Ballast Point Chicago Faced Challenges from the Start

On Tuesday, Ballast Point Brewing owners announced that they would be closing the brewpub in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood for good. The location was open for just under three years and while the pandemic definitely played a factor, the location for the brewpub was always going to present big challenges.

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Brewery Showcase | Rincon Reservation Road Brewery

Rincon Reservation Road (3R) Brewery has the powerful honor of bridging Native American ancestral heritage with the craft beer community. Tucked away in Valley Center, 45 miles from downtown San Diego, Rincon Reservation Road Brewery is attached to Harrah’s Resort and Casino, cheekily re-labeled in advertisements as Funner, California. Much like this entire region of Southern California, Funner was inhabited by indigenous tribes, such as the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians. 

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Karl Strauss Brewing Co. | Aurora Hoppyalis

Once in a while, some news story comes out talking about how the Northern Lights are visible from not-too-far away. This excites us sky geeks. For most of us in the U.S., unfortunately, the caveats are extreme (e.g. hiking three miles into un-mapped forest in the hopes that the sky is clear enough during the five-minute window when the Aurora Borealis can actually be seen). Finding a good location that’s dim enough to see this spectacle of nature is a challenge if you live in the lower 48.

On the other hand, if you live in a hot craft beer city like San Diego, it’s real easy to find quality beer. So save the skywatching for your bucket list vacation to Iceland, or if you have to lay low for a while and need to move to Alaska. We’re not here to judge; what you do in the privacy of your own back-alley gambling hall is your own business. Beer though…that’s our business. And business is booming, dammit.

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Event Preview | Karl Strauss Brewing Company Turns 30

On February 2, 1989, Karl Strauss Brewing Company opened their first brewery on Columbia St. in downtown San Diego, CA. Thirty years later, they are still going strong with 10 brewpubs scattered from San Diego to Orange County and two locations in Los Angeles County.

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Ballast Point Set to Open New Chicago Brewery

The West Coast meets the Midwest on Tuesday when Ballast Point Brewing Company opens its Chicago brewery in the West Loop neighborhood. The long-awaited opening adds another well-known beer name to the city’s beer scene.

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Modern Times Beer | Fruitlands

Peanut butter and pretzels. French fries and ice cream. Gose and fruit. These are just some perfect sweet and salty pairings; and if you have never tried fries with ice cream go to the store now!! It’s just one of nature’s torrid love affairs that stands the test of time. Modern Times Beer Fruitlands marries this divine pairing in a delightful way.
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Modern Times Beer Further Cements Independence with Employee Ownership Program

Over the past four years, Modern Times Beer has exploded on to the craft beer scene in a major way, growing from a production of 2000 barrels in their first year of existence, to over 40,000 barrels this past year. While many breweries who exhibit such a drastic growth pattern have eventually turned to outside funding to help further their endeavors, the San Diego-based brewery has chosen to go the route of employee ownership. Earlier today, Modern Times Beer announced that it has repurchased shares held by its initial investors and that 30% of shares will now be held in an employee stock ownership program (ESOP).

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Pizza Port Brewing | The Kook DIPA

ABV: 8.5%

Many craft-beer fans know Port Brewing and Lost Abbey Brewing, thanks to their great reputations and relatively wide distributions. A bit less well-known, however, is Pizza Port Brewing Company, … Read More

Event Preview | BAJA BEER CRAFT 2015

Average Reading Time: [5 minutes]

When: Friday, November 13th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Where: Mingei International Museum – Balboa Park 1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101

Hola, PorchDrinkers! If someone were to … Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Relocating for the Beer

As extreme beer enthusiasts, our PorchDrinking team knows their beer and they also know where to find it and be completely content for the rest of their lives. In this week’s Roundtable Discussion, I asked the team where they would relocate if their only criteria was excellent beer. Many are already living in their beer heaven. Others knew exactly where they’d rather be if beer’s the sole decider.

If you find yourself getting the itch to try on a new hometown, you may want to take note of their answers.

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Coronado Brewing Company

I happened to be in San Diego during San Diego Beer Week at the beginning of November 2013 and had the pleasure of checking out some fantastic San Diego Breweries. … Read More