A Classic, Now Unfiltered: The Inspiration for Lagunitas’ Little Sumpin’ Hazy

Their IPA might be their most well-known and widely-distributed, but my favorite Lagunitas Brewing Company offering is a beer that blurs the lines of the drinking experience. A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ is a classic that can be enjoyed rain or shine, sun or snow. Its hearty ABV, unique wheat body, and complex flavor profile have made it a fan favorite for years. It’s also an employee favorite, says Lagunitas Brewmaster Jeremy Marshall. While the original has its perks, Lagunitas employees and brewers have had access to a version of A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ that has never graced retail shelves before now: an unfiltered-version designed to taste like you’re drinking it straight from the tank. That was the inspiration for their newest offering and Sumpin’ Sumpin’ sibling, Little Sumpin’ Hazy. 

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As Craft Beer Goes Mainstream, Lagunitas Stays Weird

Tony Magee started his brewery dream back in 1993 in Lagunitas, California. The goal was to create bombastic beers that teemed with the plentiful hops found on the West Coast, and to have a lot of fun doing it. Originally an Illinois native, Tony has grown into somewhat of a national celebrity when it comes to craft beer due to his unique brewing practices that led to creations like Undercover Shut Down Ale, his outspoken personality, and the great beers his brewery(s) have produced since his early days.

Now, Lagunitas Brewing Company is an international power, its IPA is the current #1 best seller in packaged formats and they produced around one million barrels of beer last year. In many ways, Magee’s creation is the perfect example of craft beer’s explosive growth over the past two decades. But then again, Lagunitas is an outlier in the current craft beer environment. They’re not like your standard brewpub or trendy hazy IPA factory. If you’ve visited their massive 300,000 sq. foot Chicago brewery facility, decorated with secondhand furniture and mind-melting dog murals, you’d recognize that. As craft beer infiltrates every last avenue of American consumerism, Lagunitas has found a way to stay weird. I asked Karen Hamilton, Lagunitas’ Communications Director and Tony’s sister, how they’ve been able to stay true to their brand for 25 years.

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How Craft Beer Gave Back in November 2017

Welcome to the beginning a new monthly roundup! I will be sharing some of the great, creative and impacting community efforts that our brewery friends conducted over the past month. My goal with this column is to hopefully inspire you—our beautiful, motivated reader—to start your own partnership with a charity and begin a long-lasting, top-notch fundraiser. Whether you own a brewery, work at a brewery, or just drink at a brewery, you can make a positive change in other people’s lives.

So, let’s see what’s been happening around the nation during November. Read More

What We’re Drinking | March 31, 2017

Through no fault of our own, we didn’t get to post What We’re Drinking last week. The opposition party believes that this was caused by a vast international conspiracy. Luckily, the chairman of the House Beer Blog Oversight Committee assures me that there is nothing to worry about and has canceled all future hearings on the matter. We should be in the clear, as long as Fake Tears over in the Senate doesn’t dig too deep into this. In order to wipe this minor oversight from your minds, I present a special two-week edition of What We’re Drinking. Fake news!

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How Craft Beer Gave Back In 2016

Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post.

Breweries are increasingly becoming integral centers of our communities by routinely providing fun, flavor, and festivities. In addition, they often serve as hosts for discussions of local issues and serve as a place to share information about local charities. Occasionally, breweries go above and beyond the call of duty by providing aid or money. Here are a select few of the many ways craft breweries gave back in 2016.

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Beerstagram | November 10 – November 17

Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us next week, do you have your menu planned? Maybe you still need help picking out a few beers for the occasion? Take a look at the pretty beer photos from this week’s Beerstagram to perhaps give you inspiration on what to get for your table! We got our first snow in Denver on Thursday so I couldn’t help but add a few snowy beer photos this week as well, it seemed quite festive! Cheers!

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Ultimate 6er | Summer Seasonal Beers

I was brutally reminded yesterday that it’s almost August. Not only did that mean rent was due, but summer is flying by fast. If you live in the Midwest, you know that means you are soon going to be slapped in the face with 4-8 months of winter, depression and an overall desperation for spring to arrive to save you from the depths of Hell.

Instead of focusing on all that nonsense, I will try to embrace the rest of the summer, and take advantage of all the great seasonal summer beers, some you can still buy all year round, and some you can’t. Either way, any of these beers will add a little sparkle to the remaining summer.

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

I’ve scoured the internet far and wide (with the help from some other Porch Drinkers) to bring you this week’s beer news. We’ve got updates on laws – some good, some bad – a list of some fun beer names, tips on brewing, and a great SNL skit of Rick Perry. How could it get any better? Read More