Let’s play ball! Now that baseball season is in full swing it seems a hot dog and beer pairing is in order. Though the typical ballpark hot dog is great washed down by a light, crisp lager, I wanted to get a little creative in this pairing. These are gourmet hot dogs paired with craft beer that are sure to be a hit at any bbq this summer.

Hot Dog and Beer Pairing

Chef Western Bacon (aka my brother) was the inspiration behind this fun pairing and the lead chef in crafting the hot dogs. Bon Appetit shared 8 creative hot dog toppings and was ultimately what influenced the ones in this hot dog and beer pairing.

We chose 3 out of the 8 hot dog toppings with a few recipe tweaks and found some beer partners. One of the attendees was gluten-free so two ciders were included in the mix and they were good compliments. Along with the ciders, an IPA and a saison were picked. All the beers were light bodied and great choices for the warmer season.

Buffalo Hot Dog paired with IPA

Hot Dog: Blue Cheese Dressing + Celery Slaw + crumbled blue cheese + Frank’s hot sauce
Beer Pairing: Wanderlust Golden IPA by Breakside

IPAs pair nicely with blue cheese and so the Breakside Wanderlust was paired with the Buffalo Hot Dog. The Wanderlust is a nice and refreshing IPA but it was too light. A more bold and hoppy beer, like a typical American IPA, to compliment the strong flavors of blue cheese would have likely been a better pairing.

Shishito Hot Dog paired with Saison

Hot Dog: Spicy Mayo + Blistered Shishito Peppers + potato chips
Beer Pairing: Meriwether Saison by Perennial Artisan Ales

Both the apricot cider and saison were paired with the shishito hot dog. The Summit Apricot Cider was sweet and went nicely with the spiciness. The Meriwether Saison was the winning pairing though, as the flavors in both the hot dog and the beer were more prominent.

Hawaiian Hot Dog paired with Cider

Hot Dog: Bacon wrapped hot dog + spicy mayo + Pineapple-Jalapeño Relish
Beer Pairing: Habanero Lime by Snow Capped Cider

The Habanero Lime Cider is a dry cider and quite tasty. It surprised me how well the habanero beer went with the spiciness in the hot dog. It seemed that the pineapple relish really worked well with the citrus lime of the cider and the heat was not overpowering.

This hot dog and beer pairing was a ton of fun and very delicious. Hopefully this has inspired creativity for your next bbq. Feel free to contact me about food and beer pairings. The best thing to do is taste test 😉

Cheers!

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