Chicken Wings

There’s something special about the first beer you have from a brewery. It’s the first impression that brewery gets to make on you like a hand shake or smile but in the form of a glass of beer. Maybe that first beer makes you a little crazy for that brewery and you’re inspired to seek out the rest of their beers with stalker-like obsession or maybe it just leaves you with a smile on your face and you look forward to crossing paths with that brewery again soon.

Read: ‘Beer Story: Boatrocker Ramjet’

I remember the first Boatrocker Brewery beer I had was their 2013 Ramjet, a whisky barrel aged imperial stout, that I loved immediately and still completely adore. Since then the sight of any beer from them excites me. Same thing happened with my first Nail Brewing beer, once I had that Australian Pale Ale it has been impossible to walk past any of their subsequent beers.

Nail Clout Stout – one of my all time favourite beers

Last week I had my first beer from Mismatch Brewing from South Australia and it has left me wanting more.

I was given a squealer of Archie’s Red Ale by a friend who is now representing the brewery here in WA. The beer is the first released by Mismatch and is named after a friend of the brewery.

Mismatch Brewing Co. are currently using Big Shed Brewing to brew their beers with their eyes to one day opening their own brewery. It’s a path that a few have already travelled, such as Two Birds Brewing who opened their brewery last year in Spotswood, Victoria.

Read: ‘The Brewing Nomads’ – The Adelaide Review

I really liked Archie’s Red Ale with its rich and deep caramel malts enlivened by citrusy hops. There’s a little spice and tropical fruit in there too and it’s easy to see yourself drinking two or three pints.

Read: ‘Top Hops: Cascade Ranks #1 Among Craft Brewers’ Favourite Varieties’ – craftbeer.com

The beer is made with Cascade and Centennial hops, varieties that you’ll be familiar with if you’ve enjoyed a big juicy American-style IPA or two, think Little Creatures Pale Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

In amongst the malts there is some midnight wheat, Caraaroma (a very dark crystal malt), rye and torrified wheat which, though it sounds like it’s wheat that has been scared to death, is wheat malt that has been heat treated and results in improved head retention for the beer.

My partner and I had the Archie’s Red Ale with a dinner of spicy BBQ chicken wings. The marinade almost caramelised and sweetened whilst on the BBQ which made for a delicious pairing to the beers own caramel flavours whilst the hops added a boost to the wings spicy flavours.

As far as first impressions go this one made a pretty good one.

Thank you Peter Lech, representing Mismatch in WA, for giving me a sample of Archie’s Red Ale.

LC-Shadow_bottle — 8.9% abv
Little Creatures | Fremantle (WA)
Spiced Christmas Ale

The latest Little Creatures Single Batch ‘The Day of the Long Shadow’ is a big mouthful not just in the extensive name but also the beer itself.

Styled with a cold European Christmas in mind; it’s a boozy 8.9% abv that smacks you lovingly in the face but it’s nicely balanced with assorted spices and dark fruits. Whilst Little Creatures are normally known for a more American hop approach they have used UK Sovereign and Challenger hops. These English hops lend softer and more earthy characteristics with Challenger hops, in particular, providing fruitiness and sutble spices. There is a little bit of bitterness lurking about as well so I thought a dish with some contrasting bitter/sweet flavours could be an interesting match.

I flicked through Bill’s Everyday Asian and landed on a recipe for Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings. The contrasting soy, chilli and sugar sounded like it could work up against the Little Creatures “the day of the long tea time of the soul darkness etc etc” but at the same time I had my doubts however I liked the sound of the dish and couldn’t be bothered looking into it any further. I had briefly contemplated something Christmas inspired, in keeping with the theme, but I really didn’t have the time to be trying to roast a leg of ham or turkey and fruitcake isn’t really dinner appropriate. I had also committed myself to cooking three other dishes that night (related to other occasions) so I was inclined to get on with it!

Lots of Cooking — Simultaneous cooking of 4 dishes and drinking 2 beers

I kinda followed the recipe however we didn’t have Sake so I just used the nearest booze in arms reach … in went a generous dash of Coopers Pale Ale. I had palm sugar in hand, which I had purchased for another dish, so I grated some and tossed it through instead of the regular white sugar the book called for because, to be perfectly honest, it felt more asian-y. I ditched the sesame seeds because I just couldn’t be bothered. The result was a recipe that went a little something like this:

Sticky Chicken Wings (based on Bill Granger’s Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings)

Serves 2

I served with chilli fried rice so dinner wasn’t just a plate of chicken wings …

6 Chicken Wings

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 red chill, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Mirin

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

Generous splash of Coopers Pale Ale

Grated Palm Sugar (approx 30 grams)

Throw chicken wings into a dish lined with baking paper and into a hot oven (200 degrees) for about 35-40 minutes. In a saucepan over medium heat throw in the other ingredients, garlic and chilli first and then the rest. Cook for a few minutes or as long as it takes for the liquid to reduce by about half. Whether this was because of my handful of variations this actually took a good 15 minutes.

After 35-40 minutes remove chicken wings from oven and coat with the sauce, toss through to ensure they are covered. I was a little skeptical at this stage, thinking the sauce wouldn’t stick but after another 15-2o minutes in the oven the result was just as the title promises!

Sticky Chicken Wings
Based on a recipe from Bill Granger’s “Bill’s Everyday Asian”
Using Coopers Pale Ale instead of Sake due to a lack of Sake!

Dinner was sticky and good but sadly not a winning match with the beer with far too much contrast going on between the food and the beer. Ah well, I get another chance at it with a Gauloise Christmas still in the fridge!

Tag: Chicken Wings

girl + mismatch

Sticky Chicken Wings + Little Creatures