There's certainly no doubt that
Super Bowl Sunday is a great day for beer
drinkers.
And as with football itself, there are some unwritten rules (always have been -- always will be).
First, aim to please a crowd, so stick to familiar flavors. That means
nothing overly sweet or sour.
Second, serve brews that will complement, not
overwhelm, your dishes.
Third, since the game lasts many hours, pace the food
and the boozing. Avoid high-alcohol beers—you don't want the lightweights to
fall asleep...or worse.
And finally, offer some sort of variety so there's
something -- for everyone.
So with that said, here are five beers sold nationwide that represent a healthy mix of
light/dark, can/bottle, domestic/foreign, and familiar/obscure. And yes, they
all work with pizza.
GO, BIG BLUE !!!
($9 per six-pack)
5.4 percent ABV
Corona may be the best-selling nondomestic beer in the USA, but Negra Modelo,
first brewed by Austrians in Mexico in 1926, is a better choice if you're
thinking about food pairings. With its copper color, Negra pours darker than
most lagers. It is sweet, with hints of nuttiness on the nose, and has a
refreshingly potent carbonation. A hoppy bitter finish adds complexity. Lime
wedge optional.
Cold Recipe Pairing: |
Hot Recipe Pairing: |
Guacamole Taquero
The beer's caramelized malty sweetness
cuts through this dish's tart tomatillos, creamy avocado, and spicy chiles. |
Turkey Nachos
Negra is strong enough to stand up to the
jalepeño sour cream but doesn't overwhelm the lime-tossed turkey or bell
peppers. |
($9 per six-pack)
4.3 percent ABV
Unlike many other flavorless and appallingly watery light beers, Sam Adams
Light shows real depth: toasty/bready aromas, gentle spiciness, and even a hint
of tropical fruit. With only a slight trace of bitterness, this is a malty,
crisp beer that goes down smooth. As an alternative to Bud, Miller, and Coors,
Sam Adams Light is perfect for fans of mindless chugging and ideal for folks who
are watching their weight. Note, however, that with 124 calories per 12-ounce
bottle, this isn't exactly a 55-calorie beer.
Cold Recipe Pairing: |
Hot Recipe Pairing: |
Chile-Rubbed Shrimp with Avocado Corn Cocktail
Sweet,
malty characteristics of this Sam Adams contrast nicely with the grilled shrimp
and its corresponding chile kick, while the smooth creaminess of the beer
mirrors that of the avocado. |
Bratwurst in Beer
It's a classic tailgate/grilling
pairing. Cook the mild-flavored sausage in Sam Adams to bring out perfectly
complementary flavors. |
($9 per six-pack)
6.5 percent ABV
Thanks to Oskar Blues Brewery, fans of hops, IPAs, and canned beers have had
Dale's to rave about since its debut in 2002 when the company launched its
canned beer business. With its hazy orange coloring, citrus flavors, and notes
of pepper and pine, the stuff certainly stands out in a crowd (it's won numerous
awards). And because it is the Super Bowl, there's the inevitable
horseplay—"catch this!" and "toss me one!" come to mind—making these cans
perfect for the day's event. Not only do cans protect beer from light and oxygen
better than most bottles, they're easily transported (lighter and more compact
than bottles), and don't shatter when dropped. No fumbling here.
Cold Recipe Pairing: |
Hot Recipe Pairing: |
Muffuletta
The bitter hops cut right through the salami
and mortadella, while the caramel maltiness serves as the perfect contrast to
the salty capers and olives. |
Garlic-Roasted Potato Skins
Dale's citrus and pine notes
balance out the potato skins' highly aromatic butter and garlic
flavors. |
($10 per six-pack)
5.0 percent ABV
Contrary to popular myth, Guinness is not necessarily stronger in flavor than
other beers, nor is it more alcoholic. Thus, it is a perfectly acceptable brew
for Super Bowl Sunday, especially when paired with dishes that use stout in the
recipe—of which there are many. The Extra Stout pours an oily black and boasts a
combination of dry, smoky/toasted, and bitter flavors (some enthusiasts also
detect hints of coffee and chocolate), and is known for its thick, creamy head.
Fans in Ireland, where Guinness was born more than 200 years ago, have
traditionally consumed it alongside either a ploughman's lunch (think cheese, pickles, and bread) or
heartier roasts and beefs stews.
Cold Recipe Pairing: |
Hot Recipe Pairing: |
Spiced-Up Grilled Cheese
The toasted malt flavors of
Guinness have long been matched with hard-to-pair sharp Cheddars, but the stout
will also stand up to the chipotle chiles and molasses in the recipe. |
Chili con Carne
The beer brings out the smoky flavors in
the chili, and you can even use Guinness as the "one bottle of dark beer" in the
recipe. |
($14 per 24-ounce bottle)
5.0 percent ABV
It sounds like a gamble to serve something as odd as Japan's Hitachino Nest
White Ale at a Super Bowl party. But with hints of orange peel, coriander,
nutmeg, and clove, this Belgian-style wheat beer has turned out to be a major
hit in the U.S., and appears on beer lists at all kinds of restaurants. Kiuchi
Brewery, established in 1823, only started offering Hitachino Nest in America in
2000, but the recipe likely borrows from the medieval times, when beers were
brewed with spices and herbs instead of hops.
Cold Recipe Pairing: |
Hot Recipe Pairing: |
Ginger-Garlic Hummus
Only a beer with spice, fruit, and
herbs like Hitachino's can draw out the ginger and star anise while allowing the
hummus to take center stage. |
Sweet Chili-Glazed Chicken Wings
Though chicken normally
begs for a lager or Pilsner, these wings need the beer's juicy spiciness to tame
the peanut oil, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, and crushed red
peppers. |