Firestone Walker | Anniversary XXVII

When you think of legendary anniversary beers, Firestone Walker has to be pretty close to the top of this list. Not only do they consistently produce incredible blended beers, it’s how they come to that final blend that makes it so special. As with previous versions, local winemakers come together to compete to put their names on that winning blend. Read More

Living The Dream’s 3rd Annual Barrel Aged & Stout Showcase

Living the Dream Brewing will host its annual Barrel Aged & Stout Showcase this Saturday, Feb. 4, at its Littleton, Colorado, taproom. The showcase features brews aged in bourbon and whiskey barrels along with a special mixed-barrel sour. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

It’s All In The Blend | Tasting Eleven Years of Firestone Walker Anniversary Ales

The coming together of brewers and winemakers mixed with the art of blending and barrels is the genesis of Firestone Walker Brewing Company Anniversary Ale. Read More

Colorado Beer Beat | Bi-Weekly Beer Release Guide 12/2

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 to find out what’s new in the Colorado beer scene.

Well, well, well…here we are in December already. It’s crazy to think that I’ll be telling you about New Years’ Eve releases after our next chat! Luckily for all of us, we still have a few weeks before we’ll really be paying attention to that. But, enough of the New Year’s Eve talk, let’s get to the here and now! If you’re looking for a new Barrel-Aged beer to try, there’s no shortage at all in these new releases. Pick one up this week to keep yourself warm on a chilly evening (or not so chilly evening; the weather is a bit warm after all).

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Pure Project | Lief Méthode Traditionnelle

San Diego-based Pure Project started its craft brewing journey in Costa Rica in 2014 but has been firmly ensconced on the west coast since 2016. However, the brewery still focuses on many of the elements that made its Costa Rican location and the initial brewery concept unique like using pure, unique and local ingredients whenever possible, giving back to environmental nonprofits and often starting with the ingredients before determining the style of beer they’ll create. Lief is one such beer.

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Barn Town Brewing | Barrel-Aged Yer Killin’ Me S’mores!

The 2020 version of West Des Moines, IA-based Barn Town Brewing’s Yer Killin’ Me S’mores! offers a nostalgic and supportive approach to Stout Season.

This Milk Stout debuted last year as a nod to “The Sandlot.” Founder Pete Faber and his team knew they wanted to create a s’mores stout and they eventually decided to reference an iconic scene from their childhood. Like all beers at Barn Town, the concept, branding and execution balance eccentricity and thoughtfulness in a purposeful way.
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Strong BA Series | River North Brewery – Barrel Conspiracy: Mr. Sandman

With an in-state distribution footprint that stretches to every corner of Colorado, Denver’s River North Brewery is a longtime local favorite. Despite its reach, its longevity and its reputation among hardcore craft enthusiasts, River North has still managed to remain somewhat of an underrated contender in the world of barrel-aged beers.

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Whiner Beer Co | Miaou

Lately I find myself gravitating toward a trustworthy core of Chicago craft beers I’ve befriended over the years. Brews like Begyle Blonde, Dovetail Helles and Whiner Miaou. These beers won’t surprise me—something I typically love when trying the latest from local breweries. These days, it’s all about familiarity and reliability. Whiner Beer makes a few beers I’d be content to have in my fridge on the regular, but this singular Belgian Wheat Ale is one of the brewery’s finest. 

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Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. | Kentucky Coffee Barrel Cream Ale

Coffee is a vitally important part of my life. Those long cold Chicago nights staying up late with an infant calls for coffee by the pot full, and if my body wasn’t dependent on caffeine before, it sure is now. I’ve always been a big fan of coffee stouts, and Uppers and Downers is one of my favorite Chicago beer festivals during the winter months. As breweries are experimenting more with how coffee and different beer styles and mesh, quite a few different and unique offerings are becoming more readily available, such as Kentucky Coffee Barrel Cream Ale, and it’s a goldmine for both coffee and beer lovers.

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Toasted Barrel Brewery | Barrel Aged Flanders Red

This past summer a trip ended with good luck and bad. The good started with a layover in Las Vegas. You can probably guess we met success at the airport slots. Not a jackpot, mind you, but enough to cover dinner and drinks! The bad luck started at our destination, Salt Lake City. Because our schedule was full with stuff like ziplining and hot air balloon launches, we had enough time to visit just one brewery. One. Read More

Troegs Independent Brewing | Apricot Farmette

Hershey, Pennsylvania, is more than just The Sweetest Place on Earth! Beyond the chocolate bars, the town is also home to the 27^th largest craft brewery in the U.S. based on beer sales volume. This brewery, Troegs Independent Brewing, has been around since the late nineties. Throughout the years, they have created a variety of beers including lip-puckering wild ales like Apricot Farmette. Read More

Saugatuck Brewing Company | BBA Imperial Neapolitan Milk Stout

Living in Michigan as a beer lover is pretty much the best. You can’t throw a beer bottle without hitting a brewery, particularly in West Michigan. Because of this, our standards are quite high, and we do not suffer bad beer to live. In the same note, to stand out, breweries must be more than above average at something. Saugatuck Brewing Company is one such brewery, and what they excel at is making layered, complex and all around tasty beers. One of their mainstays is Neapolitan Milk Stout, a beer I particularly like, and have said so on this website. Because of my nice profile, Saugatuck contacted PorchDrinking.com and asked if we’d like to profile the barrel aged version of Neapolitan, their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Neapolitian MIlk Stout, to which I immediately said hell yes. Read More

Dissecting Garrett Oliver’s “Beer Expert Guesses Cheap vs Expensive Beer”

If you’ve been paying attention to the Gourmet YouTube scene, many classic publications are rejuvenating themselves through spectacular new digital content series. Bon Appétit has been pushing forward with glorious junk food recreations in “Gourmet Makes” and fermentation experimentation in “It’s Alive With Brad.” America’s Test Kitchen has transitioned to online magnificently through highly informative videos on products and cooking techniques. But the series that’s been most interest in terms of flavor analysis is “Price Points” by recipe index Epicurious.

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Bottle Logic Brewing | Darkstar November

Temperatures are dropping, costumes have been Instagrammed, worn, mangled and stashed away in the closet — out of sight, out of mind — once again. Having moved out of the U.S. seven months ago, it came as quite a shock to me this past week to learn that MOST COUNTRIES DON’T CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN. So forgive me if I want to hold on to it for just a little longer.

But the changing colors and declining thermometers also indicate another seasonal change is upon us: Stout Season. We have a glorious few months where high ABVs and barrel-aging take the spotlight as they encourage long talks by the fireplace and cap off fall festivities. In this humble writer’s opinion, Bottle Logic Brewing provides some of the finest dark brews around, and what beer is more appropriate to fully transition us into the season than the very appropriately named Darkstar November.

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Avery Brewing | Rumpkin Rum Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Ale

Ahh, fall. A time of cooling temperatures, cozy knit sweaters and pumpkin spice as far as the nose can smell. It can be easy to hit gourd overload before the leaves even begin to change, and craft beer is no exception: I counted 14 pumpkin-themed six-packs at the liquor store this week, and that’s not even including bombers.

So, in an effort to help you wade through the most trendy of all beer trends this autumn, let me cut to the chase: just drink Avery Brewing’s Rumpkin. Read More

Event Preview | Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild’s Real Wild & Woody Beer Festival

When the temperature is well over 100 degrees, there are two places most people want to be: the pool or in air conditioning. The Arizona Craft Brewer’s Guild wasn’t able to host a beer festival pool party, so they did the next best thing and will be hosting Arizona’s premier craft beer festival, Real Wild & Woody, on July 28, 2018 in the air conditioning at the Phoenix Convention Center. In addition to a varied selection of brews, they’re bringing the great outdoors inside with an outdoorsy, camping theme throughout and a bunch of interactive games for attendees to play. Read More

Sixpoint Brewery | Righteous Barrel-Aged Rye Ale

Spring came very late this year, which delayed my normal drinking schedule a bit. By Easter, I’ve typically transitioned to pilsners, session IPAs and goses, but this year’s cooler temperatures had me settling back into my winter routine. It may have been fate when Sixpoint Brewery‘s Righteous Barrel-Aged Rye found its way into my fridge, and it was a welcome sight during this unseasonably cool, rainy spring.
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Banded Oak Brewing | Cabernet Barrel Aged Belgian Dark Strong Ale

I like to consider myself an equal opportunity imbiber. My preference is beer, sure, but there’s no denying the fun that comes along with whiskey or a bottle of wine. The sweet spot, then, is barrel-aged beers: after all, what better way to improve upon a brew than to stuff another form of alcohol into it? Barrel-aged beers are like Turduckens, except your resulting sleepiness is due to a high ABV instead of tryptophan.

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Big Boss Brewing | Saints on Raspberries

Raleigh’s own Big Boss Brewing is at it again with a limited release of Saints on Raspberries. A tart, fruity twist on their Flanders red-inspired Saints & Sinners, Saints on Raspberries is another feather in the cap that is their foedre-aged “Strange Cargo” series. The twist? Six extra months in wine barrels soaking up raspberry essence. Now, without further ado, the beer.

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SweetWater Brewing Co. | The Pit & The Pendulum: Cherry

Things of late have been eventful for me, dear readers. A new home, a newborn nephew, and now my first foray into SweetWater Brewing Co.’s The Woodlands Project. The Woodlands opened its doors around this time last year (October 2016) and ever since has served as HQ for SweetWater’s barrel-aging program where they produce small-batch “funky, sour, or otherwise awesome beers.”

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