Super Bowl: Perfect for Beer/Food Match-ups

Like many, I plan to take in pro football’s finale, which is on tap for later this weekend. Neither of the teams involved this year fall into the list of favorite teams that I follow regularly (those would be the Patriots and the Steelers), but I do plan to watch anyway and it should be a good game. If I had my druthers, I guess, the Saints would win their first Super Bowl, but I really don’t have a strong preference. My cousins in Indy aren’t going to like that assessment very much.

As any good coach would, I have begun to think seriously about what the day’s lineup will consist of; the match-up of the beers and the snacks that will come into play during the game. My wife, a staunch Patriots fan, will be handling the snacks lineup and I, of course, will handle the beer selections. While planning ahead is good, keep in mind that some of the players in either list may actually end up being game time decisions, as there is a good variety of both snacks and beers that could participate in the event.

Up until recently, I have simply enjoyed drinking beer simply for the beer itself; never really taking into account the event, surroundings or the food that I would be eating when choosing what beer to imbibe. A number of recent articles I have read, including two really good ones by my Hop Press colleague Steph Weber (Pairing With Pizza and Beer School: Beer and Food Pairing – The Basics), have got me thinking about the relative importance of what beer (or type of beer) gets paired with what food. I am definitely not one of those snobby types about the beer that I drink… there are clearly situations when a Bud Light seems like the most appropriate beer for me to be drinking and I do enjoy it when that happens. As I begin to explore the world of beer/food pairings, I am certain that I will maintain the same open mindedness about making those selections. I like good beer and I like good food, so it should not be that difficult to come up with some combinations of the two which add to the overall experience, if I choose to consciously make that type of connection. I have decided that the annual event on Sunday, because of the fact that a variety of food and snacks will be available throughout the day, would be the perfect opportunity to begin to explore this topic.

As I said before, the actual snack lineup is still up in the air until game time, but I have a rough idea of the potential players. I thought that it would be fun to run down the potential list of those snacks and consider which beers in my fridge might go well with each of them. I just visited one of my favorite beer stores (the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, VT) last week, so I have a wide variety of different beers to choose from… you’ll hear more about the Beverage Warehouse in a future article of mine. You should know that I have not yet tasted the beers listed in the pairings below and that, of course, will add to the excitement and intrigue as I move through the day. My pairings are simply based on the styles of the beers I have selected coupled with the reviews of my fellow Ratebeerians who have already sampled these beers.

The Potential Line Up:

• Salsa and Chips – A favorite snack for me, though because my wife will share it with me, I can’t make it as hot as I would like it. I have selected Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale, a traditional ale, to have with this snack.
• Chips and Dip – We like the old standby, onion dip and potato chips. The hops and bitterness of the Rogue Mogul Madness should help cut through the saltiness of the chips and creaminess of the dip.
• Cheese and Crackers – We keep a variety of snacking cheeses in the house. I am a “chilihead” as well as a hophead, so one of my favorite snack cheeses is Cabot’s Habanero Cheddar, which can be pretty spicy. The hoppiness of the Nørrebro North Bridge Extreme as well as its higher alcohol content should go well with this fav of mine.
• Buffalo/Hot Wings – My wife and I differ on our heat level preference for this snack, but mine will be spicy (as I can stand them) and the Flying Dog Raging Bitch should go well with them.
• BBQ Pork Ribs – My wife’s BBQ sauce is both sweet and spicy and the Brewdog Chaos Theory should work fine with these excellent (yummy!) ribs
• Veggie Pizza – We make our pizza from scratch with yeast dough fresh from the local deli and a variety of vegetables in the tomato-based topping. Duvel with its bready yeasts and fruity esters should enhance the flavor of one of my favorite foods.
• Brownies – Chocolaty and chewy with chocolate chips, they should go nicely with the flavors of Cisco’s Captain Swains Extra Stout

Regardless of which of these foods I actually end up eating on Sunday, I am sure not to go hungry. Choosing a beer to have with each of them that will complement and enhance the experience of having them together should prove to be an interesting experiment; one which I am definitely looking forward to.

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