Saint Arnold Brewing Barrel-Aged Beer & Cellar Tour

Whatever your passion, whatever the thing that makes the world shine that little bit brighter, makes your heart beat that little bit faster, a glimpse behind the velvet curtain of how that magic is made is an immeasurable treat. Whether you’re my dad touring the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground or my nephew hanging out with the drivers backstage at the Formula One, getting a sneaky peek behind the scenes is what it’s all about. For a dedicated Texan beer lover, getting a glimpse of the inner machinations of our oldest craft brewery—a two-time Great American Beer Festival Brewery of the Year-winning behemoth whose barrel-aged program is the stuff of round-the-block queues—is that trip through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia.

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Slack Tide Brewing Co. | Knockdown Black IPA

A certain style of beer tends to tickle our fancy when it is done well. This style isn’t as common as some more popular styles, but that doesn’t mean it’s not as good or even better. We’re talking about the Black IPA.

We have a great one to talk about today! This particular beer embodies everything a Black IPA should be.

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2024 Colorado Beer Events & Festival Guide | February 2024

As Colorado’s winter kicks into gear, so do the major beer events and festivals designed to keep you warm and cozy. The arrival of February inherently triggers an onslaught of high-profile beer festivals and major events coinciding with the return of Stout Month. For a full list of Stout Month festivities be sure to check out our full roundup which we posted yesterday.

Additionally, we’ve begun rounding up major beer festivals, brewery anniversaries, grand openings, and events to look forward to in Centennial State with a greater showcase of some of our staff picks in the month of February. Be sure to check back often as we’ll be updating our list throughout the year.

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Copper State Beer Festival, Mesa AZ | Jan 13th 2024

Sweaters are being stripped off, sleeves are being rolled up, and hats are perched on heads as the sparkling winter sun permeates Mesa, AZ’s Riverview Park. Copper State Beer Festival is in full swing, and the weather is offering up its desert best for the 5,000 visitors the event has attracted. This is the third year the festival has taken place, drawing beer lovers from across Arizona and further afield to one of Phoenix’s hippest suburbs for an afternoon of imbibement. As Arizona’s craft beer scene blooms like a cactus flower, consumers are catching on, creating space for this frankly huge event featuring 72 breweries, plus a range of cideries, wineries, meaderies, distilleries, seltzer makers, bars and bottle shops. While the focus is firmly on beer, this is an event with something for everyone and an opportunity for local businesses to showcase their offerings alongside high-profile national names. There’s even a skating rink and axe throwing, which beats the heck out of the usual spin-the-wheel attractions beer festivals offer (FYI there was also spin-the-wheel).

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Where to Celebrate 2024 Stout Month in Colorado

You did it! You made it through Dry January! And while a reset was likely needed for all of us, the arrival of February will also welcome the return of Stout Month throughout the state of Colorado.

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Horus Aged Ales | Built Different (CrystAle)

Continuing a trend of California brewers developing new Barleywine-based beer styles, we now visit SoCal where Kyle Harrop of Horus Aged Ales has developed CrystAle. This 100% Crystal Malt riff on Barleywine began as a self challenge and morphed into something truly unique, combining elements of several styles into a new barrel aged option in Kyle’s repertoire. Built Different is the first CrystAle Kyle released, giving a peek into the philosophy and method behind developing a new beer style.

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Kicking 2024 Off with Indeed Brewing

With a slew of closures in the craft beer world in 2023, it’s always great to watch a brewery flourish. Indeed Brewing Company, with taprooms in both Minneapolis and Milwaukee, had a huge 2023. Not only were its flagship beers, Flavorwave IPA and Pistachio Cream Ale, big hits in its market, but it donated over $50,000 to various nonprofit organizations in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

PorchDrinking chatted with chief business officer Ryan Bandy, who was appointed to the role in 2023 after over 10 years with the brewery, including as director of experiences.

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Craft Culture X | Thai One On Lemongrass-Basil Blonde Ale

The beer scene in Texas is in a state of flux, with multiple closures, including many fan favorites, leaving drinkers reeling and owners uncertain as to what the future holds. Against this precarious background, the opening of Houston’s Craft Culture X is a beam of positivity for the industry for multiple reasons.

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Butchertown Brewing Announces All-Star 2024 Collaboration Lineup

If it’s true that you can judge a person by the company they keep, then it’s likely you can also judge a brewery by the company with whom they collaborate.

Like many emerging innovative craft breweries, Louisville, KY’s Butchertown Brewing, has adopted the philosophy of utilizing collaborations as a means to not only further hone their craft, but to also build greater relationships with other like-minded breweries that share similar philosophies and stylistic focus.

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Goldfinger Brewing Company | Vienna Lager

In the words of a late, great hip-hop artist, “Lager Lager Lager can’t you see, sometimes your crisp just hypnotizes me.” He didn’t exactly say those words, but we like to think he would. As it turns out, it’s just us. We are the ones hypnotized by a wonderfully crafted Lager.

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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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LUKI Brewing’s Niche Events Find Success in the ‘Burbs

As DJ Saddy Jeff sulked in the corner — spinning an Emo’s Greatest Hits set of tunes — a bigger-than-usual crowd of thirsty Thursday holiday refugees gathered to pair beers and treats, watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and bask in the warm radiation of songs from the ghosts of a vaguely-goth past.

In the (normally) quiet West Arvada suburbs of Denver, Colorado, LUKI Brewery has found a niche in its array of unique events. From the ever-popular Gilmore Girls Day, to Goat Yoga and a bunch of wacky stuff in between, founder Jeff Smith has created something special that (perhaps strangely, at times?) really unites the community.

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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

Firestone Walker Brewing | Dividing Time (Munichwine)

Beer styles reflect the times in which they originate. Once upon a decade or so ago in craft beer, the idea of a pint glass filled with opaque orange juice-looking liquid whose taste most closely resembles a tropical smoothie would be preposterous. Alas, over the past 10+ years Hazy IPAs have come to dominate the craft beer landscape. Some styles are but a blip on the map – Brut IPAs sought a dry easy drinking alternative to the Hazy but had no staying power. This more easily palatable yet still juicy desire has led to the recent proliferation of Cold IPAs and modern West Coast IPAs utilizing lager yeast and modern hop varietals to reach that desired end. Despite this constant evolution, some beer styles seem timeless despite only recently being developed. Such a style is Munichwine developed by Brad Clark of Private Press Brewing. Having tweaked and perfected the style to his liking, Clark worked with Firestone Walker Brewing to brew a collaboration Munichwine at their facility and then age it in bourbon barrels, resulting in Dividing Time – an exclusive release for members of Firestone Walker’s beer club, the Brewmaster’s Collective.

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Emerald Republic Brewing | Ten Wraiths Hazy IPA

One of the best things about the craft beer community is the people. Meeting people and hearing their stories is frankly why we do this. It’s why we are so passionate about writing and telling their stories. We suppose, in some slight way, it’s how we as writers can give back to the community.

You’ll meet some genuine people if you’re lucky enough in your craft beer endeavors. Although we haven’t met him in person yet, one of those people is Phil Zayas, Founder and Brewer for Emerald Republic Brewing.

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Barrel Room Spotlight | Floodland Brewing

Up until this point, the Barrel Room Spotlight has exclusively featured brewery programs specializing in malty, high-gravity, oak-aged beers. For this installment, Floodland Brewing breaks the mold. We had the privilege of interviewing founder and brewer Adam Paysse to gain some insight into Floodland’s mixed fermentation portfolio, some of his approaches to culture collection and ingredients, and how he is able to assert his vision through unique, high-quality, bottle-conditioned beers. Read More

Colorado Pint Day Set for April 10 by Colorado Brewers Guild

Recently, the Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) announced this year’s Colorado Pint Day will occur on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. The 9th Annual fundraiser is for the CBG, which is a nonprofit trade group for independent craft breweries in the Centennial State. For Colorado Pint Day, breweries from around the state will sell the limited edition glasses and the CBG will receive $1 from each one sold.

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Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 1/11

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 beer scene.

As another new year begins, we return to the ritual of dry January. Your favorite breweries are pining for your return, but that isn’t stopping them from releasing fresh brews! As you partake in dry January, take a second and think about what you really want… The choice is easy, you obviously want to support local Colorado businesses and quench your thirst with a refreshing craft beer.

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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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Precarious Beer Project | Feel Dazed Double IPA

As adults, we often reach back into our memory bank and reminisce about certain times or things we’ve experienced. Thinking back to your childhood, do you remember Field Day? This was a day that most people looked forward to all year. A day that you didn’t do any schoolwork and got to play outdoor games all day. Sometimes you could even leave early with your parents!

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