Holiday Beers | PorchDrinking.com Explores Christmas Classics

We at PorchDrinking.com thoroughly enjoy the Holidays, and the beer that comes with it. From Winter Warmers to Christmas Ales, there’s something for everyone (even if they’ve been naughty). We have decided to showcase a different holiday beer each day the next couple of weeks. Some beers enjoy rich histories while some are new to the scene, but each one has a warm place in the heart of the writers who’ve chosen to showcase their favorites. Even better, for those writers “up north,” the beer is keeping them warm as Jack Frost nips at their noses.

A Christmas Classic beer showcase will publish each day until we approach Christmas. Hopefully we can add to this list next year and in the years to come. And because the Holidays are all about over-doing it, we’ve also added a few extra goodies to your PorchDrinking stocking.

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Fantôme Brewery | Hiver

It was a dark, blustery evening and the city was rushing to make it home before the arrival of an autumn snowstorm. The first snow of the season loomed over Denver as clouds darkened and the wind whipped the coats of commuters as we experienced the second-largest two-day temperature drop on record. Winter arrived early in Denver–including at my local liquor store, where I picked out a Fantôme Hiver, enticed by the mischievous ghost on the label, to warm me up on that brisk night. Read More

Lou Dog Events Expanding the Reach of Craft Beer Festivals throughout Chicago

If you’ve been to a beer festival in Chicago in the past few years, odds are it was put on by Lou Dog Events. 

A craft beer lover himself, founder and president Josh Seago, along with his team, is producing 10 craft beer festivals this year throughout the city and the surrounding suburbs. From the Chicago Ale Fest to the popular suburban Naperville Ale Fests, there’s no shortage of opportunities to sample beer from a wide variety of breweries.

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Sprecher Brewing Company | Winter Lager

Like many of you, I get a lot of beers and beer accessories for Christmas. This year my boyfriend went with a monthly beer club – with the extra promise he won’t have more than 2 of the 12 every month. As a bonus, they were nice enough to deliver before my PorchDrinking deadline, so I get to share my haul with you guys! While I was familiar with one of the breweries from the east coast, the club introduced me to Sprecher Brewing Company and their Winter Lager.
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MadTree Brewing | Thundersnow

By definition, Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thundersnowstorm, is an unusual kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain.

I’ve never witnessed Thundersnow in my area but I have witnessed the frenzy of people excited about the release of MadTree Brewing’s Thundersnow.

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Event Preview | Sierra Nevada Burly Beer Fest

On Saturday, April 1, Sierra Nevada and the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild are giving us the opportunity to enjoy a variety of beers from around the country as well as food trucks and live music at the Burly Beer Fest. April in the Appalachians means its time to break out your burliest, heartiest, most lumberjack-worthy beers and enjoy them before the heat of summer. So grab your flannel and check out what all is expected to fill your taster glasses.

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Event Recap | Northalsted Frost Fest 2017

Last Saturday, on a seasonably chilly Chicago night, I experienced all that the Northalsted Frost Fest craft beer festival had to offer. There were bright lights, loud music and a good amount of quality craft beer on-hand, which made it one of the more interesting beer events I’ve attended. Frost Fest was as much a tented night club as it was a beer tasting, which made for some entertaining highlights. Here are my top five moments from Frost Fest 2017.

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Bell’s Brewery | Christmas Ale

I know what you’re thinking: “Christmas is over. Why are you still talking about a Christmas beer?” Because Bell’s Christmas Ale is an incredibly light and sessionable beer to savor during the cold months, and a perfect beer to drink beyond the merry holiday. While a lot of other winter warmers and dark beers made for this season are heavy in their ABV and body, this Christmas Ale is nothing what you’d expect.

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Ultimate 6er | Positively Delicious Beers for the Negative Temperatures

Now that winter has settled in, I’m sure we’ve all enjoyed a winter warmer or two on a chilly evening. But given the onset of plummeting, freezing temperatures across the country, a new question arises: what beers to turn to in the midst of an arctic blast, wrapped in a blanket burrito while attempting to thaw out the very marrow in your bones?

When the temperatures drop and it hurts to breathe outside, stay inside and look no further than this list, which has been tested and proven effective in the midst of the most bitter Colorado cold. And make sure to serve them at a nice cellar temperature of at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit to help your body retain that precious heat!
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PorchDrinking Playlist | Melodies for Arctic Hearts

Embracing the cold calls for warm coats, cold winter ales (or, hot toddies), and a good ol’ fashioned winter-themed playlist. This week’s list, a compilation of melodies for arctic hearts, … Read More

Ultimate 6er | Preparing For the Playoffs

For those of us in Fantasy Football leagues, our minds are prematurely wrapped around playoffs as we reach the final stretch in our outrageously competitive seasons. In reality, week 14 through 16 are equally as important: aside from teams that have no chance of going to the Superbowl, there are some critical triumphs that must be won to determine others’ qualifying status.  Let’s focus on some of the biggest December games that will make or break our brackets to prepare our odds — and our palates — for this year’s NFL playoffs.

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Roundtable Discussion | Seasonal Beers Out of Season

Fellow PorchDrinking staff member Joshua Kan started the discussion about a week ago. His story goes a little like this.

A friend of mine just posted this status:

“Boycotting pumpkin beers and pumpkin spice coffees until it’s OFFICIALLY fall. One season at a time guys. Don’t be a Walmart.”

Thought it was a pretty interesting topic. What are your thoughts on drinking seasonal beers out of season?
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Great Lakes Brewing | Chillwave Double IPA

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Chillwave Double IPA – 9.4% ABV

I honestly had no idea there were people who willingly went onto the chilly lake in the dead of winter off the shores of Cleveland to surf. My ignorance lasted until I watched the Cleveland episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Bourdain was brought to the rocky shores, snow blanketing the sand, and he got to watch the surfers out on the ice-cold lake attempting to catch a few waves, before needing a couple beers themselves.  Read More

Deschutes Brewing Mirror Pond Pale Ale

5% ABV, 40 IBUs

Trees, snow-capped mountains, jagged rock faces and their inverted reflection on pristine water. Nature. You vast, beautiful, dwarfing bastard. You produce all of those things which … Read More

Staying Warm with a Barrel-Aged Ultimate 6er

Unlike our friends in Denver, the rest of the nation has been getting cold. Really cold. So cold that there are swirling cyclones of polar bears flying across the country biting our faces off as soon as we walk outside. Well my friends, lets not get polar vortexed and instead stay inside and have a beer. But not just a beer, six beers, and not just beers, but barrel aged high ABV warming goodness. Let’s face it, when you want to be warm you need a drink that’s not only alcoholic, but one that has been aged in alcoholic vessels. So let’s not fool around anymore and get this barrel aged ultimate 6er started. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Backcountry Skiers and Snowboarders

It is well documented that Coloradans have an intense passion for the outdoors. I’m talking fire in the circus and somehow the flaps are locked kind of intense. So it’s no surprise that after years on the slopes, many Colorado residents feel the need to up the ante when it comes to winter sports. Enter backcountry skiing and snowboarding. Backcountry skiers and snowboarders can be seen stranded intermittently, dotting the sides of the winding mountain roads adjacent to ski resorts with constant patience in wait for a ride back to the top of the hill, usually with a tasty brew. While packs and equipment are not only common, but necessary, a reserved spot for a churchkey in said packs and equipment, is not. Not to worry, here is your ultimate 6er of beers while waiting for your buddy and Truck (Truck is the name of his Prius) accompanied by unique ways to open bottled beers with limited equipment. Read More

Hopworks Urban Brewery – Abominable Winter Ale

It’s that time of year. The temperatures have begun to tickle the freezing mark and now that I’m in Oregon, the rains have come. Yes, the fabled northwest rains that have prompted me to eat Vitamin D tablets like candy and consider purchasing a sun lamp. The other remedy for this otherwise depressing weather? A delicious, flavorful winter beer that warms the soul; a beer that is a little more malt-forward, slightly higher in ABV, and has the right spiciness and flavor that reminds me of the holidays. That’s what I have found in the Hopworks Urban Brewery Abominable Winter Ale.

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Begyle Brewing Company – Flannel Pajamas Stout

ABV: 5.4%

It happened. It has officially gotten cold. My heat has been on. Friends in the suburbs have mentioned snow. Hibernation is impending. Time to stay in, marathon through Netflix and jump into flannel pajamas. Better yet, DRINK Flannel Pajamas stout. That’s right, the smooth, warm and inviting brew by one of Chicago’s newest breweries Begyle Brewing is sure to be a hit.

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Brooklyn Brewery- Black Chocolate Stout

Brooklyn Brewery- Black Chocolate Stout

ABV: 10%

IBU: 51

Best Enjoyed: October-March

The lockout has ended and hockey is back in season. This my friends, calls for a beer. Sports and beer have always had an interesting marriage, consummated in parking lots, club boxes and sometimes divorced in bathrooms and pavements. Every game day has its own traditions, and for weekday games at Broad and Pattison, the equation always includes a trip to the Perch Pub (Broad and Locust Streets, Center City Philadelphia).

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12 Beers of Christmas | Day 11: Boulevard Nutcracker

This beer pours a deep, dark brown almost black, Smells of roasted malt, coffee, and light herbaceous hops. The label says it’s a fresh hopped Winter Warmer, but the only … Read More