Festival Recap | Parade of Darks Festival 2014

Over the last five years, Parade of Darks has become a Denver staple, helping with the transition from Thanksgiving into the holiday season. This year’s event switched gears from year’s past by moving from the comfortable confines of the upstairs area at Wynkoop Brewery to the exciting and bustling Bindery on Blake.

The complex at 29th and Blake was extremely busy, hosting both a flea market open to the public and the ticketed beer festival. The Parade of Darks was separated from the Flea Market in a large open-space area as well as a long hallway. Breweries lined the large area as well as the backside of the hallway.

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Festival Recap | Denver Bacon and Beer Festival 2014

Building upon the vibrant culinary and brew-scene in Denver, Eat Boston and Denver Off the Wagon have brought back THE festival to elevate craft beer to the next level by pairing it with the culinary excellence and prowess of every carnivore’s favorite ingredient, BACON. The Denver Bacon and Beer Festival 2014 was hosted by the Curtis Hotel downtown and was scheduled on a Sunday from 2:30pm to 5:00pm. Our Denver PorchDrinking staffers strolled up in the Curtis with smiles from ear-to-ear to imbibe and nosh at the festival’s third iteration; it’s first time at this location. What was our favorite dish? Favorite brew? Follow along to see . . .

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Festival Recap | Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival 2014

The theme for the day: Smoke Em If You Got Em! Or better yet, Drink Em If You Got Em!  And so it goes, that’s just what Christopher Day and I did! The phrase “Smoke ’em if You Got ’em” or “Smoke if You Got ’em” is slang for “do what you want, if you have the means”. The phrasing was popular in the military during World War II, meaning to take a break. Officers would say “Smoke ’em if you got ’em”, allowing the soldiers to take a break and smoke their cigarettes. Where we were going, we didn’t need an approval to break from anyone. Turn Down for What! We were about to step inside the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival. Fine cigars from manufacturers such as Drew Estates, Nat Sherman and Rocky Patel, microbrews from Crazy Mountain and Boulder Beer, local spirits from Peach Street and Feisty, hot cars, live music, & all the finer things in life. We also learned a ridiculous amount about cigar and beer pairing and what works and what does not.

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Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Downtown Oak Park, Illinois is a perfect place to host a beer festival. The quaint, shady brick streets are lined with sidewalk cafés, pubs, and specialty shops, and the area is easily accessible by several public transportation routes. In fact, the train station acts as the geographical center of the festival. Started in 2008, the Oak Park Micro Brew Review is the largest zero-waste craft beer festival in the Midwest. Read More

Event Preview | The Fermentation Festival

Since you’re reading these words, I expect you have at least a passing fondness for beer, and perhaps other fermented beverages such as cider, wine, and kombucha. Great, now what about fermented foods? Sure, everybody loves cheese, but how about sauerkraut, kimchi, or tempeh? The process of fermentation has been yielding some of the most delicious things we eat and drink for thousands of years, so it’s a good thing Colorado has an annual event celebrating them. Yes, the Fermentation Fest returns to Denver this weekend!

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Festival Recap | Springs Beer Fest 2014

A sold out beer fest is a good thing for craft beer, right?! Well, we aren’t 100% sure but we take a closer look with Springs Beer Fest 2014.

This past weekend, we were thrust into a myriad of emotions in relation to a sold out festival at the 8th Annual Springs Beer Fest at America the Beautiful Park in Colorado Springs. The festival ran from 12:00pm to 4:00pm (11am entry for VIP) with a cost of $25 for General (advance), $30 at Gate, $50 VIP. The promoters promised a fun-filled day of bottomless, fresh, craft beer samplings from over 45 notable Craft Brewers.

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Festival Recap | Sierra Nevada Beercamp Across America – Rocky Mountain Edition

Well, that was fun. Seriously. We don’t like to brag a bunch (we do, however, like to brag a little) but there were no lines for beer, there were celebrity brewers pouring their own wares, and there were many-a-food-truck setup with tasty nosh for purchase. Sierra Nevada’s Beercamp Across America – Rocky Mountain Edition boasted lots of brewer cameos. I saw Ken Grossman just milling around (much like we were) looking for his next liquid victim to quaff. The goal of the touring festival was to bring attention to the craft brewing industry as a whole. To do that, Sierra Nevada invited every brewery in the nation to attend one of the fests and they brewed twelve different collaboration beers with twelve other breweries, including Longmont’s Oskar Blues. The festival accomplished this and so much more. See just why this was our favorite festival of the year so far!

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Chicago Craft Beer Week

Chicago is a mind-blowingly large city, boasting a population of over 2.7 million people, it is divided into more than 200 neighborhoods. These neighborhoods showcase the various cultures and lifestyles of the city’s residents, and each one is unique. The fifth annual Chicago Craft Beer Week (CCBW), which started last Thursday and runs for ten days total, is centered on these small, intimate parts of the city that are so integral to its structure. With over 300 participating venues in the city and surrounding suburbs, this week is guaranteed to be amazing. Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Summer Beer Festivals

Summertime is fast approaching, so in the spirit of warmer weather, Tristan asked the staff for their favorite summer beer festivals. Read below for some awesome events to check out … Read More

2013 Denver Bacon and Beer Festival

Bacon, it’s rare situation where the word alone has the power of conjuring deeply seeded carnal desires. Add craft beer to the equation and it’s a combination fit for the gods.

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Festiv-Ale 2013; A time to drink AND give back!

Among all the times we geek out for beer fests, rare releases, GABF (…the list goes on), I began to recently notice the phenomenal outpour (pun intended) of charity beer … Read More

Snallygaster in D.C.

If you search for “Snallygaster” in Google Images, you’ll get numerous pictures of a creature that’s dragon-like, bird-like and serpent-like. It’s all wings and claws, things mysterious, creepy and intriguing.

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ReCap of the Inaugural DC Beer Festival

The Journey Begins

The Inaugural DC Beer Festival began as many DC events do: a trip on the metro that starts as any usual metro ride, and then the train cars slowly shift to carry only those destined for a day of fun (minus a few confused stragglers and tourists). I hopped on the train near my house with very few fellow festival-goers, but as soon as we hit Gallery Place, hordes of eager beer drinkers filled the train. The chatter en route confirmed their final destination: the Inaugural DC Beer Festival at National’s Park.

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14th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival

Two months ago, back when it was still 70 degrees and absolutely gorgeous outside, I went back to good ol’ Athens, Ohio, home of Ohio Brew Week, to check out the beers on tap at the 14^th Annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival. For those of you who don’t know, the pawpaw is North America’s largest native tree fruit, and Southern Ohio is home to some of the largest and best tasting on the planet. I picked up my parents ’95 Jaguar and my good friend Bruce, and we headed out to Lake Snowden in Albany. Bruce was the optimal choice for a companion, as he was voted Athens 2^nd Best Bartender by The Athens News. Despite my parents having lived in Athens for the last 13 years, I had actually never been to the Pawpaw Festival before, and I was surprised by how many people were there. Read More