The Super Bowl is this Sunday and you know what that means…Party Time! 30A EATS blogging team,Virtual Potluck , teamed up with Lewis Bear Company for a throwdown using award-winning Victory, Grayton Beer Company, & Pensacola Bay Brewery Craft Beers in recipes to share with our readers. We also have a fun giveaway! I really enjoy the flavor that beer beings to a dish, especially my chili, so I created Grayton Beer Beef & Pork Chili with Avocado Relish to the big event! 

Lewis Bear & Company, our sponsor, was founded in 1876 in Pensacola, Florida by Bavarian immigrant Lewis Bear, and served as a combination grocery and chandlery selling groceries, building materials, animal feeds, liquor, and other merchandise.

The company became a franchise for Budweiser Lager Beer in 1895, and in 1901 was restructured as a corporation. A coastal vessel enabled the company to deliver goods to small towns along the Gulf of Mexico and to lumbar commissaries.

To date, The Lewis Bear Company is a family owned beverage distributorship that holds the regional franchise fo Anheuser-Bush. The company remains headquartered in Pensacola.

I chose to use Grayton Beer Company’s IPA Craft beer in my chili, and cook with it often. It has an invigorating taste with a touch of malt and is considered “hop” forward. It is wonderful to use in Split Pea Soup and for Beer Battered Onion Rings. I am partial to this beer, as it is locally owned by my 30-A neighbor Jamey Price, and deliciously refreshing. Click here for a great article in the Thirty-A Review about Jamey and his craft brew.

You and your friends may want to break bread together during the coin toss Sunday night! Cookistry brings her baking skills to the table with an inspired recipe using Victory Beer in her Beer Bread that pairs beautifully with the Beef & Pork Chili (above) or the Beer & Cheese Soup (below). Get the recipe here!

Depending on who is winning or losing, someone at your Super Bowl party may need comforting! Nothing says comfort food more than Foodie’s Beer & Cheese Soup with Herbed Croutons! The link to this delicious soup can be found here: FOODIE

Farmgirl Gourmet also chose to cook with Grayton Beer Company’s IPA, and made some incredible Spicy Beer Braised Oxtail Sliders with Broccoli Slaw that are sure to be a Super Bowl hit. They scored extra points with me! You can find the recipe here!

Ice cold beer and tangy hot wings have long been a Super Bowl tradition, and Groovy Foody’s recipe pairs the hoppy flavor of Victory IPA with the sharp tang of Frank’s Red Hot and the crispy fried wings we’ve all come to love. You can find her Beer-y Good Hot Wings here!

Pretzels and Beer go together like two peas in a pod. Miss In the Kitchen scores a Touch-Down with her recipe including a double dose of  beer! You can find her recipe for Victory Beer Pretzel Bites with Beer-Cheese Dip here!

Looking for a delicious side dish to pair with those Ox-Tail sliders or the burger on your grill? Look no further than Cooking with Books, where our CIA trained Chef has whipped up Spicy Beer Rice. Click here to get the recipe for this tasty side-dish!

Food blogger Jay, from Bite and Booze has been busy lately over at Food Blogger South in Birmingham, Alabama, and running his Radio Show in Baton Rouge. I wasn’t sure what he was bringing to the Lewis Bear Virtual Potluck, until he swooped in at the last minute and kicked the winning field goal with his Poached Halibut Over Pensacola Porter Risotto! Click here for the recipe!

 

Recipe: Beef & Pork Chili:

Ingredients

• 6 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 1.5 pounds ground pork
• 1 12 ounce bottle Grayton IPA beer , or your favorite
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 (24-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes,crushed
• 1 (24-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• Sour Cream, for garnish
• Shredded Cheddar, for garnish
• Sliced scallions, for garnish
• Avocado Relish for garnish

Preparation:

1. In large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic. Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon.
4. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes.
5. Stir in the beer and beans. Toss together, then add the crushed and diced tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if necessary. Transfer the chili to serving bowls and garnish with lime wedges, sour cream, shredded cheese, and sliced scallions.

If you are from Texas, you can leave out the beans!

Avocado Relish:

• 2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano chile, finely diced
• Lime juice
• Chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Mix all together in a bowl for garnish.

The Giveaway! ( Ended and Winners selected)

No beer, but Virtual Potluck is giving away Lewis Bear swag, including two beer-related tee shirts, a hat and a few other beer related items.

To enter, leave a comment here telling me what your favorite craft beer is.

Another Entry?

For an additional entry, follow 30A EATS on twitter at @Eater30A  and tweet a link to this contest!

Contest ends Sunday the 5th of February midnight! Open to U.S Citizens, and drawing by random.org!