As you may know, I really enjoy getting away to the great outdoors. I was away at Letchworth state park this weekend; unplugged and relaxed. I couldn’t leave everything behind, it just wouldn’t be civilized… so obviously I took my growler bag and headed out into the deep wilderness… where wild, untamed animals (well, squirrels really) and untouched woodland (or a 2 lane highway through the park) stretched for miles (not making that up) and I camped with my wife and 16-month-old son in the terrifyingly luxurious 30-foot camper that my soon to be retired parents let me borrow for the weekend.

Anyways, the weekend was fun, the beer was cold and I burned through more wood than a small wildlife preserve would have contained, but the experience was relaxing and just what I needed. Yes, the beer would have still been cold in the camper refrigerator, but keeping it out on the picnic table for the evening [read: not getting out of my chair] and not worrying about the beer getting warm or tipping over was well worth it with a tasty and different Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat ale that kept its temperature perfectly as the night went on and the fire rose higher.

TAGS [ LETCHWORTH | CRAFT BEER | GROWLER | GROWLER BAG ]

Fancy yourself a mixologist, or looking for ways to elevate your drink experience, even as a novice? Fee Brothers Flower Waters may be just what you’re looking for.

Leave it to the experts at Fee Brothers to bring cocktail enhancement to a whole new level. Introducing Jasmine Flower Flower and Lavender Water, the newest cocktail mixers that, when used in very small amounts, add a new fragrant dimension to any cocktail you choose.

If neither Jasmine or Lavender will do for you, why not try adding Rose Water or Orange Flower Water for new, aromatic elements to your favorite mixed drinks. Great addition to ice cream and desserts as well!

TAGS [ COCKTAILS | MIXOLOGY | FLOWER WATER | COCKTAIL MIXERS | FEE BROS ]

Hopefully you have been grilling this summer at least as much as I have. During the summer it’s my turn to cook, most of the time. Outside. Fire roaring. Giant sharp pointy objects to stab and turn meat and vegetables to roast to their impending doom …errrr, cooked to perfection. It’s a great time to enjoy the fresh air, provide for my family and have a beer from time to time.

I know some of you guys claim to leave on a bit of the last BBQ for "flavor," but come on. We all know. Without the right tool, it’s a pain to clean the grill. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll "pre-heat" the grill to loosen up what’s left, but in the end I have a pumice brick to easily take off the excess… whatever it was… left on the grill.

Pumice is from volcanoes, lava to be specific, and if there isn’t a tougher force in nature made to specifically clean my grill, I don’t want it. I frequently use Lava soap when I work on projects outside and it’s taken pretty much everything off my hands including roofing tar, so I have a lot of confidence in molten lava, cooling to a rough pumice stone, to be able to make cleaning my grill grates easier.

So give up the excuse of extra flavor and just get one of these. Make it easier on yourself and the meal you are cooking might even taste the way you planned it in the first place.

TAGS [ GRILLING | GRILL CLEANING ]

When I first started writing beer reviews on Belgian Strong Ales here, my pal Deron (of Top 5 posts fame) said, "Dude. You need to get a Belgian Ale glass. They’re not just for looks."

He was right.

My posts that formerly featured brews in standard shaker pints gave way to better tasting experiences and photos, like the one here, of 21st Amendment Monk’s Blood.

That particular glass is an 8¼-ounce version. Its bulbous bottom and flared rim aerate the brew’s aroma and help to give the taster a better experience of flavor overall. I ain’t just whistling dixie here. This is the real deal.

Finally, we have a larger version of this very popular glass. Our 13-ounce Belgian Ale glass is here and I cannot wait to pick up a few. Sometimes 8¼ ounces of delicious ale just isn’t enough, you know?

Try one for yourself; you’ll be treated to all of the dimension and complexity that your Belgian ales had all along.

TAGS [ BELGIAN ALE GLASS | BELGIAN BEER GLASS ]

Zzzap. Zzzzzzzzap, zap zap. Ah, the sounds of summer at my uncle’s house in the Adirondacks. The month of July is still here, but with all of the rain this year, it’s been nice to finally start enjoying the weather, even if it does have a 50% chance of rain.

Those fond memories were made when I was much younger and the simpler things in life mattered more. Just hearing the electric buzz of the bug zapper on a warm July night, knowing there was one less bug to bite me, was a great way to kill time while talking to my uncle about politics that an 8-year-old could barely understand. Those were the days…

TAGS [ BUG ZAPPER | ELECTRIC BUG ZAPPER | ELECTRONIC PEST CONTROL ]

Adding a tart sweetness to your favorite drinks, Cranberry Cocktail Bitters is here, brought to us by none other than Fee Brothers. Fee Brothers introduces a new and flavorful cocktail bitters every year; incredible flavors like Aztec Chocolate, Grapefruit and even Rhubarb Bitters are included in Fee’s vast offerings.

Bitters is to cocktails as vanilla extract is to baked goods; you can improve dimension and overall flavor with just a touch, but without it, you’ll find the end result lacking. Which cocktails might you try adding the newest Fee bitters to? There are dozens of flavor combinations to toy with but, to get you started, add a bit of tart boldness to your favorite fruit martini or punch up the complexity of your margarita.

Have any other ideas right off the bat for Fee Brothers Cranberry Bitters? Comment below and pass ‘em along.

Cheers!

TAGS [ CRANBERRY BITTERS | FEE BROTHERS | COCKTAIL BITTERS ]

I loved popsicle sticks when I was younger. I used to save them (especially the ones that had jokes on them) and glue them together to make bridges or forts or whatever else populated my sandbox from time to time.

Now as summer is approaching it seems like a great time to make actual popsicles. Not the weird colored metallic tasting green ones that supposedly taste like lime, but actually freeze real fruit juices to make a much better tasting popsicle and lower the calorie count too (you don’t want to end up with a beer belly from too many popsicles this summer, the guys will never let you live that down).

So try out some new flavors. I really like the weird cranberry juice cocktail combinations they’ve come up with in the last few years. Citrus fruits would be great as well. Or if you want to go really crazy, pour the juice in partway and continue filling the container (plastic works best) as the day goes on for a combination that only you can imagine.

Keep refreshed this summer!

TAGS [ POPSICLES | FRUIT JUICE POPSICLES ]