Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, suggests American craft beer and classic food pairing ideas while watching the NFL Super Bowl
America’s most iconic sporting spectacle, the Super Bowl, takes place in Los Angeles on Sunday, 13th February. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams will battle to decide this season’s NFL champion.
Broadcast in more than 170 countries, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world, and a legendary symbol of American culture. In the States, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day for food consumption behind Thanksgiving, and where there is food there is also craft beer.
If you’re joining the expected 100 million Americans who tune in to watch the game, show your appreciation by pairing
American craft beer with classic American party foods.
Beer is a better partner for food than almost any other beverage due to its wide flavour spectrum and versatility. Beer uses hops, typically showcasing citrus, spicy, tropical fruit, floral, pine, and resin notes, and many more, to give bitterness. This cuts through fatty and rich, protein-heavy foods.
Beer also contains carbonation to lift fat off the palate and cleanse it, sweetness to balance hot and fiery flavours, and roasted malts and barley to mimic the Maillard reaction (browning of meats, bread, etc to enhance flavour).
Six Super Bowl pairing ideas
Buffalo chicken wings
Hot and spicy fried wings require a beer that will calm the heat of the spice and refresh the palate, such as Oskar Blues Mamas Little Yella Pils, a clean, crisp and refreshing Bohemian pilsner.
Guacamole and nachos
Add a spritz of lime to your guacamole and pair it with a zingy, zesty Stone Bueneveza Salt and Lime Lager for a truly harmonious flavour combination.
Chilli
This calls for an intense pairing to stand up to the strong, fiery heat of chilli, and Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout, a big, bold beer bursting with malt complexity and notes of espresso, cocoa, roasted grain, and a light smokiness, fits the bill perfectly.
Spinach and artichoke dip
Made with sour cream, cream cheese, and more cheese, the high dairy content of this dip needs a beer to cut through the fat and cleanse the palate. An IPA with assertive hop flavour and a good level of bitterness is recommended, such as Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion IPA, a West Coast IPA with punchy notes of citrus, grapefruit, and lemon from five Pacific North West hops.
Barbecue ribs
Can be either beef or pork and are usually coated in sweet, sticky barbecue sauce, which needs a beer that will complement such flavours. A brown ale with roasty, toasty, semi-sweet chocolate and brown sugar notes provides the ideal counter-balance, eg Cigar City Maduro Brown Ale.
Sliders
These mini-buns, usually hand held, can be made with a variety of different fillings, such as pulled pork, fried chicken, or melted cheese. Low- and no-alcohol beers pair as well with food as alcoholic versions, and Athletic Brewing Free Wave, with its tropical fruit hop notes and highly refreshing finish, is a good example.
In the UK, American craft beer can be found at online retailers such as Athletic Brewing, the Cascade Club, Beer Hop, the Malt Miller, Beer Merchants, Beer Bruvs, Beer Gonzo, or selected bottle shops, off licences, online subscription services and supermarkets, as well as many pubs and bars.
About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts.
The BA represents 5,700-plus US breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers.
The BA organises events including the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival, Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America, SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience, Homebrew Con, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week.
The BA publishes The New Brewer magazine, and Brewers Publications is the largest publisher of brewing literature in the US.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association and the free Brew Guru mobile app.
