With New Year’s Eve and Day upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a guide to all the altered closing and opening times at local breweries, just as we did for Christmas Eve and Day. Unlike the previous holiday, the majority of breweries are staying open on New Year’s…
Month: December 2021
Best of 2021: The Crew picks top beers, events and more from an erratic year
These last two years have been a challenge when it comes to finding actual good moments that made us smile, but when we dug a little deeper, we still found enough positive memories worth sharing. 2021 was not quite the oppressive doom-and-gloom year that 2020 was, and as we looked back, there was actually quite…
The Week Ahead in Beer: High hops, er, hopes for the forthcoming year
Well, thank the dark lord, 2021 is almost over. Finding optimism for 2022 can be hard sometimes, but hey, at least there will be new beer to enjoy. Right? RIGHT, UNIVERSE?! Ahem, anyway, this final week of this misbegotten trip around the sun will feature a couple big stouts in cans, an aptly named lager,…
Ponderosa Brewing posts banner year even amid all the challenges of 2021
Ponderosa head brewer Antonio Fernandez is not the kind of person who looks at a pint glass as half empty. Even in a year where things felt like they were far emptier than just halfway, he and the team at the Sawmill District brewpub managed to remain upbeat and cautiously optimistic for 2022. After having…
The mostly complete guide to Christmas Eve/Day hours at local breweries
With Christmas Eve and Day almost upon us, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a guide to all the altered closing and opening times. This year did provide a surprise as there will be four breweries (and counting) open on Christmas Day. Gravity Bound will be open from noon to…
The Week Ahead in Beer: The calm before the Christmas chaos
Almost without fail, the busiest and most profitable day of the week for breweries is Saturday, as one might guess. So of course 2021 will finish off with Christmas on a Saturday, because this year has no mercy. In other words, get out and support the breweries in these final days before you are imprisoned…
Canteen Brewhouse keeps cozy pub mentality while expanding distribution
It was a dark and crowded evening at Canteen Brewhouse last week when I sat down with head brewer Zach Guilmette and general manager Jamie Schwebach for our latest entry in the annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series. Before the Porter Draw took the stage next to our table, we went over the ups and downs…
Rowley Farmhouse Ales looks forward to releasing more quality beer in 2022
2021 wasn’t exactly the year we hoped for in terms of miraculously expelling the virus sweeping the planet, but it was a year where we began to put on pants again, get outside, and begin to move forward with plans, and get back to the simple things like joining your buddy for a beer. Recently,…
Steel Bender navigates through one hard year with more challenges ahead
The usually cheerful disposition of the Steel Bender Brewyard command staff was tested again and again in 2021. That should come as no surprise to anyone who has read our recent entries in the annual Look Back/Look Ahead Series, but it can be tough to see the effects of this year borne out on the…
The legend of the Second Street Barleywine once known as Skookum
Tonight, Second Street Brewery is releasing not one, but two special barleywines for 2021. That’s right, the Rufina Street location will have both an English- and an American-style barleywine available for purchase that will surely keep you in the holiday spirit all winter long. As you may have already heard, these beers can be collected…
DARK SIDE BREW CREW 