Beer to complement chili

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Torchiest

Torchiest

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There is going to be a chili cookoff/contest type event in May, and the owner of the bar I work at has encouraged me to brew some type of strange beer for it. I mentioned doing some kind of jalapeño or chipotle beer, but I'm not 100% on that. You'd think with chili you'd want something thirst quenching, not spicy hot. So, some of the other thing I'd thought about adding to a batch were cumin, cilantro, and oregano. Anyone have any other ideas? This is totally in the pre-preliminary stages right now, just throwing stuff out there.
 
With Chili, I like lighter beers such as Pilsners, Light(er) Lagers of hoppy Ales/IPA's. I don't like the beer to compete with the chilli, which rules out stouts, porters and heavier ales. IPA's can be good if they are along the crisp/hoppy line.

At the risk of being thrown under the HBT bus - chili in the summer is one of those times you might catch me with the 6-pack if Narragansett pounders......or better yet some Modelo fatties. If I were at a friend's house and all they had happened to be BMC - I'd still drink it with a good chilli! :tank:
 
Nothing wrong with BMC in this scenario at all.

I agree, something quenching would be great for the "drinking" beer - but given the people who are likely to be there, I'm sure a chili/jalepeno beer would attract a lot of interest and conversation. That wouldn't be something people would probably want to drink a lot of, but I would be that 98% of the people at a chili contest would want to at least sample a glass.
 
I agree with not wanting the beer to compete with the chili, but there's nothing better than using a dark beer as a base for your chili.

Since your contest is in May, why not a kolsch? It's light and refreshing. You need something with a low ABV since chili eaters need to be able to drink a lot and you don't want a beer buzz on top of an endorphine buzz. Honestly though, an American style lager (BMC Light) would be best.
 
I think an excellent beer to compliment chili would be a dos-equis clone, which is nothing but a vienna style lager (recipes are all over the place).

I made one a few months ago and my daughter made a mexican dinner and the beer complimented it perfectly.
 
Cheesefood said:
I agree with not wanting the beer to compete with the chili, but there's nothing better than using a dark beer as a base for your chili.
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I've made some great chillis using Sam Adams Triple Bock as a base. To be honest, I find the stuff undrinkable on it's own but damn is it a perfect chilli base when you throw it in some salt pork, onions and garlic. I've also tried half-and-half Triple Bock and Bud and it was, much to my surprise, very good!
 
Where is this chili contest? I just perfected my chili recipe and am looking for a good contest to try it in. Who knows, if it does bad at least I'll be enjoying some homebrew while cooking!
 
Fiery Sword said:
I've made some great chillis using Sam Adams Triple Bock as a base. To be honest, I find the stuff undrinkable on it's own but damn is it a perfect chilli base when you throw it in some salt pork, onions and garlic. I've also tried half-and-half Triple Bock and Bud and it was, much to my surprise, very good!
Click to expand...

Goose Island Hex Nut Brown Ale is one of my favorite bases. I think the sugar balances nicely with some poblanos, garlic, tomato, steak and tomatoes.

Hmmm...maybe we should start a chili thread. I've always thought a recipe area would be great here.
 
Remember, though, the bar owner boss is asking for something "strange." You need him to define that for you - is he looking for something off the wall that would be interesting to chili lovers (like a jalepeno beer)?

Is he going to be selling beer at the contest? If you're making a tasty Kolsch or something like that, is it going to be competing with whatever he's selling?

If he's specifically using the word "strange," he's not looking for you to make a cream ale, even though it might be the perfect complement to the chili. I think you need a little bit of clarity from him regarding his expectations.
 
I like an APA with my chili, but when Golden Valley had their French Prairie Blanc Belgian (NOT a dubbel) that worked well. (coriander and orange peel) A Golden is also good. Although they make their chili with their stout, sometimes that's good.

But, NO chilies in the beer. Chili beer is fine for snacking, but you don't want to compete with the chili entries.
 
the_bird said:
Remember, though, the bar owner boss is asking for something "strange." You need him to define that for you - is he looking for something off the wall that would be interesting to chili lovers (like a jalepeno beer)?

Is he going to be selling beer at the contest? If you're making a tasty Kolsch or something like that, is it going to be competing with whatever he's selling?

If he's specifically using the word "strange," he's not looking for you to make a cream ale, even though it might be the perfect complement to the chili. I think you need a little bit of clarity from him regarding his expectations.
Click to expand...

The word he chose was actually "weird." Same basic idea. Something off the beaten path. And, like you said, I think the jalapeño beer would attract interest. What does everyone think would be a good base style for a spicy beer? Surely not an APA? Probably something like a brown ale, I guess? Not really sure. Would a sweeter beer work better with the heat of the spices? I'm going to kick around some ideas for awhile. It's still a ways off, and I've plenty of other beers to brew in the meantime! :tank:
 

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