DEDRICK: Game-day lineup

Chili-beer teams bring super taste to your football party

By Jay Dedrick, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Photo by Ellen Jaskol / The Rocky / Illustration Christine Birch Ferrelli / The Rocky

Chile Verde with Breckenridge Trademark, Green Chile Chicken Stew with Avery White Rascal, Zesty Wheat Berry-Black Bean Chili Great Divide Samurai, Ranch Chili Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier, Beef and Chorizo Chili with Left Hand Polestar.

Two natural pairings:

"Super Bowl" and "party."

"Hot chili" and "cold beer."

For this year's football extravaganza, go with what's natural, a midwinter-party pairing that'll have your guests wanting to spike the ball. (Just take it outside first - that plasma screen didn't come cheap.)

If you really want to score points on Super Bowl Sunday, don't stoop to doling out a can of bland chili with any old beer you might happen to have on hand. Elevate your game by offering one or more of these five distinctive chilis, each paired with a beer that'll provide cool refreshment while contributing appropriate flavors of its own.

Three of the recipes are from The Anheuser- Busch Cookbook: Great Food, Great Beer (Sunset Publishing, $24.95).

The new collection celebrates the growing interest in food-and-beer pairings and suggests a brew to enjoy with each dish.

Not surprisingly, the book's recommendations all are A-B products, but I'm suggesting some Colorado craft beers that also make excellent fits.

Beef and Chorizo Chili

* The beer: Left Hand Polestar, Longmont

* Alcohol by volume: 5 percent

* The pairing: A light-bodied pilsner gets out of the way of the spicy flavors in this robust, filling mixture. The creamy avocado dressing helps reduce the thickness of the chili.

* Another option: New Belgium Blue Paddle, Fort Collins

Chile Verde

The beer: Breckenridge Trademark, Denver

* Alcohol by volume: 5.7 percent

* The pairing: The hoppy bite of an American Pale Ale such as this won't back down from the flavors of this meaty pork recipe with green chiles.

* More options: Odell Five Barrel Pale Ale, Fort Collins; Oskar Blues Gordon, Lyons; Michelob Pale Ale

Zesty Wheat Berry- Black Bean Chili

* The beer: Great Divide Samurai, Denver

* Alcohol by volume: 5.1 percent

* The pairing: From Eating Well for a Healthy Heart Cookbook, set to be published in April, this dish is high in healthy fiber. Great Divide's unconventional lager-ale hybrid, brewed with rice, provides crisp, clean contrast to the chili's nuttiness - credit the wheat berries.

* More options: Any light lager or nonalcoholic beer

Green Chile Chicken Stew

* The beer: Avery White Rascal, Boulder

* Alcohol by volume: 5.6 percent

* The pairing: Belgian-style wheat - or "white" - ale dovetails nicely with this white chili. A hint of orange in the beer brightens the tomatillos in the stew. The hominy adds heartiness to the dish.

* More options: Boulder Beer Sweaty Betty Blonde, Boulder; Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat

Ranch Chili

* The beer: Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier, Idaho Springs

* Alcohol by volume: 4.5 percent

* The pairing: Traditional lager, an ingredient in this beefy concoction (the book suggests Michelob), complements any spicy dish. The beer helps tenderize the beef, which takes on a short-rib-like texture.

* More options: Estes Park Brewery Staggering Elk, Estes Park; Fort Collins Brewery Z Lager, Fort Collins