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Kate | Craft Beer & Travel

@ablondewithabrew

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🍺 Drinking “worth it” craft beers in moderation
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FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

Except my friends wrote the facts 😍

Big thank you to all my friends who contributed to this post. You all made me smile, laugh, and feel very loved ❤️

I hope you all enjoy learning a little more about me than what you see on here. taken in Portland, Oregon by @ablondewithabrew

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a month ago

Hello 👋🏻

10K seems like a good time to reintroduce myself.

I’m Kate — it’s not short for anything, it’s my legal name. My parents named me after Shakespearean characters. Kate from The Taming of the Shrew and my middle name Miranda from The Tempest.

I was born and raised in LA, which is why I thought this photo from @highlandparkbrewery was appropriate. I’m technically a Valley Girl, but I don’t sound like one at all. In fact, people typically think I’m from New York, but I don’t hear it myself. My parents were from there, and I do dream of living in NYC within the next 10 years, so get ready for me NYC beer crew 😊

I live in Portland, Oregon and have for the last 9+ years. I sold my car 9 years ago and happily enjoy a car-free lifestyle (so much more money for travel and beer). I have two rescue cats Ruse and Talea named after the craft breweries and I’m obsessed with them.

I enjoy high-quality craft beer in moderation, especially a Hazy Double IPA or a saison brewed with berries. I catch myself becoming more introverted as I get older and tend to prefer enjoying beers when the brewery/taproom is not crowded or just at home on my couch.

When not enjoying craft beer, I love shopping used bookstores, planning my next vacation (which right now is Japan), Yankees baseball, and playing board games or doing a puzzle. I’m passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle with my physique goals, especially while still enjoying beer.

If you’ve read this far, anything else you’re curious to know? Do we have anything in common?

Thanks for being here 🍻 Woman enjoying a craft beer at highland park brewing in Los Angeles California. by @ablondewithabrew

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2 years ago

A summer-y of my summer breweries and beer bar visits.

As Summer 2026 is (sadly) winding down, here in chronological order are the brewery and beer bar visits (and a beer fest) that made the season fun, delicious, and memorable.

🌷 @humanpeoplebeer - I stayed here so long that I skipped my next planned stop.

⚾️ @fastfashionbeer after a @mariners game.

😻 @urbanfamilybrewing - I needed a beer called “Pampered House Cat”.

🧶 @fairislebrewing is always a must-visit when in Seattle.

⛅️ @cloudburstbrew to drink over half the tap list thanks to their half pours.

☀️ @greatnotion outside at a food cart pod.

🔮 @brujos_brewing twice with out of town beer friends.

🩵 @everywhere_pdx with Jen.

🌈 @transcend.beer for the first time. I’m very lucky my brother lives close by.

🌳 @newparkbrewing as has been tradition the last 5 years whenever I visit my brother.

🌳 🏠 @treehousebrewco: our new tradition. I fear I’ve gotten my brother hooked as he has visited two more times since this 😅.

🍻 Drinks with coworkers at @belmontstation and @loyallegionoregon.

🇯🇵 @fuji2hood - one of the few “worth it” to me beer events.

🍺 @chuckshopshop, @last_drop_beer, and @bottleworksbeer to revisit some of the beer bar scene in Seattle.

🐶 @laddandlass for the first time and it won’t be the last.

⛳️ @vebrewing for fresh hops and festbier making the end of summer beers.

Thank you @craighunsinger for the post idea (and the pun).

What are the highlights of your summer 2026 beers? by @ablondewithabrew

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a month ago

First fresh hop beer of the season 🍻

The bar has been set high for the 2026 fresh hop season now.

If you find Fresh Hop Volatile Substance by @vebrewing on draft (I don’t think fresh hops really hold up canned), get it. Like really, it’s so good! The fresh hops truly shine. I’m not even a big Volatile Substance fan normally, but I’m fangirling over the 2026 fresh hop version.

Time to take a step back:

I’d visited Von Ebert Glendoveer for the first time last weekend after shopping at nearby @rosecityreadspdx. I don’t think I understood quite how on the golf course this location was going to be. It really is right there!

I don’t golf aside from mini, but I do drink beer. On a beautiful day outside, along with the fresh hop mentioned above, Mr. Ablondewithabrew and I enjoyed:

🍺 Festbier - not only did I have my first fresh hop of the season, but I also had my first Oktoberfest beer. This is a “modern” Bavarian-style festival lager. I’ve enjoyed this beer previously, was excited to see it back for the season, and I still enjoy it just as much.

🍺 Range to Range - this West Coast IPA brewed in collaboration with @westboundanddownbrewingco connects the PNW Cascades to the Colorado Rockies. This beer is very light and clean with some resiny, mildly candy-like flavor.

🍺 Realm of Illusion - a blend of puncheon-aged mixed culture Heritage beers refermented with marionberries. Despite how much I raved about the Fresh Hop Volatile Substance previously, this was actually my favorite beer of this visit. It’s tart and definitely a slow sipper and I think it got even better as it warmed up a bit.

I also recommend one more item if you visit: the tater tots. They were some of the better ones I’ve had. I requested the aioli on the side if you want yours like mine seen here.

Have you enjoyed a fresh hop beer yet this season? taken in Von Ebert Glendoveer by @ablondewithabrew

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a month ago

Big bucket list brewery check off ✅

@rootandbranchbrewing

I consider Root + Branch to be one of my favorite breweries, but despite having visited NYC a few times in recent years, I hadn’t made it out to Copiague on Long Island until this past April.

For those unfamiliar, Root + Branch is about an hour away from Manhattan by train, but it’s right next to the train station making it actually really easy to visit. Also, see my earlier post about how it turns out I really enjoy this train ride 😂

Root + Branch looks exactly as I expected from the many pictures I’ve admired of it on here. Their taproom succeeds in capturing the clean, minimal, and neutral aesthetic of their distinctive white cans. I felt at home!

Thankfully, Root + Branch offers half pours, and them being served in stemmed glasses was just the cherry on top for me.

My favorites from this visit:

🍺 A Thousand Plateaus (Batch 5) - a multi-oat and spelt Hazy DIPA hopped with Motueka and Nelson.

🍺 Grammatical Fiction (Batch 8) - a multi-oat and wheat Hazy IPA brewed and dry hopped with Citra, Comet, and Simcoe.

🍺 The Castle: Motueka - an all Motueka Hazy Pale Ale.

🍺 Ultraviolence - I have a whole post dedicated to my love of this beer. Ultraviolence is a multi-oat and wheat sour DIPA brewed with milk sugar, Mosaic, and refermented with blackberry and raspberry purée. It’s incredible and somehow was even better from the can.

But, what really made this visit for me was getting to spend time with @b33rlyalive and his wife @varshaahir. They are two of the kindest and loveliest people that I have befriended thanks to this app and craft beer. I’m so happy we have been able to get beers together a few times over the years.

Lastly, plan your trip to Root + Branch to get @nicoscharredpies on site. It’s really as delicious as it looks.

I rarely believe that going even an hour out of your way is worth it for a brewery, but I do here and I plan to return!

What breweries are worth going out of the way for? And how far out of the way is it? taken in Copiague, New York by @ablondewithabrew

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a month ago

A 3-Way, 3-Way tasting 🍺🍺🍺

I look forward to @fortgeorgebeer’s 3-Way IPA collaboration every year both for the beers and to see who the collaborating breweries will be.

For those unfamiliar with the annual 3-Way IPA collaboration, every summer Fort George picks two PNW breweries and the 3 of them brew 3 IPAs together releasing one a month.

In recent years, I’ve been saving a can of each to try them all side by side.

And this year, when I wanted to drink the first can, I awkwardly suggested to my male friend, coincidentally when his wife had left the room, “want to have a 3-Way?” 🤦🏼‍♀️

Once we all stopped laughing at me, my friend Kyle, Mr. Ablondewithabrew, and I shared all 3 versions of this year’s collaboration with @shredbeer and @uprisebeer.

I have the beers pictured in order of release, but I’m going to describe them in order of my preference:

💚 3-Way Hazy Double IPA - hopped with Waimea, Citra, Citra Cryo, Superdelic, and Motueka Hop Kief. This version was the most juicy and hoppy, and no surprise, my favorite. Hazy DIPAs are my favorite beer style, so this being my favorite was no surprise.

🩷 3-Way West Coast IPA - hopped with so many different hops that I got tired trying to write them all. This beer is really citrusy and clean tasting. It was a pretty close second favorite.

💜 3-Way New Zealand IPA - described as a “fruit forward IPA,” I thought this beer was very earthy and resiny and on the bitter side. While not a bad beer, it wasn’t my favorite.

If you tried any or all of these, what were your thoughts?

Or, do any breweries near you do any seasonal collabs like this? taken in Portland, Oregon by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

Sharing one of my favorite places to drink in New York ⬇️

The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) 🚊

I’m only joking a little.

Pick up some cans from @threesbrewing at Moynihan Station. I recommend leaving plenty of time, especially if you’re from out of town and unfamiliar with the station. I definitely got lost trying to get back to my train and almost missed it!

It’s so expected that you’ll drink the beers on the train that they give you can-sized paper bags to enjoy them in. I still am not over this novelty and these pictures are from April! They also offer single cans with a discount if you do a mixed four pack.

I love a good discount, so I bought a mixed four pack, and shared 3 of the 4 on the train on the way to my destination. They made the hour train ride fly by!

In order of preference:

🍺 Table Beer - a low ABV saison meant to be the beer equivalent of a table wine. To further suggest at wine, this beer is hopped with Nelson Sauvin, and it’s also brewed using Belgian yeast. It may be named Table Beer, but I think I’m nicknaming this “Train Beer” from here on out (and isn’t this a great idea Threes? 😉)

🍺 Attention Span - a New Zealand Pale Ale that I was drawn to both because I really enjoy this beer style, but also because of my lack of Attention Span (late diagnosed ADHD girlie here 🙋🏼‍♀️).

🍺 Logical Conclusion - a really solid Hazy IPA, especially for one in a tall can 😂. I also bought, and brought home, Illogical Conclusion, its DIPA counterpart, and while I liked this one, I preferred the DIPA, but no surprise there.

Any guesses where I was headed?

Where are some of your favorite places to enjoy a beer outside of a brewery, bar, restaurant, home, etc.? taken in LIRR by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

You know when you see a beer release, really want it, and know you won’t get it for one reason or another?

But then PLOT TWIST: you win a giveaway and you get that beer!!

That’s what happened here.

I really enjoy @longlivebeerworks, but don’t get them often, @fallsidebrewing had been high on my list of breweries to try (I even had a post mentioning this right before I got this beer), and this beer was all over the beerstagram when it first came out.

Skin with Blood & Bone is a Hazy Double IPA hopped with Dolcita, Galaxy, Motueka, and Simcoe. It’s creamy and soft, with a touch of coconut, and weirdly crushable for 7.9% ABV. My @untappd beer friends lowered my expectations for this beer, and unsurprisingly, I’ve been told it’s more reminiscent of Long Live than Fallside, but I was very pleasantly surprised because this beer exceeded my expectations. I really loved this beer and only want to try Fallside more now.

I loved my entire giveaway win from @wondergirlkatie, but this was the beer I was most excited for and it turned out to be my favorite as well. Thank you!

Has there ever been a beer release you really wanted, didn’t think you’d get, but then you did? taken in Portland, Oregon by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

Sometimes I’m low maintenance:

💉 I’ve never done Botox or anything related.
🍔 I think a $10 dinner can be just as delicious as a $100 dinner.
🏨 I don’t care about fancy hotels when I travel.
👟 Sneakers are my preferred shoe.
💧 I drink tap water almost exclusively.
☕️ I love gas station/convenience store coffee often over a fancy coffee shop.

No shade if you do or love any of the above more high maintenance options — I’ve either tried or thought about all of the above.

I save being more high maintenance for a select few things in life, and one of those is my beer.

Some macro beers do taste good (Bud Light is not one of them), and they have their place, but that place is not my body.

Cheers 🍻

#ablondewithabrew #beergirl #craftbeergirl #beerhumor #treehousebrewingco taken in Treehouse Beer Company by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

What’s your favorite part of a wedding?

The celebration of love, the food, getting dressed up, seeing friends and family, the music…

or the Open Bar? I imagine a lot of you are going to say the Open Bar and that’s okay!

When I planned my own wedding, I knew I didn’t want something extraordinarily expensive (and the faux bridal bouquet is working out well here as a prop), but one thing I would not compromise on was having an Open Bar (with craft beer of course).

In that I love @blackstackbrewing, Open Bars, and Hazy Double IPAs, I really wanted this beer. Fortunately, Mr. Ablondewithabrew had a work trip to Minnesota right after its release.

Open Bar is hopped with Riwaka, Citra Cryo, Azacca Cryo, and Amarillo Cryo. It’s soft and a little sweet with notes of orange. I’d be thrilled to get a beer like this at a wedding.

Also, if you’ve been to BlackStack, wouldn’t it make a gorgeous spot to get married?

I look forward to the next time I get BlackStack, and of course, get to enjoy an Open Bar. taken in Portland, Oregon by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

I planned my time in Philadelphia around @fermentery_form’s limited taproom hours.

And their hours actually changed after I booked my @amtrak, but it actually worked out better.

After visiting @forestandmainfishtown, we walked to the brick building with the green light (iykyk) and stayed there for the majority of the time they were open. In fact, the beertender even joked we should just stay the remaining hour as we were leaving.

I love a brewery where I can just get a few bottles to share. Over the course of our visit, Mr. Ablondewithabrew, @beers_with_books, and I shared:

🍺 Barrel Aged LO-FI - a farmhouse ale aged into barrels for 2.5 years. This was my favorite of the three bottles we shared.

🍺 Informal #10 - a blend of farmhouse ale and barrel aged stock with macerated raspberries and lemon peel. Informal #9 had been the only beer I’d previously tried from this brewery, and I may like this one even more.

🍺 Origins/Carmine - a blend of barrel aged farmhouse ales macerated with Carmine wine grapes. I love a wine-adjacent beer and this had that dry, vinous quality I want in one.

I also took home some bottles to enjoy another time. I would absolutely plan a Philadelphia trip to ensure getting to drink beer here again.

Read how I safely transport bottles home from vacation on my website www.ablondewithabrew.com.

What’s the last brewery you took home bottles from? by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago

WHAT I DRINK IN A TYPICAL WEEK —

As someone who posts about craft beer daily 🍻

Although I consistently post otherwise, I think there is still a misimpression that I drink daily and/or a lot in general.

I get how it can look that way, but I assure you, I am not always drinking beer or alcohol at all.

Here is a look at what I actually drank last week with totals at the end. The pictures of the non-alcoholic beverages were not taken last week specifically, but all the beer pictures are my actual beers from last week.

Of course, some weeks are more, like if I’m traveling, have a special event, or friends in town, etc. Many weeks are also less. For example, I don’t always have something during the week, but last week, my in-laws were in town and my father in law is literally pictured on the can!

Did anything surprise you? Let me know in the comments. I’m taken in Portland, Oregon by @ablondewithabrew

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2 months ago