In honor of the BCS Bowl Championship Series, I partnered with Kettle Brand® to create 5 kick-ass craft beer & chip pairings for each of the major 5 bowl games. I kicked the series of BCS Bowl Chip & Beer Pairings with picks for the 2013 Rose Bowl, 2013 Orange Bowl, and the 2013 Sugar Bowl. Up next are my picks for the 2013 Fiesta Bowl!

2013 Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Kansas State

One of the most sought-after bowl game in college football, the Fiesta Bowl hosts the Big-12 champion against a top-tier at-large opponent, unless the Big-12 champion goes to the BCS National Championship Game. This year, Big-12 Champion Kansas State got the automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl. After losing to Stanford, top-ranked and once-National Championship-bound Oregon was shut out from the Pac-12 Championship game, leaving it ineligible for the Rose Bowl yet still the highest ranked at-large team. And so, #5 Kansas State has found itself matched up against #4 Oregon in, quite possibly, one of the best match-ups of the year.

Fiesta Bowl Kettle Chip: Jalapeño Jack

Outside of the sponsor chip (no need to promote that brand here), no chip pairs with the Fiesta Bowl as good as this Southwestern cheesy blend on a crunchy, fresh baked potato chip. This 1989 Kettle Brand classic has the same creamy flavor as Jack cheese but packs a fiery punch with peppercorns and jalapeño pepper that you can actually see and taste!

Fiesta Bowl Beer Pairing: American IPA

One of my all-time favorite flavor pairings in this world is hops and heat. Both the high level of hops and the moderately high levels of carbonation in an IPA have a pleasant cooling effect that help this style of beer stand up to some of the spiciest of spicy foods – especially ones that are greasy!

The only exception to this rule is high-alcohol IPAs in the Double and Imperial range. Alcohol intensifies the burn from hot spices, which can make the pairing extremely uncomfortable. Avoid pairing really spicy foods with high alcohol beers.

Known for producing some of the most potent, bitter and intense hops varietals found anywhere, the Pacific Northwest produces about 20-percent of all the hops on earth, and more than any other region of North America. These Cascadian-grown hops offer a range of flavors and aromas unique to the region. Aromatic, fruity, and floral to resinous, piquant, and bitter, Northwest hops offer a gusto unlike any others grown around the world. For this, folks from British Columbia to Northern California, Oregon to Idaho have developed a palate for the potent and intricate nuances of these varietals.

Oregon Fan Recommendations: Ninkasi Total Domination IPA, Oakshire Watershed IPA, Hop Valley Alphadelic IP, Falling Sky Exposure IPA

Kansas State Fan Recommendations: Free State Brewing Stormchaser IPA, Tallgrass Brewing IPA, Little Apple Brewing Prairie Ale, Blind Tiger Tiger Bite IPA.

Wench’s Fiesta Bowl Pick: Oregon Ducks

My rationality on this pick has nothing to do with my love for Oregon beer – although, I do love it very very much.

Both Oregon and Kansas State had dreams of making it to the National Title Game. And if it wasn’t for each of their performances on November 17th, they both would have made it.

This year, Oregon joins the ranks of Ohio State, USC and Miami, as the fourth program to play in four straight BCS bowl games. Although Oregon is 2-2 in BCS Bowl games, Kansas State lost to Ohio State in its only other BCS appearance (Fiesta Bowl in 2004). Technically, Oregon has also lost to Ohio State in a major BSC Bowl game, but that is neither here nor there.

Both Oregon and Kansas State boast two of the best offenses in the state. This season, Oregon averaged an impressive 50.8 points per game, while Kansas State averaged an even more impressive 40.7 points. Although not as highly ranked as their offenses, both defenses are also pretty evenly matched. Oregon has forced a major-college-high 39 turnovers, while Kansas State forced 31.

My prediction is that the game will be very, very close. But the Oregon Ducks will come out on top!

Stay tuned for my National Championship picks!!!

Cheers!!

I am obsessed with Ohio State Football.

Born and raised by an obsessive Ohio State alumni father, I was destined to become a Buckeye. And Buckeye I have become. I graduated in the Spring of 2005 with 2 bachelor degrees and varsity letters in 2 different sports.

Not only do I eat, sleep and breathe Ohio State … I also bleed scarlet and gray. (In fact, while at Ohio State I literally bled, sweat and cried for the school!)

Tonight, The Ohio State University will be playing in the Fiesta Bowl against The University of Texas. We have matched up against Texas a few times in the past couple of years … and each time has been a good game. Texas is a solid team and worthy opponent.

In honor of the Fiesta Bowl, I think it only appropriate to drink my favorite style of beer. What could be better than pairing two of my greatest loves and obsessions?

Ohio State Football meets Lambic … a match made in heaven!

The Lambic of choice for this evening is Cantillon Gueuze. To me, gueuze is the Champagne of beers. As a matter of fact, I often drink gueuze in lieu of sparkling wine for many celebratory occasions.

Those who have read my post entitled “My Obsession With Wild Beers” are aware that Lambics are my favorite style of beer … with gueuze being my favorite style of Lambic. Although I have yet to visit a Lambic brewery, the process of creating gueuze completely blows my mind.

Lambics are the base for Gueuze creation. Whereas most styles of beers are fermented with carefully measured brewer’s yeast, Lambics are created through a process of spontaneous fermentation. Gueuze is the result of artfully blending Lambics of different ages different tastes.

Gueuze is also one of the only styles that uses aged hops. (In gueuze, hops are used primarily for their preservation characteristics and not so much for flavor.)

One of the most infamous brewers of gueuze is Cantillon Brewery. Founded in 1900, Cantillon is a small traditional family brewery based in Brussels. The brewery also serves as the site for the Gueuze Museum in Brussels. It is open to the public to tour and see the maturing beer as well as to watch the brewing and bottling processes. Sign me up!

“The Lambic beers from the Cantillon brewery, which are conserved in oakwood barrels, are called “young” after one year, but they will reach their full maturity after three years. The young beers contain the sugars which are necessary for the second fermentation in the bottle. The three years old beers will contribute their taste and their flavour. The main task for the brewer, however, is tasting. He will taste about ten Lambics from different barrels in order to select five or six which will be used for the Gueuze 100% Lambic presenting the typical characteristics of the beers from the Cantillon brewery.” Source: Cantillon Brewery

Gueuze bottles are always sealed with a cork. Cantillon caps theirs with a crown-cork. Similar to the méthode champenoise, Lambics are laid to rest horizontally in a cellar (usually for a year). This allows for a second fermentation to take place within the bottle. The sugars to be converted into carbon dioxide in this process. It is a natural and extremely slow process.

When the Lambic becomes sparkling, it is called Gueuze! Every blending will produce a different Gueuze. Since it is made using an entirely all natural process, there is no standard gueuze. Each brewery produces a unique gueuze. Every vintage is different. Yet another reason why the gueuze is my favorite style.

But what about the taste? In my opinion, gueuze is one of the most tasty and drinkable styles of beer in the world. Beautiful and natural, gueuze is a work of art.

THE WENCH’S TASTING NOTES: CANTILLON CLASSIC GUEUZE

Brewery: Cantillon

Region: Brussels, Belgium

Style: Gueuze

Pairings: Goat cheese, figs, dried fruits, nuts, cheese, baked fruit pies, belgian waffles, pancakes with maple syrup …

Color: Super cloudy, golden orange

Carbonation: Little to no head, moderate lacing, decent overall carbonation.

Aroma: Belgian yeast (bananas & cloves), lemon, sour fruit, barnyard hay.

Mouthfeel: Very light bodied, smooth and clean.

Flavor: Citrus instantaneously overwhelms the palate. And I know it sounds weird for a beer, but I want to call it grapefruit. The flavor of the beer has a bitter acid component to it … similar to grapefruit. I would even go as far as to say it tastes like the rind of a grapefruit – ridiculously sour and fairly bitter. As the beer sits, it develops more apple cider-like characteristics.

Comments: This beer is super yummy. I guarantee that if I was to pour this beer blindly, most people would have no clue as to what it is … and most would not even be able to label it as a beer.

I am tempted to infuse a glass with a cinnamon stick. Perhaps I will do that with a different bottle in the future.

Cheers to the Buckeyes! GO BUCKS!

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