Chicken Wings and IPAs: Battle of the Heat

In celebration of IPA Day in August (Yes, it is a thing. I celebrated it, did you?!),

Samuel Adams released the results of a sensory experiment examining the correlation between hops and spicy food. For their test, Samuel Adams Brewer, Jennifer Glanville, met up with a team from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Their goal was to see how a beer's bitterness (IBUs) and alcohol content (ABV) affected the perceived spiciness of food. If this is regular work for the team, I need to think about an early retirement. I'm doing something wrong.

In this study, the IBUs were provided by a flight of Samuel Adams Rebel IPAs: Rebel Rider Session IPA (4.5% ABV/45 IBUs), Rebel IPA (6.5% ABV/45 IBUs), & Rebel Rouser Double IPA (8.4% ABV/85 IBUs). The heat came from buffalo chicken wings.

This is the kind of test I can get behind, so I decided to recreate it on a decidedly less scientific level, and that's not just because I asked Gary to help out.

Now there's a man who takes his wings seriously.

First up, the wings. The sauce is the same as used by the test team. It's straight forward and easy to prepare.

For the wings themselves, I like to break them down into "wings" and drummettes. I'm all about eating my wings with one hand, as I can't stand to have a greasy hand grab my beer glass. The breakdown makes this possible and best yet, it's easy to do.

Grab a wing and a good pair of kitchen shears.

The key to cutting through a wing is to find the joint. It makes the separation cleaner and easier.

Extend the wing tip out.

Then fold it back in.

The pivot point is where you want to cut.

Repeat the same process on the second joint and voila, wings and drummettes.

To grill the wings, set up a two zone medium heat fire (350-400 F) on the grill. I like to spread a layer of coals across one side of the grill and leave the other side empty.

In a large bowl, toss the wings with salt, freshly cracked pepper, and olive oil.

Grill the wings over direct heat for 3 minutes a side, flipping once. I like my wings to have a nice crust, so the direct heat in my cook is a must.

After the 6 minutes over direct heat, move the wings to the indirect side.

Brush on the sauce.

Close the lid, and allow to cook another 20 mins or until the internal temperature of the wings reads 165 F with an instant-read thermometer.

For our un-scientific test, Gary and I tried all three Rebel IPAs with the wings.

Without a doubt, there was a noticeable difference between the three beers. As the alcohol and bitterness increased from the Rider through the Rouser, there was a marked change in not only the amount of heat but how we experienced it. It was quite eye-opening.

The pros came to the same conclusion, albeit with more logic and proper tasting notes, whereas I judge heat by how much sweat my bald head produces. Never eat Thai food with me unless you want to see my napkin wiping my mouth and head.

So, what does all of this mean? If you love spicy food, consider an imperial or double IPA to ramp up the heat and the heat's impact on your palate. If your idea of a spicy chicken wing is "mild" sauce, a session IPA, like Rebel Rider, is your drink of choice. Not convinced? Give it a try yourself. If only all tests ended with a full belly and an excellent beer(s).

Note: My friends at Samuel Adams provided me with samples of Rebel Rouser, Rebel Rider, & Rebel IPA. They went in the beer fridge next to the bottles I had already bought myself. I'm a stockholder in Boston Beer, as I believe in putting my money where my mouth is. Literally. The views expressed are my own.