Ray Isle (@islewine on Twitter) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray.

Oh, those clever folks at Amstel Bulgaria, always pushing the boundaries. This week came news that they’d installed a beer vending machine on a street in Sofia that - and this is the genius part - would give you a free beer for doing nothing.
 
That meant really doing nothing, i.e., standing there for three minutes in front of the machine, not talking, not texting, not looking around, not dancing a jig, nada. But if you could manage to hold mind and body perfectly still for three minutes, hey, presto, here’s your beer.
 
In light of the Labor Day holiday, it seems to me that being given beer for doing nothing is particularly apt. You’ve worked enough: Now you must relax. Of course, beer vending machines aren’t likely to take off in the US anytime soon, unless they can figure out how to make them check IDs, too, but it’s still a nice dream.

And in the meantime, thanks to the craft beer world’s fascination with high-alcohol beers, here are a few potent - and very good - brews that will pretty much force you to relax (though, of course, you could just down a couple of Amstels, too, if you wanted).
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Some people maintain that Memorial Day weekend officially marks the start of grilling season and Labor Day, the end. Those people, for the most part, are wrong. Some folks maintain the flame in snowdrifts up to their thighs. Others won't haul out the hibachi until late September because it'll finally be cool enough to cook outside without wilting like a hothouse gardenia. July is National Grilling Month, but that's just kind of incidental.

What we're saying is, so long as our spatula isn't actively frozen or melted to our hands, and monsoon spray does not prevent us from lighting a charcoal chimney, we're going to be outdoors, putting flame to food and quaffing a cold beverage. Why don't you just come along and join us?

Catch up on the rest of our great cookout and picnic tips below, and if you run into a sticky grilling situation - we're here to help. Share your burning questions in the comments or Tweet us @eatocracy and we'll have your festivities back on track in no time.

Achieve Grilling Greatness
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Vegetarians are (mostly) not here just to ruin your good time. Really. I swear. I was one, myself for seven years and all I wanted at a cookout was to hang out with my friends, and not have to worry that the omnivores would gobble up all the meat-free sides before I got to the table.

These days, while I'm likely to smoke up a brisket, a rack of ribs or some animal innards when company comes over, the non-meat options surely don't get short shrift.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to celebrate the bounty of the season and make sure all my guests leave full and satisfied - no matter how they choose to chow down.
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Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up.

Some key statistics from the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council:


– During "Hot Dog Season" from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs: That’s 818 hot dogs per second.
 
– Los Angeles residents consume more hot dogs than any other city, including New York.
 
– The biggest hot dog day of the year is surely the 4th of July: it’s estimated that Americans eat 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times.
 
If you want to send out summer with a bang, and make Labor Day an even bigger hot dog holiday than Independence Day, we can help you get started at the following places. Better still, some of them can help save the world while you eat their terrific dogs. 
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