You and your grill have a special relationship. You use only the finest lump charcoal. You brush it even on days you don’t use it. You lovingly refer to her as “Bessy.”

Well, it’s time to shine her up, because the two of you are taking a trip.

To a brewery.

Yup, time to borrow your neighbor’s pickup truck, because Flying Dog is hosting the BYOG Grilling Workshop, where they’ll walk you through the finer points of meat management while you use your very own rig.

Basically, this is the second-best thing you can do at a brewery all day (though you’ll get to do plenty of the first-best thing as well).

You’ll have a nice morning drive up to Frederick. You’ll unload your trusty grill. You’ll start sampling beers. You’ll forget why you’re there.

Oh, the grill. Right. You’ll meet Chris—local pitmaster, meat and fire expert, all-around good-time guy. He’ll supply the ribs, steaks, chicken, pork and even a Thanksgiving turkey. Apart from the grill, you’ll supply a thirst for knowledge, along with penetrating, insightful questions on weighty matters like marinades, hardwoods and sauces.

Anyone who says “tofu” will be asked to leave.