The timeless nature of the "kegger"...

Since moving to NEPA in 2006, I couldn't even begin to count how many parties we have hosted here at the house. Many have been big, most were small, the bulk of them were outdoors, and all involved alcohol and grilled food in one form or another.

Today we are having another. As far as family goes, our two oldest kids are at their father's for the weekend, so we are reduced in numbers, but we have family coming from out-of-town to make up the count, with the usual local friends bringing their broods over to fill the ranks further. We are forcasted to have a sunny, cool day (high in the 70s), the lawn is cut and the deck is clean. We have meat marinating in the fridge, and a variety of beer, wine and booze chilling in the coolers.

I love these kinds of events. They are so much more fun and relaxed than going to a bar or pub, and the cost is minuscule in comparison (just ask Ryan and Jambo about the tab for our last trip to the pub together!) and the food is always better. I won't deny a tiny twinge when I hear that my darling wife has planned another soiree right on the heels of the last... but they never fail to be fun and no one ever goes away unhappy. I can't even argue about having the majority of them at our house, because we enjoy the benefit of being utterly comfortable and at-ease in our own surroundings, and the special-needs of our youngest are easily handled when they arise.

So, as I was having my morning coffee (I'm letting Liz sleep in this morning, as she worked hard last night) with Jake, we talk about the fun that is going to start when the people arrive, and it causes me to think about the nature of our get-togethers.

The classic college "kegger" is a timeless tradition that you don't have to go to college to experience and appreciate. It has been adopted into tailgate parties, backyards, garages, patios and living rooms across the land, with themes and without, free or pay-at-the-door. You don't even need a keg to have one (in my opinion). I know that some people have even turned them into money-making ventures (although my biggest in college... the nearly epic and utterly unforgettable "Grundy Bar and Grill" opening... cost me a fortune and an evening in the back of a squad car with stainless steel bracelets).

The ingredients for our successful "keggers" seem to include good grilled food, wine/beer (Liz hates beer, and I'm a one-glass whino at best), usually some kind of bonfire, music (Liz can't relax without music, seemingly), lots of friends, and someplace where we can smoke... preferably wherever we are sitting and drinking.

Notice no keg in that list. We have never bought a keg since I have lived here in PA. I'm a huge beer fan, and I have a wide range of tastes in beer, but my favorites are the dark stouts and porters, and they tend to be expensive in keg-sized containers. Add to this the fact that not many people share my taste, and I am faced with either drinking the majority of an entire keg myself OR watching very good and very expensive porter go to waste in a matter of a few days. So, we stick with the coolers full of bottles. I don't buy cans myself, but others do, so there are some cans mixed in, but I am a bottle-beer fan (when I can't get it out of a tap).

Since I left college, I haven't ever tried to "make money" at such an event. I know it can be done, and the many people do make money at such parties by asking each person attending to "buy their cup" and making sure they sell more cups than the keg cost... but I have never successfully managed to do this. Here, we stick to simple rules... I buy the beer I like to drink (or the wine Liz likes to drink), and if you don't like that wine/beer... you'll have to bring your own. Food is often the cost of "partying" with us, actually. I'm far more likely to tell you to bring something "YUM" than I am to ask you to contribute to the cost or clean-up. We LOVE dips here at the "Foster's Last Resort" and people that bring dips (ANY kind of dips) are always welcome. Desserts are big, too... we love desserts.

We have cooked just about everything imaginable on the grill, at one time or another. Every kind of seafood, red meat, poultry, or pork product that you could hope to name, we've grilled here at least once. Wild turkey, boar, black-tip shark, live lobsters, crayfish, every kind of German sausage imaginable, spicy Italian ham, pumpkin (surprisingly good!), even desserts have been done on our grills. One thing about a party at our house... you're going to eat well if you are here before it is all gone. We never fail to have the traditional stand-bys either... hot dogs, bratwurst and burgers with all the trimmings. Yum.

So, I'm going to go and finish preparations for the shindig and ponder further the process that brings people together for these kinds of gatherings. Like "shindig" itself... a word that entered our lexicon in the early to mid 1800s from a Scot-Irish term for a festive gathering of extended family that included games and dance... the process is every bit as much fun to ponder and plan as it is to participate in.

If you are in the area at around 4 PM EST... stop by and say HI. We have lots to share!