BIG GAME REQUIRES AGGRESSIVE BEERS – HERE IS OUR TOP 5 ALES OF ALL TIME!!! As an added bonus, we threw in our favorite chicken wing recipes to compliment each ale. ENJOY!!!

We will start off mild and finish with our hottest pick. These are must tries for any favorite dark ale and chicken wing connoisseur.

#5 Ballast Point: Amber Calico

Amber Ale: Inspired by world-renowned ESB’s, it has a nice rich complex malt flavor, but what sets it apart is the sneaky HOPS boys!!! It’s a world class domestic from the west coast brewery, Ballast Point, located in San Diego, California. It has a beautiful bitterness, but very smooth, that only an ale drinker can love. According to the reviews, there is supposed to be floral flavor patterns, but I am not tasting it, so it is good to go from my point of view. Its color is a nice dark rich amber, with an overall alcohol content of 5.5%.  Look for the fantastic sports fishing bass artwork label that sets in apart from the other microbrew in your trusted fine wine & spirits store.

Super Smokers Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings Recipe

We tried these great flavored wings from About.com that received an overall 5 star rating from its reviewers! Enjoy

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

5 pounds chicken wings, rinsed and dried

1 cup honey

1/2 cup hot barbecue sauce (or more to taste; use your favorite and the hottest sauce you can stand)

3 tablespoons apple juice

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/11gbrXQ

These wings are incredible and match up perfectly with the Amber Calico!

#4 Flying Dog: Raging B@$# Belgian Style IPA

This funky IPA has hops, hops and more hops from the geniuses of Flying Dog Brewery in Fredrick, Maryland. It is an explosion of all that bitter goodness and more. Sweet malt? What sweet malt, OK it does have a touch, but it has a nice pine note with a suggestion of grapefruit. Sounds weird right, but it is amazing and totally lives up to its well-deserved name. Its alcohol by volume packs an 8.3% punch you in the face impact with a hop bitterness of 60 IBU. The beers label is so bad•ass it actually warranted a law-suite against it. http://bit.ly/YLl9jg. Creative director, Adam McGinnis, is the man behind the newest look of the beer labels and packaging.

The IPA pairs well with: Wasabi, Ginger, Jerk, Cajun, or Cayenne: Tangy Cheese With Fruit; Dark Chocolate

Rockin' Ginger-Wasabi Wings

We tried these kicked up wings from Foodista.com

Prep Time: Overnight

Cook Time: Until nice and brown

Ingredients:

20 chicken wing pieces

1/8 cup vegetable or canola oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons wasabi powder, mixed with enough water to form a thick paste

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/Y1ooxc

If wings are too much trouble, this beer is killer with any type of beef jerky

#3 Fegley’s BreWWorks: HOP’SOLUTELY

This is a serious triple threat IPA with a serious bitterness, but God you have to love it! This ale has a great caramel malt that it balanced with a real nice dry hop. This ale is off the IBU’s charts at 100+! That is not a typo. The color is a mysterious hazy dark amber with some really dark fruit notes. Some beers just leave that bitterness on your tongue, but you can feel this all the way down to your stomach. It is not an ale you can drink all day, but it is one to throw in for a taste palette change up! Blue cheese goes beyond well with this one, so enjoy!

Seared beef with blue cheese may be the way to go with this select brew, but here is a nice flavorful wing that compliments this nice dark hardy ale.

Mahogany Chicken Wings

We tried these rich flavorful wings from Allrecipes.com

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons chile sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/12iI3PN

The IPA and wings a super rich combo so worth exploring!

#3 Victory Brewing Company: HopDevil

By far the most affordable of the recommended ales. It is my Budweiser of Amber Ales, by price model only, but don’t be fooled, it is so much more deserving and is no comparison to it’s pale yellow watered down lager competitor. It has a menacing deliciousness and a nice bity hop flavor that is deserving of its creators name. This little gem has a 6.7% alcohol by volume and a nice rich German malt flavor to it. It has a very smooth finish, but it is a nice little flavor coaster from start to finish.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

A worthy wing for a worthy brew from Allrecipes.com

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken wings or drumettes

1 cup water

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup pineapple juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/Wm7DA5

Tangy beer and wings – Special combo for sure.

#2 Stone Brewery: Levitation

Simply incredible. This ale gem has it’s own definition of gravity, there is none! Deep rich malt and powerful hop is our description for it and a must have and never miss flavorful masterpiece.  The Alcohol is a surprising low volume of 4.4% and a modest 45 IBUs, but there is just something about it that one six beers is not even close to satisfactory. This beer is special and the smoothest we have ever tasted.  Well done Stone Brewery, well done!

Malaysian Barbecue Chicken Wings

Sweet, sweet wings by Allrecipes.com

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried basil

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/X3CgYB

This ale and wing recipe is for a relaxing afternoon of football or just hanging out on the deck while the sun goes down.

#1 Stone Brewery: Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale  

This is the king of our list and another hole in one from Stone Brewery, Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale. Stone defies you to drink it. They even say, you won’t like it, but it is total marketing genius, because you will again, again and again. One of Stones famous sayings, “Fizzy Yellow Beer is for Wussies” is the truest statement for this amber marvel. It was born to be aggressive and it’s flavor profile delivers ever bit of it. Warning: This beer is close to $18 a 6 pack, but don’t be scared off by the price, because this is a once in a lifetime beer that is worth every painful penny. The hop recipe is so secret, it’s CLASSIFIED and it s alcohol by volume hits you with a nice 7.2%. It goes beyond special brewing, and if you happen to come across a bar with it on tap slap down a hundred on the bar and just drink up and enjoy the sinful goodness.

Special note: The painted on label is insane from the artwork to the famous you won’t like it company quote!

Blazing Hot Chicken Wings

This all night and morning burner provided by GroupRecipes.com

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients the basics:

5 pounds chicken drumettes

1 cup butter

1 bottle (Any of the Stone Brewery Burning Trinity Hot Sauces)

2 packets dry Italian seasoning mix

1/4 cup lemon juice

Click link for full prep instructions: http://bit.ly/WFTYn3

Where you can buy the Burning Trinity Hot Sauces: http://bit.ly/11uafzd

Serious aggressive beer and wings

Enjoy the BIG GAME and enjoy all the great beer and wings!

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Next weeks topic: Helping the weekend golf warrior break 100

Until next week: Grip It! And Rip It!