THAI ONE ON - Thai Wings & Schneider Weisse Hefe-Weizenbier

As part of an ongoing weekly post yours truly will be picking one food menu item and pairing it with one of our 150+ bottle beers from our monster beer menu. Stay tuned each week for an informed, tried and true suggestion.

This weeks' winning couple is:

Mudville's tangy Thai Chicken Wings and the award winning Schneider Weisse Hefe

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The Chemistry:

These wings are no joke when it comes to complex flavor combination. We've seen it all before right? Thai peanut sauce, a little spicy, a little sweet...NO! This is made-from-scratch, visible-chili-pepper-flake, lick-the-plate Thai sauce. As I've mentioned before you want a beer, then, that doesn't compete for so many parts of your palate. A beer with big, rich malty flavors would get lost in the mix. So, you want to go with a nice, light (perhaps even creamy) German brew. For me the one and only Schneider Weisse Hefe comes to mind as the perfect addition to this meal. This typical top-fermented classic is agreeably spicy with hints of clove, nutmeg and apple that complement the savory wing meat. On the tongue it is fresh, clean and well-balanced. It finishes sparkling and with more hop flavor than bitterness which plays well with the pungent umami element in these Asian tongue twisters. Under the surface the spicy hefe yeast matches well with the herbal zing of the sauce while the citrusy acidity also balances out the cararmel rich sweetness.  Win/win/win.
Bon Apetit!

P.s. celery makes a great palate cleanser before your next beer, save one

Cheers!