Summer Brews

There is something about beer that just screams summer to me.

White wine is not really summer, mixed drinks remind me more of vacations, red wine well in my opinion it is just too heavy tasting for summer. So BEER it is! Working out in the yard, mowing grass, weeding, planting flowers, checking the vegetables and herbs growing, after a couple of hours in the sun on a hot day, nothing sounds better than a nice cold one. There are beers that fit occasions, for summer my beer of choice is Samuel Adams Summer Ale. This I have noticed that more and more breweries are following Sammie's lead and coming out with some great seasonal brews. I am sure it has been out for a bit, but I just noticed Sierra Nevada's Summerfest, which I doubt I will try since I am not a huge fan of the company's product to start with. Trader Joe's is offering a summer selection and my local wine shop has at least three other summer seasonals. I have tried a few, but none seam to have the summer taste of Summer Ale perhaps it is because of the special ingredients. According to the company's website this American wheat ale, "...uses malted wheat as well as lemon zest and grains of paradise, a rare pepper from Africa first used as a brewing spice in the 13th Century to create a crisp and spicy flavor and body. The ale fermentation imparts a background tropical fruit note reminiscent of mangos and peaches. All of these come together to create a quenching, clean finishing beer perfect for those warm Summer days." I could not agree more. Well it's 5 o'clock somewhere so it is time to crack a brew, get a break from the heat, start enjoying summer for more than great beer, and ask you what is your favorite summer brew?

Mexican Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Salad

Like I said in the wine post, it was girls night so we decided to go south of the border for our flavors and attempt a recipe that my husband makes much better than I do. I will have to update this post after he makes it one night so I can figure out what he does differently with the marinade, but for now here is my version.

Mexican Grilled Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 bottle of Mexican Beer (I recommend Pacifico)

1 lime

1/4 cup of coarsely chopped onion

1/4 cup of Tapatio

In a large bowl combine beer, hot sauce, and onion. Cut lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into beer mixture and add the lime halves to the mix. Taste and if flavors are all present add chicken. Cover bowl and marinade overnight. Heat grill on high and cook chicken for around 10 minutes on each side. Serve with black bean salad.

Black Bean Salad

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup of frozen or fresh corn

1/2 cup of diced red onion

2 serrano peppers, sliced thin

1 red bell pepper, diced

the juice from 2 limes

In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate, serve when cool.