july fourth

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…

Happy Independence Day! Today's the day the United States formally declared its independence from Great Britain, way back in 1776.  Fourth of July celebrations include displaying the American flag, parades, and fireworks, not to mention the all-important barbecues. All of those are wonderful, but we’d like to suggest a slightly different way of celebrating this great day. If you are thinking, “Hmmm, we bet this involves beer,” you’d be absolutely right.  Here’s our idea for a patriotic afternoon of leisurely local craft beer sippin’: Green Flash Hop Head Red (1 bottle) Avery Brewing Company’s White Rascal (1 bottle) Repeat as necessary.  The red ale and white beer represent, of course, the red and white stripes of our great nation’s flag.  But what about the blue? we can hear you asking now.  That took some special legwork, and you have to go…

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…