Beer isn’t just a job for Steve King, who owns Specialty Distributing Co.

When King gets home and fires up the grill, his extensive beer knowledge becomes a fun hobby.

First, on the stove, he’ll cook the brats in beer.

“Then I take the brats right out of the pot and put them on the grill,” King said. “You get nice brown spots on them, which makes them a little bit better. It doesn’t take long, because they’re already cooked when you put them on the grill.”

Some people scoff at using higher-priced beers for marinating. King said that’s a small cost to pay for a batch of a dozen tasty brats.

“I’ve made some pretty good combinations,” King said. “I’ve used a Millstream Schild Brau Amber and a Left Hand Blackjack Porter. Using the darker beer with an amber-colored beer, when you marinate it like that, it just adds a little bit of extra flavor to it.”

While eating the brats, he’ll choose a black lager such as Kostritzer.

Although King usually prefers mixing an amber beer and a dark one for the marinade, he tries other combinations.

“One night I added raspberry beer to chorizo, which is a spicier sausage,” King said. “My kids really liked it. It took away the edge of the spiciness. I used Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale on it.”

To wash it down, King drank Lagunitas India Pale Ale.

“A lot of guys just use a regular domestic beer to cook or marinate with,” King said. “Personally, I just don’t think you get enough flavor out of it.”