Cherokee Distributing has a post with some standard tailgating tips. But most importantly they supplied a sample tailgating menu based on their opponent’s local fare and/or mascots. This is a good example of how you can diversify your offerings beyond fried chicken, burgers, etc.
You can also pick food styles and beverages that fit your tailgate whether they celebrate the home team or represent your opponent. That way you can try new things and enjoy some variety throughout the season. Here are some festive menu ideas for the first five big games the Vols will face this season:
Sept. 11 – vs. Oregon – in Knoxville – When the Ducks come to town, face the challenge head on by preparing grilled duck breast. To top it off, serve with Duck-Rabbit Amber Ale.
Sept. 18 – vs. Florida – in Knoxville – There’s only one thing to serve when playing the University of Florida, and that’s fried Gator tail. In celebration of the Orange and Blue crew coming to town, sip on a Blue Moon garnished with an orange slice.
Oct. 2 – vs. LSU – in Baton Rouge, La. – Whether you travel down to Louisiana or enjoy the game from home, the LSU showdown calls for a celebration of Cajun food. Prepare some spicy jambalaya – a yummy, hearty tailgating dish – and serve it with Abita Purple Haze, brewed in Abita Springs, just north of New Orleans.
Oct. 9 – vs. Georgia – in Athens, Ga. – When the Vols play the Bulldogs, it’s a classic rivalry that calls for a classic tailgating staple: hotdogs. But, why not mix it up and serve “Sloppy Dawgs” – in honor of how you may hope the opposing team will play! And with new UT Head Coach Derek Dooley returning to his hometown to coach against his law school alma mater – and where his dad Vince Dooley was legendary football coach for 25 years – pick up the Shiner Family Reunion variety pack for the occasion.
Oct. 23 – vs. Alabama – in Knoxville – When the Crimson Tide rolls in to Tennessee, it’s time to break out the barbeque. If you want to sample authentic Tide fare, order some Dreamland Bar-b-que sauce from the Tide’s hometown of Tuscaloosa. But, if you want to stay loyal to Big Orange Country, try the delicious sauces from local restaurants Calhoun’s, Sweet P’s BBQ and Soul House, Buddy’s bar-b-q or Dead End BBQ. Enjoy the southern staple with Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea, a fun twist on the South’s favorite drink.
Try to figure out the most beer you could possibly drink. Then add six. You never know who you’re going to run into over the course of a day. And those people are usually walking between tailgates and don’t have coolers with them. So make sure that you have extras to hand out.
2. Remember to Bring Your Tickets
Come up with a system so that you never leave your tickets at home. I personally leave my season tickets in the car that we always use for tailgating. I put them in an envelope and then lock them in the glove compartment.
We don’t all have keg koozies or an extra trash can. So a cheap and easy solution is to take a large trash bag and put it around your keg. This will hold the ice and water in place for several hours.
5. Protect Your Tailgating Gear
In some situations, it’s too hard to get all of your tailgating gear back to a car before the start of the game. Drag all of your coolers and tables to the center of your tent. Use bicycle locks to lock everything together. Lower your tent so that it’s only 2-3 feet above the ground and use a lock to connect your gear to one of tent’s top braces. Log lock combinations in your phone or get multiple keys so that each person in your party has access if they get back from the game first.
6. Permanent Tailgating Supplies Box
Get a plastic tub that is dedicated to tailgating supplies. You can never have enough paper towels, trash bags, plastic silverware, plates, cups, and headache medicine. Also make sure to keep a good knife in the box for carving meat.
7. Bring a Tool Box
You can leave it in your car but you need to have access to a tool box. I’ve needed tools to fix satellite tripods, broken tents, hammer in stakes, and a variety of minor emergencies.
8. Warm Weather Tailgating
Though it’s great to have games again, a 90° September Saturday can become grueling. Bring extra clothes so you can shed sweaty shirts throughout the day. Make sure you have sunglasses and sunscreen. In addition to beer, bring more water or sports drinks than you could imagine drinking. You can also plug a small fan into a generator to help cool off and keep bugs away.
9. Rainy Weather Conditions
Bring ziplock bags to place phones, ipods, and wallets in. Grocery bags for wet clothes, purses, and other smaller gear. If you have two tents, it’s common for water to drip in between them. Bring a tarp to bridge the gap over the two roofs. Bring extra clothes for the ride home.
10. Cold Weather Tailgating
Make sure you bring several layers, gloves, a hat, and blankets. Use a grill as a fire or plug a heater into a generator. Keep hot drinks in a thermos or heat up some cider on a grill and mix it with bourbon.
Please leave any tailgating tips you have in the comments.
TavernToys.com sent me over a BrewTender to check out. This is a chilled, easy to pour, and fun alternative to a beer pitcher. The Brewtender has three basic parts, the 80oz pitcher, an inner chamber of ice, and the stand. The ice chamber twist locks into the pitcher, and the pitcher easily twist locks on to the base. Having separate parts allows you more maneuverability while filling everything up.
From my experience, if you pour a cool liquid in and fill the center up with ice, it’ll keep cold for at least two hours. Which means that the Brewtender will get the job done better than your standard pitcher for beer pong, flip cup, and other drinking games. I’d mainly recommend this product for use with keg beer at home. Possible uses for tailgating would be a punch or a non-alcoholic drink that you’re not going to fill multiple times. Additional features are the lazy susan base that allows you to spin the tap around so everyone at the table can use it. Located underneath the ice chamber is a light that shines up through the liquid that is powered by four D batteries. It provides an irresistible glow to beer and would look great in a dimly lit situation.
Have questions about kegs? This quick guide will cover how to tap a keg, how many beers are in a keg, how to cut down on the foam, and other tips and tricks to make sure you get the perfect pour.
How many beers are in a keg?
A half keg, which is what you most commonly see, holds 165 12oz servings (15.5 gallons), weighs 161 pounds when full, and is two feet high. The smaller 1/4 keg is also called a pony keg. It holds 82 12oz beers (7.75 gallons) and weighs 87lbs full.
(source: kegworks.com)
Tips for Tapping
After bringing the keg home quickly, let is settle for two hours. You want to ice it during this time making sure that the ice covers the outer circumference of the keg. You should treat the temperature of your keg the same way you would milk. Never let it get warm. A keg tapped with your standard hand tap will stay fresh for about 24 hours.
Most American beers use the same basic Sankey connection tap. But if someone decides to get fancy with their beer choice, double check with the liquor store that you have the right type of tap. See the bottom of this post for videos on how to tap the keg.
How to Pour Keg Beer
Once you’ve let the keg settle and you’ve tapped it, give it a few pumps and start by filling a pitcher with the initial pours. The first few beers will be very foamy and you might as well let them sit for a little while. When filling pitchers, you can pull the faucet forward until it locks so that you don’t have to hold it down the whole time.
Never pump the keg before at least a test pour. The rookie ahead of you may have pumped the hell out of it. You want to get a medium pour that you let flow down the side of your cup. All push the faucet all the way down and get a full flow to eliminate unnecessary foam.
An overview of keg tapping and pouring by Chow.com
A more detailed look at how to properly tap a keg and pour beers by Wired
A proper tailgating cocktail must to be easy to make. Wielding a cocktail shaker in a field is both impractical and asinine. Which brings us the two ingredient Dark and Stormy. Billed as the national drink of Bermuda, the Dark and Stormy is suitable on the beach or the hot tailgating temperatures of September. Combining Ginger Beer (which happens to be non-alcoholic) and Dark Rum (quite alcoholic) it provides a breezier and less sweet alternative to the average sorority girl’s Rum and Coke. The purist will insist on Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, whereas I decided to Release the Kraken Rum since I had it around. From what I can tell, people are as territorial about Ginger Beer as they are barbecue. I would suggest something, but really you’re going to end up with whatever you can find at your local high end grocery or liquor store.
Dark and Stormy
2 oz Dark Rum
4 oz Ginger Beer
Add rum and ginger beer to ice filled glass and stir. Garnish with lime. Talk like a pirate.
