Event Recap | Goose Island Clybourn’s Belgian Fest

Quality over quantity can be a beautiful thing for a beer festival. It seems that every festival nowadays boasts that they’ll the most breweries and the most beers. But at this past weekend’s Belgian Fest at Goose Island Clybourn, it wasn’t the number of breweries that people were talking about; it was the quality of the beer being poured.

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PorchDrinking Visits Iceland, the Land of Fire & Ice

This summer, I realized a decade-long dream: visiting Iceland. My wife and I spent two weeks exploring and experiencing waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, craters, lava fields, tiny towns with tiny restaurants, cracks in the earth, puffins, whales, lots and lots of blonde people, wide-open vistas, and, most importantly, Icelandic beer. (All of which has been chronicled here.) Read More

Trillium Brewing | Skimpy Sparrow

ABV: 5.4%

Two months ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston with my wonderful girlfriend. It was our very first time going and we were able to stay with our amazing friend, Jackie. The great thing about Jackie, besides having two super adorable dogs and living in Salem, is the fact that she is a beer lover just like us. So we spent the better time of five days exploring the East Coast for craft beer and fresh lobsters; yum! Nothing pairs better on a hot day than fresh caught lobster and a cold beer. Throughout our mini vacation we were able to try numerous new breweries and even attended the Microbrewery Invitation. All brews considered, one brewery stood out to us above all others: Trillium Brewing (including its Skimpy Sparrow American Pale Ale, or APA).

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Old Irving Brewing Co. Opens in Chicago

The week has finally come for the much-anticipated opening of Old Irving Brewing Company. OIB is located in the sneakily densely populated Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago just off the Edens at 4419 W. Montrose. The brewery is also only a couple blocks from the Montrose Blue line stop, making it very commuter friendly. Right now only street parking is available, however, a parking lot is in negotiations. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago is well known for many things. Second City, The Great Chicago Fire, Italian beef sandwiches…

But perhaps the most famous item to come out of Chicago is deep dish pizza.  We came up with our Ultimate 6er of local Chicago beers that pair well with some of our favorite local Chicago pizza places.

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Chicago’s Goose Island Migration Week Comes to Logan Square

Chicago’s Goose Island Migration Week comes to Logan Square September 26th thru September 30th with a full week of craft beer inspired events at a variety of locations.

The brewery has been doing Migration Weeks throughout 2016 and have visited cities not only around the United States but all over the world. Goose Island Migration Weeks have been to the UK, China, South Korea and still have plans to go to Guadalajara later this year. Migration Week has been in Chicago once before, when in June the brewery was in Lincoln Park for a week.

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Chicago’s Best Craft Beer Bars to Watch the Bears

During this football season don’t be subjected to drinking subpar beer while watching the Chicago Bears. We have a continuously updated list of Chicago’s best craft beer bars to watch the Bears, which includes the surrounding suburbs. These game watch-spots serve top-notch craft offerings, while also turning up the audio during the games.

Want to add a brewery or craft beer bar to the list? Email us. We’ll update this list daily. Read More

Illinois Craft Brewers Guild Announces New Executive Director

After a search that lasted most of the summer, the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild has announced they have hired Danielle D’Alessandro as their new executive director. D’Alessandro replaces Justin Maynard who left the guild back in June and is now working at Baderbräu in Chicago.

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Chicago Prepares for 8th Annual Cooking Up a Cure Benefit

Not too many events in Chicago can pair the city’s best chefs alongside a wide variety of local craft beer, spirits and wine. On Thursday, Sept. 15, the 8th annual Cooking Up a Cure will take place at Galleria Marchetti to raise money for the Greater Chicago chapter of the Scleroderma Foundation.

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What We’re Drinking | September 9th, 2016

Did you wake up this morning, look at the calendar and wonder if it is actually Friday today? Luckily, you’re not alone. One of the many rewards of a Monday holiday is a shorter work week. Some PorchDrinkers traveled over the holiday weekend, some stayed home, and unfortunately some had to work. Despite these differences, we all had one thing in common this week: we enjoyed a delicious brew. Check out what we imbibed in this week’s edition of What We’re Drinking!

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2 Days, 2 Nights | NYC Craft Beer Scene

Ah, New York City. You’ve made it! Even if only for a weekend. As you read our guide, keep in mind that although we have enough recs to heavily stack your stay with activities, NYC is best enjoyed in small doses. Pace yourself to what feels doable, OR, do it BIG style. Read More

Event Recap | 9th Annual Savannah Craft Brew Fest

Twas the night before the Savannah Craft Brew Fest The weather was frightening and the roads were a wreck. Not a soul was … Read More

Brewery Showcase | Southbound Brewing Co.

Southbound Brewing Co. opened its brew kettle in May 2013 as the first production microbrewery in Savannah, Georgia. It is the brainchild of Smith Mathews and Carly Wiggins. But the story begins long before Southbound’s name was ever uttered.

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What We’re Drinking | August 26th, 2016

Guess who’s back, back again? The PorchDrinking team has rejoined forces to bring back our weekly What We’re Drinking series. As the evenings grow shorter, the temperature begins to drop and we all know that summer is quickly coming to an end. Because of this, we are drinking whatever the hell we want. We love our seasonal brews but let’s be completely honest here. We love #allthebeers. So cheers to another awesome week and hoping we can stretch a little more out of this summer. Read More

Wedtoberfest Combines Wedding Show with Beer Festival

Wedding shows – they’re typically geared towards the brides to come walk around and talk to different vendors to book for their big day. Usually you don’t see many guys at these shows… until now. Wedtoberfest takes place Sept. 22nd from 6-9pm at Artifacts Events in Chicago and combines a wedding show with a beer festival.

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Event Preview | ThirstyBear Organic Brewery Celebrates 20 Years

Surviving as a brewpub in San Francisco for 20 years is tough. Switching to an organic brewpub for the last 10 years is even more difficult. Both of these milestones are reason to celebrate, and that is exactly what ThirstyBear Organic Brewery is doing this weekend. Read More

Brewery Showcase | Around the Bend Beer Company

Around the Bend Beer Company isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; the two-year-old brewery is on a mission to make the wheel faster, slicker, and cooler. When brewing a Kolsch-style beer (Ghost of ‘Lectricity), a first-wort brewing process is applied to extract more hops flavor, yet also smooth out its edges. When Around the Bend brews an American Pale Ale (Silk Road), galangal is blended into the recipe. And who else make the connection between orange marmalade and a Double/Imperial IPA? You find it in Mr. Marmalade.

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Event Recap | 2016 Burning Can REEB Ranch

The light showers and skirting thunderstorms around the mountains in western North Carolina couldn’t hold a candle to the electricity coming from the stage at Oskar Blues Burning Can held at their REEB Ranch in Brevard the 15th and 16th of July. A weekend full of nature, funky tunes, great beer and fantastic activities swarmed festival attendees, with just enough rain to keep the crowd cool from the scorching summer heat many have been suffering. Read More

URGENT: Event Preview | Fifty West Brewing Co.’s Fifty Fest

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 17th.  This date signals the return of Fifty Fest, a celebration hosted by Fifty West Brewing Company which brings together the perfect trifecta of Beers, Music, and … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Seattle Growler Fills

Draft beer almost always tastes better than bottled or canned beer.* It’s fresher and hasn’t been exposed to heat, light, or oxygen—elements that can have a major negative impact on the beer’s taste and aroma. Despite the superiority of draft, we don’t always feel like going out for a pint. As a self-proclaimed introvert, I’m a prime example of a beer enthusiast who sometimes just wants to chill at home and watch a movie. Or read. Or drink a few beers while I cook dinner. This is when growlers come in handy. Typically 64 fluid ounces (the equivalent to 4 pints) or 32 fluid ounces (2 pints) breweries and taprooms will happily fill growler jugs with fresh, tasty, draft beer and allow patrons to grab quality beer to go. Read More