Sadly, wildfires are a fact of life for many of us living in the mountain west, but most of us don't really know a lot about this phenomenon. The same beautiful landscape that draws us here also has a tendency to turn deadly in the fall when the brush and grass turns into tinder waiting for a spark to start a maelstrom.

Most of us look to our veterans, local police and firefighters when we consider who our heroes are - but the guys fighting fires on the sides of mountains surrounded by burning trees are sometimes forgotten. Since 1994, the WFF - Wildland Firefighter Foundation - has supported the brave men and women that risk their lives to help protect us in those situations.

When planning a guys weekend in Milwaukee, one thing that is likely at the top of your list is to visit a brewery. While most people will assume that means a stop at Miller, there are some incredible craft breweries here in town as well. The one we picked to visit during our Kia TurboCharged Weekend, was Lakefront Brewery and it happens to be one of the older craft breweries in the country.

With June 21 and the Summer Solstice fast approaching you can expect longer days, warmer weather and more social gatherings than anyone has time to plan for. We know you'll need every edge you can get to take advantage of the coming increase in summer events, so let's get started!

Tonight's the night to brush up on your mixology skills and transport guests from your backyard to cities around the world all in one night.

A couple months ago, Heather and I visited The Headquarters in San Diego for a fantastic date-night. A couple weeks ago though, we had the chance to spend some more time there at a Chocolate and Beer tastings held at Dallmann Fine Chocolates.  This is just one of the fun ways to spend time at The Headquarters, which is located right downtown next to Seaport Village on Harbor Drive.

Wisconsin welcomes travelers of all kinds, including those looking to experience an amazing mancation. From a weekend on the lake with the boys to seven days of rugged outdoor activities, Wisconsin offers four seasons of unbeatable fun. So whether you take a plane, train or car ride to get here, just know when you visit the cheesehead state, you’re sure to find Wisconsin fun.

It's been a brutal winter for most of the country - lucky for me though, I happen to live in Southern California where 72 and sunny is a way of life and our "bad days" are those 5 times a year where it might rain. That makes a beautiful lemon orchard just north of Los Angeles the perfect location to kick off a national tour to promote Shock Top's newest flavor - Lemon Shandy, drawing its zest from real California lemon peels. 

Are you lucky enough to have a partner that loves beer almost as much as you do? Well then I've got a great Valentine's Day gift suggestion for you!

Frankly though, they have a lot more than stuff for the women in our lives and you will have as much fun shopping as she will in receiving it. Of course, if you are lucky, she will remember this place when it comes time for your birthday or fathers day since it has some great gifts for guys too!. 

San Diego is an awesome town that is sometimes forgotten about or dismissed as simply a surf town, but what I have discovered over the past year is that there is an incredible amount of awesome things to do here beyond the beach including touring some of the almost 100 craft breweries, exploring vineyards in nearby Temecula and Romona, as well as visiting the Zoo, touring historic military ships and some of the best burgers and tacos in the country.

Schlitz is a beer that your father or grandfather probably recalls fondly but it isn't at the top of mind for most beer lovers today. That's about to change as the same company that brought PBR back from obscurity is now working to promote the Schlitz brand as well and what better way to do that then do a nationwide tour with a 1920's themed boxing night including cigars, dancing girls, orchestra, and of course... ice cold Schlitz beer!

Beer is good - beer is delicious when shared with friends but beer really shouldn't be pretentious. Instead, this is a blue collar drink that should be shared after work, to celebrate a day of fishing, hunting, skiing, or just relaxing on the beach. That being said, there is always a space in any market for an "ultra premium" beverage and that's what Affligem is all about. 

To help them spread the word, they invited me to join them at an event in San Diego last month where we got to learn more about the history and how to pour the beer properly using the "Body and Soul" pour with special glasses.

There's no shortage of awesome beer festivals in San Diego and since we have some of the most talented brewers in the world it is never boring to see the same cast of characters week after week.

However, it is always exciting to see something different and that's exactly what Sierra Nevada delivered with their Beer Camp Across America tour this summer.

There is certainly no shortage of bars offering happy hour specials but we recently were invited to check out Islands's NFL Happy Hour in La Jolla / San Diego. In addition to happy hour classics like wings and fries we were treated to a wide selection of Hawaiian themed treats that matched the restaurant's theme.

For those of you who haven't visited an Islands restaurant, it is a surf / Hawaiian themed burger joint that 50 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii.