Well boys and girls, grab yourself a summer appropriate beer (Wheat, Wit, Lagers, whatever...bock for me probably), some sunglasses and some sandals cause it is grilling season! In the world of beers, we have four seasons. But in my own personal cooking world, I have two seasons, grilling season and chili season! And guess what? Grilling season just started and I couldn't be more excited.

Before I say anything else, let me lay something down for you. When I say grilling, I mean Midwestern "Grilling", not Barbecuing like they do it in the south or Chicago or something. When you "Grill" you marinate, season, or just grill your meat to how you like it and then add any sauces after. Barbecuing takes much more prep work and uses a slower method of grilling and basting the meats. It is truly an art, one I don't particularly like doing myself due to the time commitment involved. That all said, I love to grill me some meat and I'd personally rather have it grilled and in my plate with a beer and company than waiting around on the other way.

So yea, now that grilling season has started, I pulled out the trusty ol' Weber Charcoal grill, my Marinade recipes and of course stopped by the beer store to pick up some choice brews. When doing burgers, I keep it simple. Ground chuck, hand-made patties (don't cheat!), a bit of soy sauce in the patties if I feel like it at the time and then a generous amount of Greek seasoning. If you haven't tried Greek seasoning, you are missing out, it is great on burgers, and veggies. Burgers like this with just some cheese, ketchup, or whatever you like on them, go well with any lighter beer. I prefer a pale ale or bock, something that won't over power what I am eating. When grilling chicken however, I usually reach for an IPA, though I reach for those a lot so I should just say that something that packs a big bitter bite goes well with my chicken recipe. I marinade chicken with my world famous Herb and Garlic marinade. It's really good stuff, light always really juicy. It also goes well with Steaks if you have a tender steak that will soak it up. Though with steaks, I prefer another one of my marinade recipes that centers around Jack Daniels though now that Jack Daniels has its own marinades out I am tempted to shell out the cash to try and compare. I usually drink a good cold bud heavy when I am eating steak, as to not mess with the steaks flavor at all.

I usually chop up and grill veggies with lemon pepper or garlic powder and salt in tin foil with ....and all this grilling talk is making me hungry! Until next time!

Cheers!

Wisdom teaches us that none but birds should go out early, and that not even birds should do it unless they are out of worms. ~Mark Twain

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Though all of Avery's beers are pretty solid, this second post will talk about the best stuff they have to offer. Let's just jump right in! Avery produces a ton of limited time, special edition brews that I am not going to go into here as some are no longer available, others are very hard to find and still others I have personally not tried and so shouldn't talk about. A few of the special addition ales I have tried and enjoyed include Ale to the Chief! (A pale ale brewed in honor of the new president of the company), their Anniversary ales that are put out every year, and Collaboration, not Litigation Ale. Collaboration, not Litigation Ale has a great story behind it. Both Avery and Russian River had a Beer named Salvation. Both were intricate Belgian-style ales. As, at the time, they were distributing in mostly different markets, so they didn't realize this until the brewers of both companies met. Instead of changing either name, they decided to blend the two brews. Thus, instead of fighting (litigation) over the name, they collaborated to make a great ale! Good times, I bet both sets of brewers would be fun to hand out with. Moving on...

The rest of the beers I am going to talk about are all parts of different series that Avery has put together. Each series has a theme and makes for great naming of beers, easy to put together flights or at the very least a good laugh. The Dictator's Series (What a hilarious thing to name your series after) has a beer named for Maharaja, The Kaiser, and The Czar; all titles given to different types of rulers in their respective cultures during their reigns. Maharaja is an Imperial India Pale Ale (what else?) with a straight punch in the face of hops! At roughly ten percent ABV, Maharaja holds 102 IBUs (the description of the ale says it has a "deranged amount of hops" ....awesome), and will rock the world of any hop-head (ME) out there. The Kaiser is a very unique style, an Imperial Octoberfest Lager. Leave it to Avery to basically rip the traditional Oktoberfest style a new one. This is pretty much a malt-bomb that evens out with the spiciness and heat. Very sticky and very tasty brew. The Czar is an Imperial Stout, 11 percent ABV, is an inky black, very cellar-able brew. Not the best Imperial Stout out there (and there are a ton), but one you won't regret having. The dictators theme is advertised as the spirit behind pushing these types of ales farther then they have wanted to go in the past.

Next we have Avery's "Demons of Ale" series, three extreme brews and I hope they keep going with it. Samael's Oak-Aged Ale has the lowest ABV of the three....14.5 percent. Samael, oftentimes refereed to as the destroyer (the fallen angel, no the beer....well, it could be said about the beer too though), has a very carmel-like sweetness to it with apparent oak character. All in all, a good brew but not my kind of beer for that price. The Beast, 'a suducer,' is a Grand Cru comes in at just under 15 percent ABV. Grand Cru is a growing style among American craft brewers and you can tell why when drinking this beer. I'm not too up on this style yet but it is very powerful, with some of the same characteristics as quality rum and is cellar-able for very long periods. "Mephistopheles is the crafty shape shifter, the second fallen angel," and the taste backs up this description whole heartily. This 15.1 percent ABV stout (I don't know why they don't call it an Imperial Stout) is extremely complex. At 107 IBUs, and with everything going for this beer, I promise that after your first drink, you will stare at the glass and say, "wow." If you drink this brew slightly chilled (please don't drink cold) you will find new flavors in every sip. Did you see how I said sip? Yea, this beer begs to be taken in slowly and consistently. I found myself hard pressed to focus on anything but the beer while it was in my glass. I may have to do a full review on it in the future as there is just too much to go over...and the nose! Lord, you can smell this beer from s couple of feet away! Alright...moving on...

Next we have the Holy Trinity Series, which if I am not mistaken has been around a lot longer than the other two series. Hog Heaven Barleywine Style Ale, complete with flying pigs on the bottle, is a "dangerously drinkable" but aren't most brews like this? or is that just me? Anyway, Hog Heaven is probably closer to a Imperial Red style ale than a barleywine and boy is it tasty. ABV 9.2 and 104 IBUs in a 22 oz. bomber...what more can you ask for? Dry hopping you say? Well it has that too. The Reverend, "Created by God, Feared by Satan, Loved by all," is a wonderful quad I have mentioned a few times before. At 10 percent ABV, The Reverend can be a bit much. I say this not so much because of the percentage of alcohol, but because this beer can be pretty damn sweet. It has little to no hop character whatsoever but is still balanced with spices and heat. I love cracking the Reverend open when I'm drink double IPAs or reds or anything else with a ton of IBUs, as sort of a rest for the palate. It isn't the best quad out there but it is very solid for the price. The final brew in the Holy Trinity Series is Salvation, the previously mentioned beer that was have of Collaboration, not Litigation Ale. I have not had this beer outside of it's combo with the other Salvation Ale but I'm sure it is a good brew to have survived so long.

Welp, that's Avery for you! I want them to come out with another series of some kind! Maybe "Patron Saints of Beer." That'd be pretty cool. I know certain ones have been over done but there are a bunch out there that are as of yet, untapped. Welp, see ya later!

Cheers! 

If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? ~T. S. Eliot

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Hey there, back already? I knew you were as excited about this as I was. The next thing I think about and one of the only things I'd plan outside of the main destinations is what kind of beer can I pick up that I can't find in the STL (I know, crazy that I am thinking about beer right?). Having a phone with google maps and different search features, I will probably just find specialty beer stores along the way so I can be surprised about what I find in the various spots but I have and will do a bit of research on the good stuff before I head out. However, I will probably talk about my findings post trip so I won't do it now and just get to the other details...

Now that the main destinations have been picked out, it is time to talk about the importance of the little details that will make for a great ride when the sights along the road aren't that exciting (I'm looking at you Iowa). First thing is first, you can chat and play driving games only so long before you start stabbing each other in the eyes. Stopping for random potty breaks and snacks is a given but you should always pack munchies before you go so you will never have to go without! Licorice seems to be a favorite and it is more of a constant energy that doesn't make you crash like candy bars. Dried fruit is another great choice, especially when you mix it into a trail mix with nuts, granola, seeds, all the favorites and if you make a big bag, it lasts for a long time. More ideas include chips, bags of cookies, anything you love munching on.

The next thing that is essential to entertaining yourself is tunes! Tell everyone in your group to load their I pods with all their favorites. There are lists all over the place if you search for them that are great for road trips, go crazy. Songs that everyone knows and will rock out to always make for a great ride. Depending on how long you plan to be on the road, however, you are going to want more than that. I pack my I pod with lists of comedians who everyone enjoys. They make for the perfect break when music is getting old.

Besides the obvious, there are a lot of things you are not going to want to forget on your road trip. A camera is needed for documenting the experience, fooling around, and snapping shots of nature as you go by (don't forget the batteries!).  Maps are important if you don't have gps or if you are in a dead zone. Car chargers for your I Pod and phone, car tools, sunglasses, pillows, and possibly a first aid kit are some more things that could be useful.

Last and really, most importantly, make sure you have a great crew to enjoy the journey with. Grab your friends you don't get sick of and that are up for random adventures. Well that is all I have for now. I'll let you know how mine goes once I recruit a good crew and find a time that everyone can do. I'll catch you hear next time, happy road tripping!

 Cheers!


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I have been studying my ass off for this GMAT I am taking in a week and besides eating and showering in the small breaks I am giving myself, I have been mentally planning a road trip! I first had this thought while staring out the window, thinking about how awesome it was outside and how not outside I would be for the rest of the day/week. I thought, "when this is all said and done, I should go see some shit." Granted, my brain wasn't working the best but as simple as the thought was, it's a great one! Summer is the perfect time to get out on the road and just go see shit, don't you think?

Well you say, "I can see shit if I fly somewhere, take a cruise or maybe just look up pictures on the internet." I will admit that a cruise is tempting and I plan on doing that before I'm 30 but when it comes down to it, that is what everyone is doing these days and really all you see is a bunch of water most of the time. Flying is the easy way out and as with most easy way outs, not as fun. I like home James Brown said it (though he was probably talking about life here, not a road trip, haha), "Thank God for the journey." While I was in college, me and a bunch of my buddies went to Panama City for spring break and it was awesome, the best vacation of my life hands down and I've traveled Italy. Anyway, now when we talk about it, we have just as many stories and smiles to share about the road trip there and back as we do of things that happened on the beach.

For those of you who have never taken a road trip, think of it this way. Do you watch a movie or a television series just to find out what happens? No, that is what the news is! We watch the journey of plot, laughs, and mystery to be solved along the way. If you aren't experiencing the journey, you are missing at least half the experience! Okay, pro-road trip rant over.

A road trip is the perfect vacation when you are young, don't have a ton of responsibilities, and need to keep a budget in mind and the best way to do it is plan out the little details like the things (and people) you need to bring, the main destination or destinations, snacks, tunes, and clothes. After that, you can plan some of the places you are going to go and where you will probably sleep but the best thing about a road trip is the stuff that isn't planned. If you are going on a road trip, detours are a must. On the way to Panama City, we did all sorts of stuff but the best things were the signs we saw on the road, talking about attractions and we just went (Jack Daniels tour, worlds largest superman statue, Mexican restaurants galore (to name a few)).

All this in mind, I hit google maps not ten minutes ago to plan out a the trip outline. If you are going to pick multiple destinations to where you are going to go in more of a circle or something than a straight line back and forth, and you have a few choices on which way to start the circle first, choose the place that is furthest first. Starting a road trip right is starting it with a long stretch on the road to set the tone for the rest of the trip and so everyone on the trip can talk about how awesome it is going to be and where they want to hit up along the way so far. From the St Louis area, my first choice is going to Omaha, Nebraska. What the hell is there you say? Well, actually a lot of shit is there I've found but most importantly, one of my best friends from college lives there along with his girlfriend who is another good friend and I know that the people I would get going with me on this trip would want to see them as much as I do. Google maps shows me that the shortest distance there goes through Kansas City, a place where I know a lot of people and in which I love doing things so that is always a nice stop along the way. Another thing about going through KC is that with just a 20 minute detour, you can add Kansas to the state that you went through on your road trip. Hitting a many states as you can, when conveniently close, is a lot of fun.

I had to think for a while about my next destination because I have most of the rest of them already picked out in my mind but the trip doesn't seem long enough to me without another addition. That is when it hit me, Canada! I lived in Minnesota for a time and never made the fairly short drive (in comparison to now) up to say I had been there. Canada, for sure, is my next pick. Being a classic American who just wants to say I've been there, I picked the closest big city straight up from Nebraska, Winnipeg. Now, not having a specific reason for going there besides just wanting to say I did, I am not going to plan out anything so that on the way there, my fellow road trippers and I can brainstorm and maybe look up on our phones the shit we want to do. Besides getting to say we took a road trip to Canada, the route from Omaha is ripe with states to drive through. Iowa (sarcastic yay!...), South Dakota and North Dakota are along the route, with possible big cities to stay in (Sioux Falls and Fargo) and surely tons of shit to see!

My next destination choice is most certainly the twin cities in ol' Minnesota. I personally know a ton of people there and my God I miss the beer! This is for sure an overnight stay as we will party it up with my crew there and will have to spend an hour at a liquor store so that I can figure out a way to pack all the beer I'm going to buy in my car. From there, a quick stint across the border to Wisconsin to add a state to the tally and pick up some more beer (exclusive to WI) and we are off to our next stop!

The important thing about a road trip is not to see the most popular stuff, it is to go to places you want to visit and that means something to you. That being said, our next stop is Kirksville, MO. Most people reading this will have no idea where this is but it is where I went to college and if you want to have a good time, there is plenty of stuff to do. That will bring us through the windmills and flat land of Iowa (sorry if you are from there, both for ripping on it twice now and for the fact that you live there) so we will be ready for the nostalgic  "Water park" (glorified pool) and nightlife Kirksville will most assuredly offer us. From there it is back home, good times, I can tell already! That is the skeleton of the trip as it stands right now! As this post has gotten a little out of hand due to my excitement of the topic, I am going to cut it into two posts, see you back in a few!