Celebrating the Super Bowl with friends and family is a great American tradition - even if your special team isn't playing in the big game. So is hitting the pause button on your New Year's diet resolutions so you can enjoy Super Bowl Sunday the way it's meant to be celebrated: with copious amounts of calorie-packed comfort food and beer!
Ordinary brews are fine for - well - ordinary Super Bowl parties, but why not try something a little different this year? Like any of these craft beers I've eagerly paired with typical Super Bowl party foods.
Beer pairings are very subjective and this is a small sampling of my favorite beers and pairings. In the interest of full disclosure I'll confess that I tend to like beers that play nice with my favorite finger foods. That's not to say that pairings based on opposing flavors - white IPA with chocolate cake, for instance - are bad. It's just that this particular beer aficionado prefers flavors that are more in line with each other, and sharing those kinds of pairings was my goal in preparing this handy list I hope you'll enjoy.
Are you ready for some footba - I mean beer?!
Ballast Point Habanero Sculpin and Jalapeño Poppers - Spicy appetizers and spicy beer were meant for each other. If you're feeling even a little bit dangerous, then bring the heat. This tasty combo will leave you satisfied and smiling - and sweating more than the game's score.
Pizza Boy Golden Sour and Hawaiian Pizza - Pizza purists cry foul on pineapple pizza, but if you're open minded, Hawaiian pizza is delicious. If you're able to get your hands on Golden Sour, an offering from a Pennsylvania brewer called Pizza Boy, enjoy it with Hawaiian pizza for a pairing even Jimmy Buffet would love. Pizza-loving purists will cry foul over your choice of pineapple-and-ham-topped pizza, but at least they'll like the beer.
Wynkoop Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout and Rocky Mountain Oysters - For those unfamiliar with the Western delicacy nicknamed Rocky Mountain oysters, they are fried bull, pig or sheep testicles! To me, they taste like chicken liver or gizzards crossed with calamari, meaning they have a dark and smoky kind of taste with a bit of an al dente bite, so they go perfectly with the only beer I know of that is brewed with actual bull testicles: Wynkoop's Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. OK - so only about 0.0005 percent of those reading this have access to Rocky Mountain oysters, but I have to cater to Denver fans!
Southern Tier Choklat with Chocolate Football Cupcakes - The taste of beer and chocolate may not be for everyone, but I've never met anyone who didn't like it. Southern Tier Choklat is a perfect game-day beer with a rich cocoa taste. Chocolate on chocolate is a no brainer! But if it sounds like overload to you, the beer also goes perfectly with vanilla cupcakes and vanilla ice cream.
Allagash Interlude with Nacho Lasagna - Wine and lasagna pairings have been perfect together for centuries, so why experiment by pairing a beer that is aged in wine barrels with nacho lasagna. My wife's nacho lasagna is amazing all on its own, but the flavors of the ingredients are actually enhanced when paired with Allagash Interlude.
Prairie The Willows Ale and Venison Chili - I'm from the Midwest, so I'm partial to down-home beers and foods. Oklahoma brewery Prairie makes some amazing sour beers, so show them - and me - your support by trying some Prairie beer with a bowl of venison chili.
Heady Topper IPA and Chicken Wings - Canned beer is perfect for football games. There's less of a chance of spilling your beer anytime you're cheering, and they fit neatly in your pocket so your hands remain free to sample the barbecue when you're tailgating. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on some Heady Topper IPA then you should celebrate on Super Bowl Sunday, no matter which team you root for! This is pretty much the best IPA ever, so it goes great with all kinds of foods but is especially good with chicken wings.
Charred Walls of the Damned Smoked Barleywine and Beef Jerky -Seven years ago I started a heavy metal band and named it Charred Walls of the Damned, and a few years back I was lucky enough that the Burnt Hickory Brewing company created a tribute beer to the band. A smoked Belgian-style barleywine, this beer is pretty hard to find outside Georgia, but it's worth the search if you love thick, heavy beers that will warm your soul. The smoky flavor pairs perfectly with beef, venison or turkey jerky.
Westbrook Gose and Chili Lime chips with French Onion Dip - Westbrook's Gose has a sour, salty taste, and with an alcohol-by-volume (ABV) level around 4 percent, it's perfect for those daylong Super Bowl parties. Pair it with chili lime chips and French onion dip, and you will be addicted for the rest of your life. Call it a taste bud touchdown!
Funky Buddha Morning Wood and Doughnuts - Those like me, who think drinking beer before noon is a special way to wake up, should try a sip Funky Buddha Morning Wood beer after a bite or two of a maple glazed doughnut. In fact, the pairing is a perfect way to kick off Super Bowl Sunday! Morning Wood's maple, bacon and coffee porter beer aged in bourbon barrels makes it just too delicious to be believed. I love Sunday morning runs followed by rewarding myself with this absolutely perfect breakfast beer and doughnuts treat!
Cigar City Hunahpu Stout or Three Floyds Dark Lord with Anything - You beer geeks who have been lucky enough to get their hands on the rarest of beers, Cigar City Hunahpu Stout or Three Floyds Dark Lord, should just appreciate them on their own! And if your team made it to the Super Bowl, substitute either of these beers for champagne and wait until the end of the game to celebrate a victory or hard fought loss.
Happy drinking and eating!
Richard Christy is a radio personality, musician and longtime beer lover who hails from Redfield, Kan. He's proud his Kansas City Chiefs made it very far into the playoffs and was hoping for rematch of Super Bowl 1 - Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs. But he takes solace in the fact the Kansas City Royals won the World Series and that so many of the world's great beers still beckon. Follow him on Twitter at @cwotd.
