For a big-batch beer bloody Mary, nothing beats this oatmeal-stout-laden recipe from Chicago bar Longman & Eagle. But there’s no better Mary-for-one than a half-and-half blend of Mary mix and beer; here, our three favorite combos.

Fat & Juicy + Upslope Top Rope

A Mexican-style craft lager gives a carbonated lift to a well-balanced mix.

McClure’s + Uncommon Siamese Twin Ale

The famous pickle maker’s briny blend clings to this dubbel’s lime, coriander and lemongrass.

Demitri’s Chilies & Peppers + Ft. Collins Z Lager

Add tomato juice, and the mix’s megaspice and beer’s smoky notes read like a Southwestern burger.

BRING THIS OUT: Pelican The Perfect Storm 2008

The Perfect Storm was renamed Mother of All Storms in 2010, and the name’s not the only thing that’s changed about this bourbon-barrel-aged, English-style barleywine: After three years in our cellar, the once hot brew turned luscious. A slight booziness tickles the nose as sweet caramel and cherry scents pair with refined tobacco and almonds. A slick, sherrylike mouthfeel carries elegant aged notes across the tongue; a sweet caramel base pulls dark cherries, vanilla, tobacco and pepper together. Despite this beer’s age, alcohol still snakes through its cohesive ensemble of scents and flavors, and while it could rest for another year or two, The Perfect Storm’s swell seems to be at its peak.

LAY THIS DOWN: Widmer Barrel Aged Brrrbon ’11

This bourbon-barrel-aged version of Brrr Seasonal Ale (a hopped-up amber) is like a race through the mouth among four contestants: citrusy hops, bready malts, woody tannins and spicy, hot bourbon. Tasted fresh, it’s a palate pleaser, but after a year in the cellar its threads will fuse into a rich profile. The bright orange hop notes will fade, but Brrrbon will emerge with more developed barrel notes: Likely, coconut and vanilla will accent pronounced caramel sweetness, while the bourbon’s heat will bow to a pleasant peppery spice. Put one away this winter, and you’ll have a stunning barrel-aged beer waiting next year.

At its peak, the Eichinger family in rural northeast Wisconsin was more than 20 strong. There was Tim and Toni, their son Jake, and a slew of colorful characters: Lothar, the bitterest of the brood; Creek, the family’s hard-nosed staff sergeant; Doris, the sweetheart; and Howler, the cool-headed womanizer. These other family members were of the four-legged variety: The Eichingers once owned a sled dog kennel in Pembine, Wis., which is now more of a retirement home for huskies in their twilight. But these old dogs still inspire Tim when he rolls up his sleeves in the brewery adjacent to the kennel. The brewery itself is named for Howler, the philandering black husky who Tim says “owned him,”and each beer is a representation of one of the Eichingers’ litter. Take Lothar, the acerbic dog prone to biting, who is naturally the face of Black Husky’s Sproose Joose II IPA, a bitter, high-alpha beer made with local spruce tips.

The kennel has slowed recently, but the nanobrewery is ramping up: This year, the Eichingers will quadruple their capacity with a 5-barrel system, expand their line of 22-ounce bottled beers and release a smoked beer and an imperial red—inspired by dogs Smoki and Harold, respectively.  –Christopher Staten

Three spots where the beeriness is godliness.

McMenamins Old Church & Pub

Northwest brewpub powerhouse McMenamins’ newest location makes patrons feel like saying “hallelujah.” A brewery located in the 100-year-old Wilsonville church’s basement serves up the spirit by the pint with staples like Terminator Stout and Hammerhead poured in an open-air amphitheater that hosts movies and live music throughout the week.

Church Brew Works

Religion can be transformative; the founders of Church Brew Works took that to heart when they meticulously renovated St. John’s of Pittsburgh into a microbrewery. A bar constructed of old pews, grand pillars converted from confessionals and a brew house smack in the middle of the altar almost make you feel blasphemous for enjoying a Pipe Organ Pale Ale or a Pious Monk Dunkel—almost.

Sierra Nevada

It’s a story worthy of a sermon: The 800-year-old remnants of the Santa Maria de Ovila monastery, dismantled and shipped from Spain to America by William Randolph Hearst, are now in the deserving hands of the Abbey of New Clairvaux monks. With the help of Sierra Nevada, the monks have come up with Ovila Abbey Ales, a dubbel, saison and quad brewed in conjunction with the seasons that help fund the reconstruction of this historical vestige.

If you stay three nights in Fairbanks, Alaska, you have an 80 percent chance of seeing the Northern Lights. Also known as Aurora Borealis (Aurora is the Roman goddess of dawn; Borea is the Greek name for the north wind), the ribbons of green and red light that twirl across the sky seem otherworldly, but really, it’s just science: Particles from the magnetosphere and solar wind collide with photons in the earth’s upper atmosphere, and result in streams of colored light. And because Fairbanks sits within the Auroral Oval—an arctic zone that’s so chilly, the skies are almost always clear—the city’s a particularly stellar spot to take in the show.

The best time to view the Aurora falls smack-dab in the middle of Alaska’s notorious winters, when the skies are good and dark. If your human instinct to stay warm outweighs your desire to see the lights, you’re in luck: Most Fairbanks hotels offer Aurora Borealis wake-up calls. For the heartier set, Sirius Sled Dogs leads a nighttime mush, followed by a gathering in the outfitter’s private cabin for a fireside dinner and light viewing while the pups howl. Or hit the wilderness on a one-, three- or six-hour snowmobile tour beneath the night sky. Perhaps the most luxurious way to view the lights is from Chena Hot Springs Resort’s natural rock lake, where the steamy, mineral-rich water and the green rivers in the sky remind you just how awesome Mother Nature really is.

BREWERY STOP: Just outside Fairbanks in Fox, Alaska, lies Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling, the country’s northernmost beer maker. At the brewery, grab a growler of specialties like Hardpack (an oatmeal-wheat stout tweaked with coriander, orange peel and Belgian yeast and spiked with local espresso), or pick up a sixer of the easy-drinking, Vienna-style Fairbanks Lager.