordable beer—or any drink for that matter. That is where Lincolns Denver steps into the picture, offering all drinks for only $5 cash. 

Read More

Colorado Breweries Who Won Big at the 2024 GABF Competition

Colorado breweries boasted another impressive showing at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival. This year, Colorado breweries took home 38 medals with 34 different brewery locations celebrating awards, nearly matching the impressive outing of 40 medals coming from the Centennial State. An additional three medals were awarded to a pair of Colorado cideries, in Haykin Family Cider (Aurora, CO) and Snow Capped Cider (Austin, CO), the first time cideries were awarded medals at the competition with support from the American Cider Association.

Read More

BREAKING | 2025 WeldWerks Invitational Festival Returns in February

After taking a two-year hiatus, the WeldWerks Invitational, one of the country’s premiere showcases of rare and specialty beers is primed to return on February 8, 2025. Next year’s festival … Read More

Lone Tree Brewing | Vanilla Caramel Amber

Lone Tree Brewing Vanilla Caramel Amber combines flavors that, while a seemingly natural pairing, is a relatively rare one in the beer world. According to Lone Tree co-owner John Winter, few other breweries use these flavors in combination.

“It’s in a category all by itself for the most part,” Winter says. “I don’t see things that even come close to this out in the marketplace.” Read More

Dewey Beer Co. | Sun Camp (West Coast IPA)

Moving from San Diego to a small coastal town in Delaware was not as hard as one might imagine. Arriving to the East Coast in mid-January, I immediately missed the nearly perfect weather, but have now embraced seasonality and the beauty of change. When I find myself longing for SoCal, it’s not the sunshine, the surf or the endless summer that I am missing, it’s the beer. That is until Dewey Beer Co. released Sun Camp, a 6% West Coast IPA I now turn to when I’m California dreamin’.

Read More

The PorchCast Ep. 112 | Eric Wallace – Left Hand Brewing

In episode 112 of The PorchCast, Tristan was joined by Eric Wallace, founder and president of Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing to talk about their recently launched WeFunder campaign, which aims to give beer fans an opportunity to own a share of the pioneer brewery.

Read More

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Firestone Walker Brewing | ParabaNoche

Oftentimes when the old school meets the new, a natural clash occurs. The old knows what they want and is set in their ways, while the new is non-traditional and experimenting with modern trends. When it comes to old school beer in the barrel-aged space, it doesn’t get much older than Firestone Walker Brewing Parabola, a legendary barrel aged Stout that has been in existence for over 15 years. On the newer side of the spectrum, there is WeldWerks Brewing Medianoche, a beer that helped launch — and is one of the most recognizable faces of — the Pastry Stout revolution. Firestone Walker (FW) and WeldWerks chose not to clash over these beers and instead combined forces to create a hybrid called ParabaNoche. Classical yet modern, this collaboration encapsulates the ethos of both beers while creating something wholly new.

Read More

FlyteCo Brewing | Hop Is My Co-Pilot

Many breweries claim to have the freshest wet hop brew, but FlyteCo Brewing Hop Is My Co-Pilot likely takes top honors. Early in the morning on Aug. 15, FlyteCo co-founder Eric Serani piloted a small plane from Denver across the Rocky Mountains to Billy Goat Hop Farm on Colorado’s western slope. After a quick tour of the farm, Serani loaded 60 pounds of freshly-picked hops onto his plane and flew back to Denver for a mid-day brew session. Read More

Colorado’s Primitive Beer & Cellar West Brewery Team Up for Special Sunday Release

The nature of a beer collaboration is working together with (hopefully somewhat) like-minded people to create a harmonious product that reflects the ethos of both breweries. For Primitive Beer, a brewery only making spontaneous barrel-aged sour beer, this process often involves guest blenders tasting through different barrels to determine “what works together and how they want to emphasize different ingredients,” explains Brandon Boldt, half of the duo running the brewery alongside his wife Lisa Boldt. Creating a collab is a journey that involves drinking and finding the right mix, and a frequent co-conspirator in this process is Zach Nichols of Cellar West Brewery. Together they have made many a beer, and today we will highlight one old and one new collaboration of theirs: SuperMoon SuperFriends and Meager Portmanteau (Blend 2) respectively available this Sunday.

Read More

Incantation Brewing Opening New Taproom & Coffee Shop

The taproom model of brewery expansion has proved to be a popular means for breweries to open new locations while keeping profit margins higher through on-site sales. However, as craft beer sales have slowed and the public is not drinking beer like it used to, breweries must adapt to the changing landscape by offering patrons options beyond beer.

Read More

Mountain Toad Brewing | Golden Stout

In a small town with nine craft breweries it takes a lot to stand out, but Golden, Colorado’s Mountain Toad Brewing’s Golden Stout does just that. The brew may seem a strange choice for summer, but its lighter body and color paired with robust flavors actually make it an all-season brew. Read More

Event Preview | 2024 Denver Rare Beer Tasting

Denver Rare Beer Tasting (DRBT) is back for its 15th edition, and this year it features a brand new location that is sure to excite all beer lovers. For the first time ever, Denver Rare Beer Tasting (DRBT) will be held at the combined space of Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Deep Roots Winery, an intimate environment allowing for the close interactions DRBT is well known for. 

Read More

Brewery Showcase | WestFax Springs

WestFax has officially opened its second location, located in Colorado Springs! Be sure to stop by to check out the great beers and awesome space!

Read More

Lariat Lodge Brewing | Hiwan Hefeweizen

As a way to spend an idle summer afternoon along Colorado’s Front Range, nothing beats sipping a Lariat Lodge Hiwan Hefewizen while enjoying the valley view from their hilltop deck. This Hefeweizen contains all of the tasty components of the traditional German brew, while the taproom’s prime location offers a mountain-like getaway close to Denver. Read More

Beer Event | Strange Craft 14th Anniversary

With huge support from its many friends in the brewing community, Denver’s Strange Craft celebrates its 14th anniversary this coming weekend. Festivities kick off on Friday, May 17 with collaboration beers created with Strange Craft’s brewing friends, as well as one brewed by the brewery staff. Strange will host food trucks, live music and dancing in the biergarden on Saturday and Sunday. Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 5/9

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado craft beer scene.

The Colorado Brewers Rendezvous returns to the banks of the Arkansas River this July. Tickets are available now, so make sure to grab one for this awesome beer fest. With hundreds of craft beer offerings from more than 65 Colorado craft breweries, not to mention the views, you’d be crazy to pass it up. Pick up your ticket today!

Read More