Beer Debate | The Great Groundhog Day Results Showdown

When Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his slumber, the fate of the winter is in his furry little paws. Will spring come early, or will winter be sticking around for six extra weeks? This change in season doesn’t only affect the weather but also the beers that we’ll be drinking. Northeast Region Editor Dan Bortz and writer Constance Del Rio are about to engage in a verbal Battle Royale about whether or not they’d like the groundhog to see his shadow. This is the Great Groundhog Day Showdown!

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Let us know in the comments! Read More

Spicy Honey Beer Mustard Dipping Sauce with Oskar Blue’s Old Chub

Grilling season is upon us, ladies and gentlemen!! Many will agree that there are few things better than a solid cookout. If your grill skills are a bit rusty, let me help you get back on track.  I like taking my food up a notch by creating some great marinades and sauces to accompany my grilled creation. So, when I wanted to make a spicy honey mustard for some bratwurst, I knew that we could make this amazing! With what you ask? Well, clearly with beer. When it comes to making beer mustard, darker beers add more depth and flavor, so feel free to experiment with whatever you have on hand. My choice was a lonesome can I had lingering amongst the onslaught of new spring beers and this was a perfect choice!

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Ultimate 6er | Lawn & Garden

As the weather begins to warm up, it’s time to uncover your lawnmowers, fill up your watering cans and put on your best pair of overalls and top it with a big floppy sun hat. OK, so living in a high-rise in Chicago doesn’t lend itself to really having lawn and garden upkeep, but when I was growing up in the suburbs I always had a long list of outdoor chores to do.

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RJ Rockers Brewing Co. | Witty Twister Belgian-Style Witbier

ABV 4.7% | IBU 15

RJ Rockers Brewing Company’s Witty Twister is spring in a glass. A delicious Belgian Wit is the best way to transition from heavy winter beers into lighter summer beers. Witty Twister is RJ Rockers Brewing Co.’s spring seasonal. It features wheat, coriander spice and orange peel that play well with the yeast character on every sip. Read More

Beerstagram | April 20 – April 27

Hello Beerstagram followers! How has your week been? Did you celebrate National Pretzel Day on Wednesday? Mmm pretzels & beer. As we wrap up April this weekend, doesn’t it feel like it needs to be summer already? With an impending snowstorm looming this weekend here in Denver, the beach is definitely calling. Cheers to warmer weather. See you back here again next week!

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PorchDrinking Playlist | Spring Storms

Photo Credit: Mathew Powers: Campo, Colorado tornado (2010). 

No place on Earth enjoys conditions more conducive for tornadoes than the U.S. It’s not even close. And, late April into June marks the peak of tornado season. Music, like severe weather, masterfully pieces otherwise chaotic components into an orderly, harmonious sensory delight. Both can evoke feelings of tranquility or make one’s heart beat rapidly.

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PorchDrinking Playlist | Heavy Hitters

Welcome to baseball season! It’s no secret some songs get the crowd pumped. For this playlist, I had to listen to a few hours worth of “walk-out music” (tough, I know). What transpired is a list of songs that made me want to move and jam out. It also caused me to conjured up fond memories of baseball games throughout the years.

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SweetWater Brewing Co. | Grass Monkey

ABV: 5.4%

It’s February and it may be cold, it may be wintery, but If you are like me you are already thinking about summer. You are yearning for the renewal of sunny days, baseball games and the general atmosphere that comes with a new fresh spring. SweetWater Brewing Company is in the same mindset and their new seasonal beer, Grass Monkey, is here to usher you right into the spring. If you think this is just a simple light delicate spring beer, you don’t know SweetWater. Grass Monkey is light, but its complexity comes from citrusy hops and, in true SweetWater flair, an addition of lemongrass.

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Ozark Beer Company | American Pale Ale

ABV: 4.3% | IBU: 38

Got time for a story? Great, have a seat. Last week something tragic happened: my neighbor finally mowed their lawn. Up until last Tuesday, by comparison, my lawn looked fine. However in an effort to keep up with the Jones’, now that my neighbor’s yard was cut, edged, and beautiful, it was my turn. Read More

8 Georgia Beers to Drink This Spring

Georgia in spring is both a blessing and a curse. The drenching humidity is still a few weeks away, so for now you can still enjoy your drinks on the patio — that is, if you can tolerate patios, window sills, cars, running shoes, and everything else being covered with a fuzzy blanket of yellow pollen.

Whether your spring drinking spot is outdoors or cozied up to a bar — safe from allergies and early spring sunburn — these are the eight Georgia beers to try right now.
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2016 Record Store Day | Vintage & Vinyl at Avanti F&B

Gone are the days of thinking vinyl is only something of your parent’s generation. What was once thought of as a thing of the past, are all the rage … Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Bust Out Those Sunglasses

Despite the bipolar weather we’re experiencing here in Chicago, hints of sunshine and warm weather are starting to emerge. To accompany — and embrace — this seasonal change, we’re resurrecting our summer wardrobes and … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Best Beers For Spring

Spring. Robins return to your lawn. Daffodils and tulips bloom. The air turns warm, the days get longer, the outdoor day drinking turns to outdoor night drinking, and your car goes from midnight black to pollen yellow. OK – so maybe not all things about spring are fantastic. But think about letting your beer follow in your paint job’s footsteps and go from dark to light as well. Spring is the perfect time to wind down the stouts, porters, and winter warmers, and increase the hops, the sour funk, and the fruit. Read More

Illuminated Brew Works | Fnord Wit Beer

7.3% ABV | 0 IBUs

I’ve never been a big fan of Wit beer. The true to style witbier seems to have a flavor that reminds me of boiled hot dog water, which in turn reminds me of the Limp Bizkit album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water which then floods me with memories of my 8th grade year. I can’t figure out if it’s the coriander that most seem to feature or a yeast strain issue, but whatever it is, it usually bubbles up some long repressed teenage embarrassment that I haven’t yet reconciled emotionally.

Yeah, I know. A lot to blame on a beer style. But it’s been enough for me to avoid ordering them.

But recently I decided to give wits another shot. There’s been some hesitation, though luckily the few I’ve tried have tasted great. But there is one that has stuck out and given me hope for wit beers. And that’s IBW’s Fnord wit beer. Read More

2016 Music Festival Roundup

Thinking about adding a music festival to your spring/summer plans?  We know that picking a festival, especially with all of the different lineups, locations, and unique qualities can be rough. It’s practically a full … Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Goggle Tan Season

Average Reading Time: [est_time]

According to my allergies and the lovely layer of pollen on my porch, spring has almost sprung! To some, spring is an odd transitional season — the … Read More

Destihl Brewery | Here Gose Nothin’ (Wild Sour Series)

ABV: 5%
IBU: 12

Ahh, the Gose (goes). Or is it Gose (go-say)? It’s actually Gose (go-suh), preferably pronounced with a nice German gutteral G. An old style originating from Leipzig, Germany, the gose is named after the river Gose in Lower Saxony. Light, tart and refreshing, this style is the only one brewed with salted water, and traditionally contains coriander. Seeing goses hit the shelves and appear on draft is as much a sign of Spring as budding flowers and bright green leaves on trees. This style also makes for an excellent shower beer. Read More

Awesomesauce | Spring Has Sprung

We’ve finally reached that simultaneously magical and depressing time of year: lent. Mardi Gras is over, every fast food joint in town has advertisements for fish sandwiches on TV, and the awesome/dreadful daylight saving time adjustment is upon us (am I the only one who gets thrown off for a solid week or so when this happens?!)

So much for the awful; I always get excited this time of year, since I know that spring is just around the corner. Triggered by the first glimpse of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg advertisement on TV, sometime around mid-March (regardless of weather) I get a little excited for the pending season change, and here’s why: Read More

Roundtable Discussion | Dark Beers to Drink All Year

As spring seems to have finally begun to sprung, many much-loved dark beers are becoming harder to come by in favor of the more seasonal ales. But sometimes, one may … Read More

Fire Island Beer Company-Lighthouse Ale

With Spring finally in full effect and New Yorkers starting to head off for Long Island beaches, I thought it would be fitting to have a go at Fire Island Beer Company’s Lighthouse Ale. Read More