Best Beers to Pair with Wings

When you’re feasting on wings, the mouthwatering flavor is more about the sauce. Whether it’s spicy or savory, wings are all about bold, intense flavors. You need to serve a beer that can play off those heroic flavors. Rather than serving your ordinary 6-pack, impress your friends with a beer that will compliment your wings in the same way a fine wine can compliment a cheese.

Here are a few simple beer connoisseur rules to remember:

• To play up spicy wings, go with a hoppy beer.
• Reduce the heat of spicy wings with malty beers.
• A bitter beer will cleanse the palate.

American pale ales and IPAs

Both of these brews have strong hoppy notes and a bitter flavor, so these beers will both enhance the spice and clear the palate for more. If you want to balance out the saltiness of your wings, go with an IPA, because it has a touch of sweetness. If your wings are drenched in barbecue sauce, try a black IPA to compliment the sauce’s tang with a deep roasted brew.

Pilsners

These German-style beers compliment the delicious, savory taste of mild wings. Pilsners are very hoppy, which means Pilsners are quite bitter with a dry finish. Better yet, Bohemian Pilsner beers balance the hoppy notes with a good does of malt, making the beer creamier. Both styles of Pilsners are light and easy beers.

German Rauchbiers

This unique style of imported beer uses malt grain that’s been smoked over an open fire. “Smoked beers” are gaining popularity as a craft beer. The deep, smoky flavor richly compliments the spiciest of wings. Likewise, the creamy mouthfeel tones down the spice, making your mouth ready for more.

Witbiers

This is an unfiltered, Belgian-style wheat beer that dates back hundreds of years. Witbiers are spiced up with orange peel and coriander, and it looks cloudy, since it’s unfiltered. It’s a crisp beer with a little bit of bite that pairs beautifully with Teriyaki wings.

Chili Beer

If you want to double down on the spice, look for a chili beer. You may have to hunt around for a chili beer, these are only made by small craft breweries. Chili beer is an ale or lager that’s been infused with spicy pepper oils and juices, such as jalapeno. In fact, some breweries will add a whole jalapeno to each bottle. The flavor can range from mild to wild, so read the label before you surprise your guests.

If your beer buddies are resistant to trying anything new, simply go with a craft-brewed, all-malt American-made Lager. It has a bit more body and flavor that is sure to please during the game.