While I am not giving up my American artisan ciders any time soon, Summer is one of those times of the year when you can’t always take a 750mL glass bottle wherever you go. So for all those Backyard BBQs and weekend camping trips, there is canned cider. These ciders are distinctly British, often sweet, and meant to be drank cold and fast. And, in general, they’re not very good. But there are some standouts including my favorite, the Crispin Brownslane pictured above. Want to find out which ones to taste and which to toss? Read all the canned cider reviews over on Serious Eats, Drinks (external link)

I found these photos floating around on my hard drive and, while they are well outdated, they’re also worth posting. The 2011 Sly Fox Bock Fest & Goat Race went down last may in a flurry of german beers, Oktoberfest-esque sing-alongs, grilled sausages and – of course – the biggest goat race this side of… ur… you get the idea.

Held in the parking lot of the brewery (which is located in a strip mall for the awkward suburban feel) the afternoon was a heated frenzy as Peggy, the three-legged goat from Wooltown, Pa took first place over the two-time champion Dax. This event gets bigger and bigger every years and is a must for your 2012 beer calendar. Prost!

I went into Chicago Craft Beer Week expecting to catch up with a few transplanted friends, drink some rare Goose Island beers, and drink as many Founders beers I could find. Instead, I was blown away by one of the most exciting craft beer cities in the country. Seeping with brewing heritage, the Chicago scene is rapidly expanding with new breweries and brewpubs popping up every year. Progressive breweries such as Three Floyds and Half Acre are combining classic british styles with west coast sensibilities and adding their own midwest flare to produce beers like Ambrosia, a wheat beer brewed with oranges and hibiscus, or Dreadnaught IPA, an agressively hopped west coast double IPA. Overall it was a fantastic, two day crash course in mid-west brews and a must on any beer travelers list. Click through to check out the slideshow.

There is an interesting dichotomy to the Brooklyn Brewery’s recent releases. On one hand you have classic beers like their Summer Ale… exceptionally brewed and distributed to the masses. But then you have their Brewmaster’s Series, a collection of one-off liquids of interest designed to expand the minds of both the Brooklyn brewers and the craft beer community. The latest release, The Concoction, embraces this expansive mindset to the fullest. The Concoction finds its inspiration not in the classic beers of Belgium and England but much closer to home… from the Penicillin cocktail, a scotch drink from the world renowned mixologist Sam Ross of New York City’s famed Milk & Honey.

Combine equal parts The Great Gatsby, Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More and Club Pacha, shake well, and you start to get an idea of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic’s 2011 Open Gala. Spanning three floors (and several half floors, stairwells, side rooms and assorted alcoves) of the New York Public library, the event transformed the mild-mannered tomb of research into a mélange of cocktials, dancing, live bands, and even more cocktails.

In the basement, a full-fledge dance party erupted complete with disco ball, women dancing on speakers, and a swing harnessed to the hundred-year-old ceiling. On the second floor, a vintage game room bathed in red light housed some of the finer Scotches available to taste. And even an obscure half-floor stairwell paired Pat LaFrieda steak tartar and an unassuming opera singer and a fantastic Byzantine Julip made with apple brandy, date molasses, mint sprigs, and a tincture of green coriander.

With world class mixologists filling every tiny nook available it was easy to stumble upon your new favorite cocktail. Standouts included Bootlegger’s Vodka’s Lindy Hop, a mix of vodka, marachino liquor, green grape sour mix and lemon sour mix, as well as Lillet’s refreshing Cul Du Sabion, combining Lillet Blank, Lillet Rouge, Solerno Blood Orange Liquor, Gran Classico Bitter and Fever Tree Bitter Lemon. For a more detailed breakdown on the Gala’s best sips, check out Maggie Hoffman’s recap over on Serious Eats:Drinks or click through to view the full photo gallery.