barbecue

Oh, hey! It’s nearly July 4th already?  How did this happen so fast?  It feels like just yesterday that we were waiting up to see in the new year, and here it is Independence Day. We love the Fourth of July.  It’s nice and warm, the day is long and punctuated by food and cold drinks, and at the end of it we get fireworks!  Usually, we put up a guide to pairing wines and beers with your barbecue foods, but this time, we’ve scoured the web to find ways for you to work your favorite drinks into your favorite summer recipes. If you’re grilling beef, accompany it with a porter or stout reduction sauce to simultaneously tenderize it and bring out the smoky tanginess of the beer.  Reductions are super easy and really delicious – all it means is…

Memorial Day is a day we honor all our military women and men. Originally, it was called Decoration Day, where you would visit graves of loved ones who had been killed in action, strewing flowers over their tombstones. Over time, though, it became a way to celebrate anyone who served in the armed forces, alive or dead. Today, Memorial Day is not only a way to give thanks to our loved ones who serve in the military, but it also marks the unofficial start of summer. “May Gray” might be here, but in San Diego's temperate climate, that's no excuse not to fire up the barbecue and have a beer with your family and friends. Just make sure it's craft beer, because you don't want to deprive anybody of the best brews in the world. As a matter of fact, some breweries…

Hey baby, it's nearly the Fourth of July.  We love this time of year! The days are at their longest and warmest and everybody is in a party mood for Independence Day.  We prefer the annual San Diego rite of passage of heading out to the beach, where you can barbecue next to the surf, but really, there's fun to be had just about anywhere! We know that you're probably going to have a cookout, so we won't waste our time recommending food.  You know what to do. What we have done, however, is once again sampled some of San Diego's finest in order to help you best pair your favorite local brews with your meals! We'll start off with an oldie, but a goodie – a classic in the vibrant world of San Diego's beer scene: Karl Strauss's Red…

Happy Independence Day! This is the national day of the United States, and in case you haven't been paying attention, it usually involves fireworks, backyard barbecues, and – of course – beer. We at La Jolla Wine Tours and San Diego Beer and Wine Tours have a special place in our heart for beer. We think it's delectable, especially something from The Lost Abbey or AleSmith Brewing Company. Yet, this year, for something different, how about pairing wine with your 4th of July barbecue fare. But not just any wine. Instead of red and white, try orange and green wines on for size. Green wines, or vinhos verdes, are light, delicate, and fizzy whites – perfect for summer! The “green” refers to the youth of the wine. It's supposed to be consumed a year after bottling at most and as…