Roundtable Discussion | The Craft Beer Introduction

This week we asked our PorchDrinking crew a question they were certainly prepared to answer: If you were introducing someone to the world of craft beer, what beer or brewery would you start them off with? The result is a fool-proof guide to masterfully convert anyone to craft beer.

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What are Craft Breweries Doing for the Community?

Remember when you first opened your brewery… how long it took to get everything in order, setup the equipment, finally get that first sale.

Remember when you were first … Read More

Deschutes Brewery | Zarabanda

ABV: 6.3%

IBU: 18

This week, Deschutes Brewery and LA’s Chef José Andrés release Zarabanda, a spiced saison, that was four years in the making. Friends for … Read More

Brasserie Trois Dames | Sour Framboise

7% ABV

First, let me preface this post with informing my readers that the proper pronunciation of the word “framboise” (raspberry) is fram-bwaz. The French language teaches us … Read More

Urban Family Brewing | Baby Cakes Pale Ale

6.4% ABV

Craft beer enthusiasts have many ways of finding and choosing new beers to try. Sometimes we get a buzz about a new release from a favorite brewery and … Read More

Local Love: DC Region’s Brewers Name Their Favs

Photo courtesy of atlasbrewworks.com.

As the breweries in DC, Maryland and Virginia further expand their reach (thank goodness!) and more people taste these great local beers (hooray!), there is a … Read More

The Ballard Brews Cruise

Craft beer thrives on a few key factors. High quality, small batches, unique beers, and local breweries act as the natural foil to the big bad macro-brewery where distribution, the … Read More

Perennial Artisan Ales | Saison d’Alina

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 20

You know that guy from college that was, like, a champion beer drinker? You know, the guy who, no matter how you trained, prepared, or strategized, could single-handedly win Beer Olympics on his own – who you watched in awe as he made his way through a case of Natty completely unfazed? Well, for me, this guy is my friend Andy Hille. And from the moment I met him, I knew he had to be destined for beer greatness.

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Baere Brewing Co. | Denver, Colorado

320 Broadway, Unit E
Denver, CO 80203
 
Open Date: July, 2014

Brewing System: 2.5 Barrel Brewhouse

Current Taproom Hours
Tues-Thurs: 4-10pm
Friday: 3:30-11pm
Saturday: 12-11pm
Sunday: 12-6pm

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Moonlight Brewing Company | Reality Czeck

ABV 4.8%

Since everyone has already hopped on (pun intended) the pumpkin train, I thought I would instead giddy up on the often forgotten Pilsner train because we hardly get autumn in Southern California. And few perform better in the Pilsner department than Moonlight Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, Ca.

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

There’s big things happening this week in beer news. A few MillerCoors executives got caught embezzling millions of dollars, Govino has created a shatterproof glass, and HuffPost breaks down the cost of craft beer. These are just a few of the mind blowing topics you’ll learn about if you keep reading this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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Cooking with Beer | Köttbusser Spicy Ketchup

I’m never buying condiments from the store again. Seriously, I’m not. And why should I when they turn out 10x more delicious at home and they are made with beer. First, I made the Baba Black Lager Mustard and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Then, I decided to go for ketchup. Ketchup should be sweet, tangy, and if you have the taste buds for it, a little bit spicy. A lot of ketchup recipes will use honey or molasses so I opted to use a beer made with molasses – Snow Drop Köttbusser Ale.

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Crown Valley Brewing | Imperial Pumpkin Smash Stout

ABV: 10.6%
IBU: 48

There’s an ongoing debate on pumpkin beers here at PorchDrinking that you can read all about here. Should they be released in the fall or is the practice of getting them on shelves in August acceptable? The big box retailers put their holiday merch out in October and Halloween candy out in what seems like August. Should craft beer be following their lead? If you’re on the fence, get your paws on a bottle of Crown Valley Brewing Imperial Pumpkin Smash Stout. And find yourself firmly in the Summer pumpkin camp.  Read More

Fat Head Brewery | Head Hunter IPA

ABV 7.5%
87 IBU
Columbus, Simcoe, Centennial
Pale, CaraMalt, C-15, Cara-Pils

We dismissed Fat Head Brewery’s beer immediately the first time we saw that chubby, caricatural face grinning behind sunglasses and a mustache on a bottle of beer. Then, the fat man began appearing, pale, naked, and in a barrel, perched atop tap handles as Fat Head’s beer began infiltrating our local bars. His enormous head had several inches on all of the other handles. It was Ohio in the early 2010s, the fat man was everywhere, and we were skeptical. Read More

Cooking with Beer | Festina Pêche Lobster Pasta

Whenever I’m chillin’ at home alone and want to treat myself to something nice, I make lobster. It just makes me feel fancy. The other night, I was bored at home so I opted for a lobster pasta. I was thinking, “Hmm… a white wine garlic butter sauce would be nice, but a Festina Pêche garlic butter sauce might be better…” And so it happened.

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Event Preview | 2014 Lexington Fest of Ales

When: Friday, August 29, 2014 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: 5/3 Pavillion in Cheapside Park Lexington, KY

With a beer list too long to even think about detailing here, the Lexington Festival of Ales is the city’s longest running and most successful beer festival. Read More

The Brooklyn-Stockholm Connection | New Carnegie Brewery

“It’s like I was given a new puppy,” my husband says, as he sips his beer, “and then someone takes it away from me.”

The new puppy was a beer … Read More

Deschutes Brewery | Not the Stoic

ABV: 12.1%

IBU: 15

I first encountered Not the Stoic at a food and beer pairing hosted by Deschutes Brewery’s executive chef during Seattle Beer Week. I must admit that I immediately swooned over this perfectly balanced Belgian quad that was served with the first of five courses, a trio of local cheeses. However, its stoicism (if you will) was proven when, even after weaving our way through three hours of gastronomic and fermented bliss, Not the Stoic endured as the brew that left its boozy mark on me and my date for the tasting, my dad. We each bought a bottle and, likely due to our palpable excitement, were interviewed shortly thereafter for a Deschutes promotional video. Needless to say, we left the event giddy with delight, each clutching a 650ml bottle of satisfaction. Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

This week’s beer news is all about new brews, breweries, and things to make drinking beer just a little more fun. Avery is bringing us an extremely high ABV beer, Samuel Adams collaborated with Brewery Rickoli, and Green Flash shows Europe what hops are all about. Read about it all and more in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

There is all sorts of beer things happening and I’m here to get you up to date. Grab some tickets to a beer festival, have a beer and a cupcake, or drink a cold one on your flight. It’s all possible and I’m showing you how, when, and where in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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