Raven Hanna lives on the big island of Hawai’i, and her backyard is a picture of what most of us see when we hear the phrase tropical paradise. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and she loves science, but she also loves her senses, and the opportunity to immerse herself in the natural world. Her book One Cacao Tree: Backyard Cocoa, Tiny Fermentations, and Chocolate Making in the Tropics is an accessible, tangible guide to every step of cacao’s journey, from growing to fermenting, grinding to tempering. In this episode, Raven and host David Nilsen discuss the book, what i ..read more

With more curves than a Bart Watson data chart, the 2024 Craft Brewers Conference in Las Vegas did not disappoint for the 9,000-plus attendees who braved the lights and sounds of The Venetian Expo Center and cacophony of Phish fans pouring into The Sphere. (Talk about fantastic people watching!) The conference provided a sanctuary for industry professionals to discuss the myriad challenges and emerging opportunities within the craft brewing world. Anchored by pre-conference events like Thrive and the Strategic Financial Planning Workshop, the conference offered a diverse array of educational s ..read more

Mixed-fermentation, long-aged sours are among the most prestigious styles in all of beer. The esoteric flavors and lore of Belgian Lambic styles have inspired countless American brewers to look beyond conventional fermentations in search of mystery and glory. It’s an expensive but esteemed branch of brewing, and one upon which many reputations have been built. The only problem? Hardly anyone seems to be buying these beers anymore. A decade ago, long-aged sours and mixed-fermentation farmhouse-style ales represented a hopeful future of diverse and unusual tastes for a rabidly growing craft segm ..read more

Our showcase for the Alex’s Life installment of this series has been a long time coming. A collaboration of six of the biggest names in today’s craft scene, this joint effort was an undoubtedly pure testament to the magnitude of togetherness exhibited toward Alex Kidd and his family as he endures this fight with Stage IV cancer. With additional thanks owed to craft beer marketplace Tavour as the outlet used to maximize the release’s scope, this Veil-headlined benefit still remains the largest fundraiser to-date for the Kidds. The Veil & Friends Cause In addition to The Veil, the other brew ..read more

It has been over a year now since collaborating with Kyle Harrop and Horus Aged Ales on a spotlight of his unique and formidable barrel program. Now, Horus finds itself preparing to open year seven of the Convocation membership. We reconnected with Harrop for a brand new feature, highlighting some of his recent projects as well as digging deeper into what we can hope to expect from this sought after program in 2024. Humble Beginnings Photo Courtesy of Horus Aged Ales | Funk On The Water, Burlington, VT, 2019 As a bit of background, Harrop’s Horus Aged Ales came to form back in 2015 and celebra ..read more

Opening a brewery is a journey full of challenging times and rewarding payoffs. For every newly installed and wrenched tapline spewing precious liquid across the countertop upon first test, there is the hard earned reward of that very first draft pour. Rob Bessett and Andrew Bergeron, Co-Owners of milieu fermentation company (pronounced mil-you) in Aurora just outside of Denver, know all too well the difficult work that has gone into preparing their brewery for its opening weekend on May 4. Now that the date is set and the opening is just around the corner, PorchDrinking took some time to chec ..read more

Established in 2006, Spring House Brewing Company operates three locations around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. All three locations have restaurants and a full bar service. Their beers are distributed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. “We love to brew traditional beers with quality as well as experiment with fun, new styles of beer,” said Victoria Vacanti, general manager for Spring House Brewing Company. Spring House has a strong interest in supporting their local community and has built partnerships with a number of non-profit organization ..read more

Welcome to the Colorado Beer Beat, a bi-weekly roundup of all of the new can releases around the state. From Denver to Grand Junction and everywhere in between, we have you covered. Be sure to check back on Thursdays (usually!) to find out what’s new in the Colorado craft beer scene. As the vibrant hues of spring paint the landscape and the Rockies stand majestically in the backdrop, it’s time to raise a toast to Colorado’s rich brewing heritage. With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, there’s no better occasion to explore the diverse and innovative craft beer scene that Colorado proudly bo ..read more

Colorado breweries once again showed up in a big way at the 2024 World Beer Cup. Often referred to as the Olympics of Beer Competitions, the World Beer Cup features breweries from across the world vying for medals. This year’s competition featured 9,300 entries from 2,060 breweries across 50 countries entered into 110 categories, and Colorado’s contingent showed out in a MAJOR way taking home 21 medals from 19 breweries including 9 Gold medals. River North Brewery and The Post Brewing Co. were the biggest Colorado winners of the day, each bringing home two medals. River North had a Gold for Ni ..read more

It wasn’t all just hitting the sprawling buffets and blackjack tables at this week’s Craft Brewers Conference. There were some additional big winners as some of the world’s top breweries were once again recognized today at the 2024 World Beer Cup. This year’s World Beer Cup awards took place on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, as part of this year’s Craft Brewers Conference. Launched by the Brewers Association in 1996 to celebrate brewing and brewers across the world, the World Beer Cup is often referred to as “The Olympics of Beer Competitions.” The 2024 World Beer Cup featur ..read more