I tried a different method than usual for Opening Day. Since I was only cooking up one pack, I basically simmered them rather than pulling out the big pot. Put the brats in a deep pan, took out two High Lifes (1.5 for the brats, I cleaned up the rest), put in about a third of a white onion, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, a bit of butter, and a couple black peppercorns. I mixed it all together and simmered them for about 20 minutes on medium-high heat, turning them halfway through. The nice thing about that method is the casings didn't get completely destroyed like when you boil. They were pretty solid.