Most Often Drank Beers of 2018

My most drank beers in 2018 (via @untappd):@lagunitasbeer IPA & Sumpin' Easy@StoneBrewing Xocoveza@BellsBrewery Hopslam@MothersBrewing Winter Grind@dogfishbeer 60 Minute & Liquid Truth Serum@sweetwaterbrew 420@RebelKettle Headbanger's Ball@GreatRaftBeer Grace & Grit pic.twitter.com/3zb0qjpNpm

— Woo Pig Brewey! 🐷🍺 (@WooPigBrewey) December 31, 2018

Here's a bit more depth on this Tweet if you give a rat's buzz... my top 10 in order were:

1. Lagunitas IPA
2. Lagunitas Sumpin' Easy
3. Stone Xocoveza
4. Bell's Hopslam
5. Mother's Winter Grind
6. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
7. Sweetwater 420
8. Rebel Kettle Headbanger's Ball
9. Great Raft Grace and Grit
10. Dogfish Head Liquid Truth Serum

Lagunitas IPA sits at the top for a few reasons... I love it, our rep in Arkansas (Courtney) is awesome and it's readily available at most restaurants and such. A lot of my check-ins are at Verizon Arena for concerts. Their Sumpin' Easy is right behind it because it's super tasty and available at our minor league park, where I spend a lot of time in the Summer.

I go wild for Bell's Hopslam in it's seasonal release.

Coffee beers are my 2nd favorite style, so Xocoveza and Winter Grind get lots of love, year round.

The only local beer on my list is Headbanger's Ball, and it was originally called "Half-Century Headbanger" and debuted at my 50th birthday party. And it's delicious.

Grace and Grit is the best beer Great Raft makes in my opinion, out of many awesome beers in their portfolio.

So yeah, add the other 3 from Dogfish Head and Sweetwater and many of these will be on my list for 2019 I'm guessing.

2018 Year in Review: Brewery Visits

I definitely had another banner of year of visiting breweries in 2018. After making it to 54 last year, I really didn't have a goal for this year except to try to go to just as many I guess.

For the record, yes it's really nice to be married to someone who enjoys traveling as much as I do and also puts up with me going to all these breweries. Fortunately, she loves good beer also and we have a blast together. We sneak in plenty of local sights, cuisines, wineries and distilleries as well.

This year included 60 breweries in 8 states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

A made it to a few "bucket list" breweries which I hadn't been to yet, like Sierra Nevada (NC) and New Belgium (NC), and a few more recent breweries I've started to love, like Burial (NC) and Bearded Iris (TN).

Some highlights? That's a tough one. We had so much fun at so many places and really met a lot of cool folks. I'll say getting to go to Sweetwater's brewery and The Woodlands facility in Atlanta while there for 420 Fest is up at the top as well as FINALLY getting to go to Jester King in Austin, TX. And it was everything I hoped it would be. I spent plenty of time at my favorite local haunts, like Lost Forty, Flyway and Rebel Kettle plus got up to Springfield, MO on my birthday weekend to one of my favorites, Mother's Brewing.

Anyway... here's the list:

Abita Brew Pub	Abita Springs, LA
Anthem Brewing Co.	Oklahoma City, OK
Bhramari Brewing	Asheville, NC
Big River Grille & Brewing Works	Chattanooga, TN
Black Abbey Brewing	Nashville, TN
Blue Canoe Brewing Co.	Little Rock, AR
Blue Owl Brewing	Austin, TX
Brick + Forge	Harrison, AR
Bricktown Brewery	Oklahoma City, OK
Brieux Carre Brewing Co.	New Orleans, LA
Burial Brewing Co.	Asheville, NC
Cabin Boys	Tulsa, OK
Catawba Brewing	Asheville, NC
Coop Ale Works	Oklahoma City, OK
Courtyard Brewery	New Orleans, LA
Crosstown Beer Co.	Memphis, TN
Flyway	North Little Rock, AR
Fort Smith Brewing Co.	Fort Smith, AR
Great Raft	Shreveport, LA
Green Man Brewing	Asheville, NC
Hawk Moth	Rogers, AR
Heaven & Ale	Chattanooga, TN
Hutton & Smith	Chattanooga, TN
Independence	Austin, TX
Jackalope Brewing	Nashville, TN
Jester King	Austin, TX
Lost Forty	Little Rock, AR
Lost Signal	Springfield, Mo
Marshall Brewing	Tulsa, OK
Mother's Brewing Co.	Springfield, Mo
New Belgium	Asheville, NC
New Heights	Nashville, TN
Noble Rey Brewing	Dallas, TX
NOLA Brewing	New Orleans, LA
Oddstory Brewing Co.	Chattanooga, TN
One World Brewing	Asheville, NC
Pegasus City Brewing	Dallas, TX
Peticolas	Dallas, TX
Port Orleans	New Orleans, LA
Prairie OKC	Oklahoma City, OK
Prairie Tulsa Brewpub	Tulsa, OK
Prestonrose Farm & Brewery	Paris, AR
Rebel Kettle Brewing Co.	Little Rock, AR
Rough Tail Brewing Co.	Oklahoma City, OK
Sierra Nevada	Asheville, NC
Springfield Brewing Co.	Springfield, Mo
SQZBX Brewery	Hot Springs, AR
STATS Brewpub	Atlanta, GA
Stone's Throw Brewing	Little Rock, AR
Superior Bathhouse Brewing	Hot Springs, AR
Sweetwater	Atlanta, GA
Terminal Brewhouse	Chattanooga, TN
Twisted Leaf	Asheville, NC
Twisted Spike	Oklahoma City, OK
Urban South	New Orleans, LA
Vinos Brewpub	Little Rock, AR
Wedge Brewing	Asheville, NC
Welltown Brewing	Tulsa, OK
Wicked Weed/Funkatorium	Asheville, NC
Yazoo Brewing Co.	Nashville, TN

The Best Christmas Beers 2018! | The Craft Beer Channel

Here's some fun stuff from The Craft Beer Channel...

 

It's that time of year, as Jonny and the Brad make morons of themselves over a few strong Christmas beers. This year they go all out – panpipes, festive crisps, leftover toasties and lots and lots of nutmeg chat. Oh, and they drink some delicious cherry beers! 

 

SUPPORT US! 

 

Pledge on Patreon and get some cool merch & videos: https://www.patreon.com/craftbeerchannel

 

Buy our new book, the London Craft Beer Guide, today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/London-Craft... 

 

And buy our first book, Beer School here: 

USA (Amazon): http://tinyurl.com/zbjx4sn 

UK (Amazon): http://tinyurl.com/zksjmdf 

Europe (Beer Merchants): http://tinyurl.com/jy6fr2y 

 

Twitter – @beerchannel 

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/thecraftbeerc... 

Instagram – @jonnygarrett @mrbradevans 

 

Remember to drink responsibly(ish) and not be that guy...

What is a Co-Op Brewery? -- Beer Industry Trending

With over 7000 breweries in the US Co-op breweries are becoming an increasingly common sight. But what is a Co-Op Brewery and how do they work? Ryan explores the community focused world of cooperatives this week on Beer By The Numbers:

  .

Holiday gift recycling tips from Bell’s Brewery

Bell's Brewery: "Each holiday season, we offer special gift wrapping recycling to our employees. What can you do to cut down on landfill waste? Our sustainability associate Willow Cohn gives some tips for what you can do at home."

 

Quick Sip Clip with Dogfish Head: 75 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: "It’s been a minute … but 75 Minute IPA is back! What began as a cask-conditioned ale at our Rehoboth brewpub back in 2011, quickly grew to become a cult-favorite amongst craft enthusiasts. From the groucho glasses that adorned the label to it’s slightly dry and lingering bitterness, 75 Minute was (and is) beloved by many.

Now in our latest iteration, this classic IPA is again brewed with maple syrup from Sam’s family farm in Massachusetts, while being continually hopped throughout the boil, and then dry-hopped with a slew of cascade hops. The result is a malty and earthy brew with citrusy-pine aromas, balanced by subtle maple notes."

 

Renedevous Junction Untapped AR

The Rendezvous Junction Story captured and produced for the Untapped AR series produced Cox Media and Bod High Productions:

 

Seasonal Six Pack: Your Association. Your News.

Wondering what your trade association has been up to on your behalf? Get a quick rundown of recent Brewers Association news, member resources and activities in this fourth edition of "Seasonal Six Pack" videos: 

 

In this edition: 

- 2018 Year in Beer Review 

- 4,000+ craft brewing companies have signed up for the independent craft brewer seal 

- 5% Craft Beer Growth in 2018 

- 85% of 21+ adults live within 10 miles of a brewery 

- Homebrew on the Hill 

- CBC19 Denver 

- Registration is now open!

 

Beer Log: what is a Brut IPA?

Good video from The Craft Beer Channel:

 

"This week we try to answer the question of "what is a brut IPA?" We try the new trendy style and pick it apart to work out if it can achieve the aims of having the fruitiness of a NEIPA but the dryness and crisp finish of Champagne."

 

History of the Milk Stout -- Beer History

Beer By The Numbers: "While most beer innovations today are focused around creating new flavors and differentiating your beer in a crowded market, the innovations of a couple hundred years ago were all focused on making beer more consistent and nutritious. The Milk stout is a great example of this motive as combining beer with milk's nutritional value was a great challenge to overcome."

 

Tap Time Radio December 10th, 2018

Here's last night's Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz as we drank some great beers, picked some of our favorites of the year and talked to callers. Check it out below!

Tap Time Radio November 26th, 2018

No guest on last night's show per-say but some great callers including Brian Sorenson, author of the book "Arkansas Beer: An Intoxicating History", which would make a great Christmas gift! We mention how the book needs an update, but that's just to cover new breweries and expansions. It's a great source for the history of Arkansas beer and breweries and a must read for the beer lover on your list. Highly recommended.

Buy it here!   And check out the show right here...  

Tap Time Radio November 16th, 2018

Check out last night's edition pf Tap Time on 103.7 The Buzz with our guest Slate Rock Brewing!