If you are gearing up for the Super Bowl, you are obviously looking at your food list. What will you be eating? If you are like many Americans, wings are on the menu. And of course, beers are on the menu as well. But what beer styles work best with wings, especially with all the myriad of sauces or rubs that can accompany them?
J. Timothy’s Taverne
J. Timothy’s Taverne, a restaurant in the central Connecticut town of Plainville is world famous for their wings, which can be served “dirt style,” a process of frying the wings once without sauce and then deep frying them again in sauce. This wing style was invented by accident in the 1980’s when a regular nicknamed “Dirt” asked for his wings to be refried again with the sauce after his wings got cold while he was talking to some of the members of his softball team.
J. Tim’s starts selling their wings on January 28, which will see 12 TONS of wings sold. That’s enough wings that the restaurant must rent refrigerated trucks to supply the demand.
If you can’t make it to Connecticut to try their wings first hand, their buffalo wing sauce has been named one of the best in America by The Food Network, and can be bought online.
The “dirt style” wings have been on the menu at J Tim’s since the 1990’s and were invented by a regular in the 1980’s.
J. Timothy’s Taverne
I stopped by J. Timothy’s last month to speak to beverage director Nikki Vinci about what she thinks would be the best pairings for each of their flavors and why. For beer pairings, I recommend you visit your local brewery to see if any of their beers will fit the bill.
Super Bowl and Wing Pairing: Buffalo & Golden Lager
For the classic Super Bowl pairing, don’t overthink it and there are many ways you can go in terms of golden lager. While J. Tim’s buffalo sauce is not spicy, many can have a big kick and golden lagers from American light lagers/American lagers or German style helles will help refresh your palate while not getting in the way of the big flavor.
Super Bowl and Wing Pairing: Honey Gold BBQ & Juicy, Fuller Body New England IPA
When I say New England IPA (NEIPA), you are looking for flavors of orange pulp mingled with a palate fullness that comes from the wheat/oats added to the malt bill. Not all “hazy IPAs” are this way as some can be quite bitter and thin. I tried J. Tim’s honey gold BBQ wings against two different local NEIPA, one more juicy and denser than the other and it was a grand slam vs. the other NEIPA that was way less so. The citrus and tropical sweetness vs. the salty BBQ flavor was delicious and the perfect combo if you like salty/sweet sensations.
Super Bowl and Wing Pairing: Dry Rub & Stout
A dry rub can take on many forms but the one thing I took away from the J, Tim’s variety, which features chipotle spices prominently was how dry the rub really makes the wings as well as how big the flavors were. For this, a dark, roasty beer with some silkiness like an oatmeal stout, milk stout or American stout would be ideal. We tried Guinness with it but its low ABV couldn’t stand up to the heat/spice. You should be looking for something with 6-7%+ ABV with a lot of roast.
Super Bowl and Wing Pairing: Teriyaki & Smoothie Sour
This flavor combo was an utter surprise to myself and Vinci, who loved the way the savory Asian soy flavors contrasted with the fruit. Smoothie sours are very popular in the U.S. nowadays and are usually made with the addition of lactose, an unfermentable sugar that creates a light sweetness as well as fuller body in beer. This smoothie sour we tried was berry flavored and wasn’t really sour as all, so search for a smoothie sour that leans more towards fruit forward than sour.
Super Bowl and Wing Pairing: Sweet Thai Chili and Hefeweizen
The hefeweizen is a delightful beer: a German ale originally from Bavaria that has flavors of banana and clove as well as a lovely, spritzy high carbonation. These flavors work really well against the subtle heat of the sweet Thai chili as well as complement the sweetness in the sauce. The higher carbonation helps clean your palate after each bite so you are ready for more wings.
Happy eating and may the best team win on Super Bowl Sunday. As always, please drink responsibly and share a pint with people who you care about. Cheers!
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