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There’s something so satisfying about firing up the grill, sipping cold beer, and cooking up some burgers and brats. It’s easy to send the gift of a backyard cookout with Hickory Farms flavors. Adding some deliciously unexpected toppings and expertly paired Goose Island beers takes the experience to the next level.
We’ve teamed up with guest blogger and cookbook author Jesse Valenciana to help you build the perfect backyard feast and find the best beers to pair with your meal.
Try these toppings:
Enjoy it with: 312 Dry-Hopped
Jesse’s pairing notes: Dry-Hopped’s lemony and almost-grassy notes round off the “fresh from the garden” flavors in this burger. Have a sip, take a bite, and that’s what summer is supposed to taste like, folks.
Enjoy it with: Natural Villain Lager
Jesse’s pairing notes: Natural Villain has its work cut out with the chipotle and jalapeño peppers in this burger. Never fear, the subtle malt sweetness and crisp finish in this lager cuts right through that heat and leaves you wanting more.
Enjoy it with: Goose IPA
Jesse’s pairing notes: Goose IPA is a great balance of hops and malts; the sweet malts accentuate the BBQ sauce and the grilled onions, while the hops in the beer balance all of that sweetness.
Enjoy it with: Old Man Grumpy Pale Ale
Jesse’s pairing notes: Old Man Grumpy is a great pale ale with a wonderful touch of hop bitterness that amplifies the hot pepper in the bacon jam and enough malt sweetness to keep the heat from getting too hot. The hops come back into play, cutting and cruising through the richness of the bacon, cheddar, and avocado.
Enjoy it with: Next Coast IPA
Jesse’s pairing notes: Next Coast is driven by some wonderfully tropical hop flavors that will join the grilled pineapple and Honey Pineapple Mustard in taking your taste buds on an exotic flavor vacation. A proper vacation isn’t complete without some warmth: the bitterness in Next Coast will make that jalapeño heat pop enough for you to not forget it’s there.
Enjoy it with: 312 Wheat Ale
Jesse’s pairing notes: 312 Wheat Ale has nice, lemony flavors that help keep the heat of the Sriracha Mustard at bay, while at the same time helping brighten the slider alongside the cilantro and crisp cucumber.
Jesse’s pairing notes: Natural Villain’s effervescence lightens up and scrubs the palate after a slider bite full of creamy Horseradish Sauce. The beer’s malts have a wonderful flavor interplay with the rich Smoked Gouda. It’s magical!
Jesse’s pairing notes: 312 Dry-Hopped has a rich creaminess and delicate hop notes that perfectly extinguish that hot, hot heat from the pepper jack spread and jalapeños.
Enjoy it with: SPF
Jesse’s pairing notes: SPF takes your taste buds to a faraway, sunny island with its pleasant sweetness from the passion fruit that plays perfectly with the pineapple and Sweet & Sour Sauce on that slider! The green onion keeps it from being too sweet so you can have more than one.
Jesse’s pairing notes: Old Man Grumpy has a delicate malt character that balances the tangy kick from the Lillie’s Q Gold sauce and the hop bitterness will cut through the richness of the brat.
Jesse’s pairing notes: Goose IPA is a bold beer with its bold hops and strong malt finish, so it needs to be paired alongside a dish with strong flavors to keep up. Ready for the challenge is the Hero brat with its pickled red onions and Honey Pineapple Mustard, flavors that can perfectly keep up with the boldness of Goose IPA.
Enjoy it with: Green Line Pale Ale
Jesse’s pairing notes: Green Line is the go-to pale ale that wants to make friends with whatever you’re eating. This beer, perfectly balanced with its subtle malts and earthy hops, is ready to sit back and let this tasty brat topped with Cranberry Mustard and avocado take the wheel!
Jesse’s pairing notes: Next Coast’s tropical hop flavors accentuate the mango/fruit pico and the bitterness kicks the Sriracha mustard into high gear; resulting in a finely balanced sweet and spicy delight.
Jesse’s pairing notes: 312 Dry-Hopped has a wonderful creaminess to its body which is the perfect palate buffer when you’re enjoying a brat with the funkiness of sauerkraut the spiciness of this brown mustard.
You can find even more delicious meats, cheeses, and condiments at hickoryfarms.com!
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hickory Farms (@hickoryfarms) on Mar 29, 2019 at 2:55pm PDT
A post shared by Hickory Farms (@hickoryfarms) on Mar 29, 2019 at 2:55pm PDT
