Dean Westling explores the local beer industry one pint at a time

At last it's sunny in Seattle. I wait so long for the warm weather, that when it finally arrives, I find myself going a little sun crazy. It just so happens that the same week that I go sun crazy my wife goes out of town. You know what they say, when the cat's away the mice turn into Backyard Bachelors (or something like that). For me, this means the evenings after work are full of beer, bbq, sun, cigars, and music on the back deck.

Here's a little run down of my couple days as a Backyard Bachelor.

Evening 1: Easing into it. Dinner was bratwurst soaked in Firestone Walker DBA, then grilled and smothered in homemade, home brewed chocolate porter BBQ sauce, paired back with its marinade, Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale. The crispness of the DBA and the balanced nature of its hops and malt cuts right through the juicy pork brat. One DBA became two and two became three as I sat contemplating summer from the greenbelt overlook of my back porch.

Food, check, beer, check. Now some audio accompaniment. The first evening of my three night adventure as a Backyard Bachelor, I chose the album Tomboy from the experimental artist, Panda Bear. This layered, complex, echoing album was an elegant selection for the evening with just the right amount of beauty and psycadellia.

Once the sun went down, it was all Skyrim and Doctor Who until bedtime.

Evening 2. All day at work, with the sun beating in the office windows and the blue sky over the Emerald City, my button up and slacks felt more oppressive then ever. On the way home, I needed to cut loose, in a truly lupulin fashion. I headed into the local Top Foods and grabbed a Radiant Ale from Ninkasi Brewing.

Dinner this evening was delectable. Half pound patty of grass fed, organic beef raised in Eastern Oregon by extended family members. Fat slab of cheddar cheese. Avacado. Mustard based BBQ sauce smuggled back in a suitcase from Charleston, SC. Spinach salad, fresh blueberries, cherries and a Radiant Ale. You can beat that. The flavors of the burger, cheese, and mustard BBQ sauce were incredibly bold and intense, and I was delighted to find that I had picked the right beer. The Radiant Ale from Ninkasi is a wonderfully bright beer with the aroma of candied sugar and oranges. The flavor is malty to start and rounds out like clean mineral water and earthy, citrus hops.

My musical choice for my second evening alone on the back porch overlooking the green belt, was John Vanderslice's 2007 release, Emerald City . Poetic, gloomy, delicate and hauntingly beautiful. Just how I like an album at twilight.

Once the sun went down, it was all Skyrim and Doctor Who until bedtime.

Evening 3: The third and final night of my sun starved bachelor evenings was another delightful eve full of food, beer and music. Again, I decided to BBQ a hand pressed burger raised in Eastern Oregon. When I find something I like, I stick with it. This time while preparing to grill the burger, I decided I needed something spicy. Something more than Tabasco could provide. Lucky I had recently purchased a couple Habanero peppers for a chili project, and tossed them on the grill along with a diced onion and about twelve cloves of garlic. Once it was all nicely charred, I threw the savory medly into the blender with a little water, cider vinegar, liquid smoke, and salt, then blended until smooth. The result is a spicy, smoky, roasty paste that had my ears ringing with heat. I call it Chaz It Up (Chaz is an alter ego of mine that has mastered a creepy wink and is constantly applying chapstick). Now, some sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, grilled corn, strawberries, and it's time for the beer.

My third evening as a Backyard Bachleor, I went with a beer that is new to me, Dumb Luck pale from Lazy Boy. By no means was this a bad beer, but the bottle I had purchased was pretty much flat. Add to that, my taste buds were on fire from the Chaz It Up, and I hard a hard time really getting into the flavors of this beer. So it goes.

Twin Shadow's newest release Confess was on the stereo as I indulged in my final night as a Backyard Bachelor. What a fantastic album; moody and dark with an over arching new wave vibe. This one isn't leaving my iPhone all summer, I can tell you that.

Once the sun went down, you guessed it, Skyrim and Doctor Who until bedtime.

I am glad to have my wife back in town. It was lonely at home with just my Xbox, guitars, BBQ, micro 22s, albums and thoughts. By the final night, after preparing such a delicious meal for myself, I realized, these sorts of luxuries are not fun all alone. A partner in is necessary to share the joys of summer BBQs, good albums and fine beer with. Without someone else, these things fell less special. More temporary, in a way. Memories are stronger when shared between loved ones in homes full of happiness, and I am lucky to have a loved one and a happy home.

I hope you have been enjoying this wonderful summer weather with someone you love. And if not, I hope you are making the best out of being a Backyard Bachelor!

Cheers!