5 Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Social Dad

Today's Father's Day gift guide is dedicated to the social dad; the one who has created a backyard primed for hanging out with friends and family.

1. The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook by David Ort

Barbeques and beer, how can you go wrong. Combining these two beautiful entities is sure to win the social dad's approval. Great recipes and excellent photography make for a great book for use and display.

2. Patio Cooler 

A perfect mix of cool and practical, dad will appreciate being able to put the old igloo out to pasture and replace it with this new patio fixture.

3. Giant Tumbling Timbers 

Think Jenga, only bigger. An awesome outdoor party game that dad will love.

CONTEST: Win a $125 Travel Shave Kit from @KingsCrown and @RealManTravels by tweeting the URL of this post, with the hidden hashtag #RMTSocialDad and mention @KingsCrown1774 and @RealManTravels. You can also Like us on Facebook and post the hidden hashtag #RMTSocialDad to our page for a bonus entry! Winner to be announced June 19th, 2015. Contest is only open to Canadian residents. More details here: Contest Details

4. Napoleon Patioflame® Table 

If asked, dad might prefer a wood-fed fire. But he will surely appreciate being able to have a flame be the centerpiece of outdoor entertaining, at the touch of a button.

5. Big Green Egg 

Dad will love this cool cooking device that triples as a barbeque, an over and a smoker. Ceramic cooking surfaces have a lifetime warranty and won’t rust.

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A Real Man Travels Guide To BBQ Etiquette

With the warm weather here to stay you're probably fielding more than a few invites for backyard BBQs with your friends and colleagues. Here at Real Man Travels, we too enjoy the age old pass time of touching meat to flame. That said, there's an etiquette that must be abided when attending another man's BBQ; a few simple rules to show respect to the grill master of the house. We've compiled the list to assist you in avoiding any flaming faux pas.

1. Never ever ever ever ever, not even if it's a ball of flames, touch another man's grill. Really, who are you to touch another man's grill? I don't care if you're the Man of The Year, don't do it.

Charbroiled to perfection!

2. If you are going to approach the grill master, make it a social visit. He doesn't need your advice on when to flip a burger. So keep your eyes off his meat.

3. Do not debate the merits of propane vs. natural gas. This is not the time or the place. If you have to ask if it IS the time or the place, then it is still not the time or the place.

4. BYOB. Simple enough, but bring something share worthy. A unique beer can be a great icebreaker when meeting new people. Your beer will say a lot about you, so don't get too carried away or you might come off  a bit snobby. Though you do want to stand out from the other six guys holding silver bullets.

Double Trouble Brewing Co. is a favourite in the Real Man beer fridge

5. If your beer needs a refill, see if your grill master needs one too. Real men look out for one another.

6. Be a side dish sidekick. When accepting the invite to a BBQ make sure you ask if there's anything you can bring. While this is good manners, it also reduces the chances of eight bowls of potato salad finding there way into the garbage.

7. Dress appropriately. If you're doing some grilling with your buds you can wear almost anything, but when you're invited as a guest try not look like a hobo (unless the BBQ is hobo-themed). I'm not saying you have to dress like you're partying with The Great Gatsby, but just because the sun's out, doesn't mean you should to bring the guns out either.

8. Use your manners. Something I notice almost everyday regardless of where I am is how little people say a simple "please" or "thank you." Bring your manners when you hit the summer BBQ circuit.

9. Your mom isn't here, so clean up after yourself. It's not a lot of work cleaning up after a BBQ but helping bottles and cans make it into the recycling bin on your way out goes a long way with your host. Note, if your mom is the host, help clean up anyway, you ingrate!

10. Secure transportation BEFORE you start drinking. We all know there is no excuse for drinking and driving. Real men don't drink and drive. Plan ahead: get picked up, take a cab, walk, or crash on the couch.

Think we are out of line? Have a guideline of your own? We'd love to hear about it in the comments below

-Sam

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Sunny Day's Call For A Getaway: Sip & Sizzle - Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

With the the Canadian weather in fine form, and a long weekend finally in sight, you're probably making plans for the unofficial start of summer. I'm willing to bet that to the average reader of Real Man Travels, the idea of booze and a barbecue has you drooling on your keyboard, but if you want to take that plan to the next level, plan a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake this May and check out Sip & Sizzle!

With 26 wineries, each showcasing one of their homegrown gifts-from-the-gods, along with a savory selection from the grill every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., you might as well make it a weekend if you have hopes of trying them all.

Guys, I know you're probably grumbling as you read this, thinking "this sounds pretty girly, step it up Real Man Travels." To that I have one simple response - vine smoked lake perch wrapped in wild boar bacon from Pellar Estates Winery. That sounds pretty damn manly to me.

With 21 of the 26 wineries serving up a variety of grilled meats ranging from beef, pork and chicken to mussels, shrimp, salmon and scallops, there's something for everyone. Please remember to enjoy both meat and wine responsibly!

-Sam

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This Week in Beer - Ale-Induced Anecdotals

A post by Scott F 

Beer is awesome, but you knew that. But did you know that beer could get... awesomer (not a real word)? Some very cool stories of people doing awesome things with beer have crept up in the last couple of weeks that we thought our readers would find interesting. Enjoy!

Beer brewed from prehistoric whale fossils

What? It’s true. These folks found yeast in the bones of some long dead whale and said: “Hey, yeast makes beer, let’s use this prehistoric whale bone yeast to make beer.” To be fair that is exactly what I would be thinking. The Lost Rhino Brewing Company is behind the new Bone Dusters Paleo Ale (get it, paleo, har har). They teamed up with a non-profit called Paleo Quest to pull of this feat of brewing magic. Finally, a practical use for old bones. Check out the story.

On the topic of odd beer ingredients, how about smoked goat brains?

The newest in a long line of TV promo beers (including the Ommegang Brewery Game of Thrones-inspired brews), the AMC’s The Walking Dead now has a beer of its own. If you’re going to make a beer for zombie fanatics you don’t go half way, so these guys threw in some brains, you know, for authenticity sake. Story here.

Beer fasting.

Most people give up trifles for lent like watch Ellen or their daily Oreo indulgence. Chris Schryer, like few others before him, is giving up food. Yes, food. He’s subsiding of only beer during his observance. Follow his exploration on his blog (great reads).

Baseball and beer. Enough said.

Thrillist.com took it upon themselves to match every Major League Baseball team with a beer that they felt fit best. I’ll say nothing about them matching up the Toronto Blue Jays with Labatt’s Blue, other than it’s a lazy travesty. Still a good read. 

Beer your meat, if you know what’s good for you.

Scientists have found that marinating your meat in beer can prevent the formation of crazy compounds from the grill that can cause cancer. That’s right, beer beats cancer. 

Rob Ford announces the Ford Nation Brewing Company.

Seriously! Okay, not seriously. A well-played April Fools’ Day article by Mom ‘n’ Hops declared that Toronto’s embattled mayor was setting out to create the best beer the city’s ever had. They noted that a gravy-flavoured beer was also on the way. Nicely done, Mom 'n' Hops.

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