Ultimate 6er | Big Little Lies

Photo by Variety

This last December, I became incredibly, completely, over-the-top addicted to a story involving three women in Australia who were wound-up in classroom drama, violent relationships, helicopter parenting and – of course! – a murder mystery. If anyone has read Big Little Lies, I have no doubt that they understand the feeling. Once you read the first page, you are on a mission to solve this mystery – and to get to the bottom of who did what, with who and when. Lucky for us, HBO has turned this page-turner into an equally transfixing show.

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Ultimate 6er | The BIG Belgian-Style Beers of Weyerbacher

Weyerbacher Brewing, located in Easton, Pennsylvania, is approximately a 90-minute drive north of Philadelphia. Known for its “big beers”, Weyerbacher has made a name for itself producing full-flavored, high-quality brews. If your taste buds are ready, this brewery is worth the drive. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Fat Tuesday VooDoo Edition

Feature Image: From Sheffield’s Beer and Wine Garden, Chicago

For Roman Catholics, Ash Wednesday and Lent are right around the corner, which means Tuesday is the last day to indulge. For everyone else, Fat Tuesday is an excuse to experience new heights of debauchery, notably if you find yourself in New Orleans with all sorts of beads and cash. Indeed, the carefree nature found in New Orleans is the result of centuries of cultural homogenization. Yes, like a societal jambalaya, there’s a true mixing of cultures from almost every continent. It gave birth to modern hot jazz, and it found a way to mix all sorts of spirituality, including a wide acceptance of Voodoo. So, on this Fat Tuesday, let us celebrate the beer that celebrates the spirits that guide people through one last day of no-rules-fun — welcome to the Voodoo beer sixer!

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Ultimate 6er | President’s Day: First Ladies’ Edition

Feature Photo Credit: C-SPAN

First Ladies have done remarkable things throughout history, so it’s time on this President’s Day to give them their due. And, until this country finally leads a woman from the East Wing to the West Wing, we at PorchDrinking.com can only do what we do best — honor the First Ladies with beer!

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Ultimate 6er | Mozart in the Jungle

Oh, Mozart in the Jungle, such a great show! If you don’t remember, I first expressed my love for it on PorchDrinking just about a year ago when I dedicated a playlist in its honor. Since then, Season 3 of the show has premiered and has been binge watched. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Portlandia

With season seven in full swing and the recent announcement that season eight will be the series’ last, I thought it would be fitting to create an Ultimate 6er for the quirky cult hit sketch series, Portlandia.

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Ultimate 6er | Six Atlanta Beers For the Big Game

If you haven’t heard, there’s a big football game on Sunday. (Dear Roger Goodell, I will adhere to licensing rights and avoid using the name of said game, but I think the game will be super!) Let’s face it, for most of us whose teams failed to make it this far, the game featuring New England and Atlanta is secondary to the food, our squares, the commercials, and of course the beer.

So, for those of you rooting for the Falcons, here are six ATL brews that pay homage to the Peach State’s Dirty Birds.
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Ultimate 6er | Love & Beer Edition

Photo Credit: Judy Dean

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we’ve compiled a list of 6 love-inspired beers for every stage of the relationship spectrum. Whether you plan to spend Valentine’s Day falling head-over-heels or prefer to spend it ruing the day you met your ex, this list has something for everyone.   Read More

Ultimate 6er | A Clockwork Orange Anniversary Screening at Alamo Drafthouse

We’ve created the Ultimate 6er of libations to enjoy before heading to your local Alamo Drafthouse to viddy A Clockwork Orange on February 21, 2017.

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Ultimate 6er | NFL Conference Championship Weekend

As Chiefs fans continue to complain about officiating and Cowboys fans wait yet “another year,” it is time for the rest of the country to gear-up for the NFL Championship games. The Green Bay Packers take their cheese-loving selves to Atlanta to face the “Dirty Bird” Falcons while the Steelers will be waving their terrible towels at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots. To celebrate the championship games I have built the Ultimate 6er showcasing some of the best beers that represent these sports town cities. Included are two brews that will keep us looking forward to the Super Bowl and into next season.

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Ultimate 6er | 6 Beers to Get Through Thanksgiving with the Relatives

Admit it. The Thanksgiving Macy’s Day Parade sucks.

Only the high school marching bands offer live entertainment, while the rest of the parade is bloated with understudy casts performing pre-recorded show tunes, and one-hit wonder Billboard-chart newbies attempting to look excited while lip-syncing vapid hits next to puppets and Teletubbies. The floats are kind of cool, if you mute the scripted minutiae rattled off by the commentators, and a strangely skinny Al Roker donning his Indiana Jones hat while inserting puns and cutesy anecdotes. But this Thanksgiving, the parade may be the best part of the day. Think about it. How long after the turkey is carved might the conversation rumble down this dangerous road: 

“You voted for _________?!”

“What? You didn’t?”

Let the post-election Thanksgiving melee begin.   Read More

Ultimate 6er | Donald J. Trump

Our 45th President of the United States has been officially declared to be the one and only Donald J. Trump. As we all know, Trump is a man of great class putting his seal of approval on everything from casinos, buildings, steaks and water bottles. But what kind of beer do you get for the man who has everything? Remember everyone, George W. Bush appealed to people as “a president you could sit down and have a beer with.” So what would come in the cabinet of America’s Blue-Collar Billionaire?

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Ultimate 6er | Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

The Day of the Dead – or Día de los Muertos – involves a myriad of cultural traditions, largely comprised of the Roman Catholic All Saints Day celebration and ancient Native Mexican observances associated with those who’ve passed. But, like most things these days, the festivities have evolved in such a manner as to take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, which ultimately results in a large party! Throughout Mexico and the U.S., it’s a good excuse to have some fun. Let’s just make sure we do it with the right beer. 

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Ultimate 6er | Cleveland Indians

It has been nineteen years since the Cleveland Indians made it back to the Fall Classic. But I suppose we cannot claim to have the biggest drought at the present especially with the opponent we have…

This time around, we have a scrappy, injury-laden team many have considered underdogs the entire way by almost all the sports analysts out there. But we like it that way. It’s just like Cleveland to be a fly in the ointment, the ones who people count out immediately. So in this Ultimate 6er we include  some of the best of Cleveland’s beer scene – with a few surprises that some people may not have considered to try as they head to their favorite bar to check out the Tribe battle with the best of ’em, or perhaps even watching the games in the comfort of home with a few close Cleveland Indians baseball fans.
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Ultimate 6er | Presidential Election

I think we can safely say that our Presidential election is in the Tyson Zone.

On the one hand we have Hillary Clinton. I’ve heard some folks don’t like her. (That’s a real story about a presidential candidate in 2016.)

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Ultimate 6er | Austin Breweries to Try at GABF

The problem with Austin beers is that most of them never make it out of the state, (unless you have a good beer mail connection), due to the sheer size of the state and the ravenous consumption here. Several Austin breweries will be pouring at GABF this year and many of them are pouring beers that you can rarely even get in Austin. So get your pencils ready and mark down these Austin staples on your list of must-try beers!

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Ultimate 6er | Manassas Beer Love

Instead of just attending the Bands, Brews and Barbecue event on September 10th in Manassas, Virginia, my husband and I decided to volunteer and get to know some of our neighbors (who also happen to love music, beer and smoked meats).

It was a sweltering Saturday for the 6th year of the event, which was again located in Old Town Manassas, near its picturesque small-town train station, Civil War museum and local bars and causal restaurants. Despite the heat, folks turned out; we passed out wrist bands, glasses and sent eager imbibers on their ways. Read More

Ultimate 6er | A Guide to Utah Pils

As I drive to meet a local brewer to learn about his most recent release, I think about the time we once asked another brewer what he felt was the ‘next big thing’ in craft beer. His reply: “German Pilsner.” This no doubt came as a bit of a shock. Berliner Weisse, session IPA, or even Imperial fruit beer would have all seemed appropriate. Instead, he picked a classic style originating from the Czech Republic in 1842. Interesting enough, we started noticing a trend: Friends working in breweries often mentioned pilsner as their go-to-beer. A few years ago there might not have been enough local quality pils to make an Ultimate 6er and although it hasn’t become the ‘next big thing’, it has made a resurgence. We give you a guide to Utah’s very own Pilsners. Read More

Ultimate 6er | The 2016 Evolution Fighting Game Championship Series

The world of eSports is vast and glorious; on the brink of mainstream acceptance through the understanding and mutual respect put into the time and skill of learning video games. There are games with underground followings like Counter Strike: Global Offensive and genres such as MOBAs that have reached the zenith of national sport. But today’s Ultimate 6er is centered around a breed settled when the quarters were slammed on the arcade cabinet in the days of yore: Fighting Games.

The Fighting Game Community or “FGC” has had a vigorous history through years of rigorous reinvention and a fervent, dedicated fanbase of thrill-seeking gamers. Beyond the coordination and strategy of other gaming tournaments, Fighting Games have an unmistakably thematic flair. The ups-and-downs of comeback, the mind game of predicting your opponent and the study of position create a viewing experience unlike any other. It’s just two players, two controllers, two characters drowning out the thousands of passionate fans to play the best match possible. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Summer Sixer for Northern California

Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain.
Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies
Come to life and fade away.
What care I how time advances;
I am drinking ale today.

-Lines on Ale (1848), by Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

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