Shove it, nutritionists; chicken nuggets are a superfood. Anyone who denies this is a charlatan and a fool. There’s no room in your life for such toxic quackery. Shed the acquaintance of naysayers at once and embrace the resplendent deliciousness of the nug. But what shall you drink whilst reveling in the ecstasy of nuggets? Why, the other most sanctified of consumables: beer!
As your resident beer expert, I’ll guide you through the best brews (in no particular order) to enhance your chicken nugget experience. Let’s begin!
1. Madtree - Shade
The folks at Madtree Brewing Co. of Cincinnati, OH were at the very top of their game when they made this gose (pronounced goes-uh, as in “goes-uh great with chicken nuggets!”). Gose is a German style defined by the wheat content of its malt bill, the addition of salt in the brewing or fermentation process, and light to heavy tart flavors. If this sounds gross at first glance, think of a margarita. That lemon-lime sour quality that is tempered by the spice flavor of the salt around the rim of the glass? Same concept here. Goses are light-bodied easy drinkers and Shade, in particular, is brewed with blackberries! The result is a fresh-tasting beer with a berry-centric, easygoing sourness and a subtle salty spike that will perfectly accompany those sodium enriched nuggets. Think of it as the adult version of hitting Wendys for a blackberry lemonade to go with your piping hot trove of nug-nugs.
2. Dogfish Head - Festina Peche
I have one question for you: when you nug, do you dip? Of course, you do. The best way to live the nug life is to wet those munchlings down with all sorts of crazy flavors like the beautiful mad scientist you are. If you enjoy honey mustard and sweet and sour in particular then this Berliner Weisse will be the piece de resistance of every nugget experience to come. Berliner Weisse is another German table sour, a low-alcohol beer brewed purely with wheat and pale malts deliberately infected in fermentation by introducing the probiotic lactobacillus. This process yields a satisfyingly acidic and light beer that can be intensely sour but isn’t overpowering in any other respects. Dogfish Head’s self-described “neo-Berliner” exudes refreshment with a flash of sour that reveals a reservedly peachy fruit juice center the more you sip at it. Drinking this while you dine is like basting each nugget with a fine glaze before popping it into your mouth, and can even revitalize day-old, re-heated nugs! For a smoky pairing in the "dipping replacement" vein see also Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock. Seriously, it tastes like barbecue sauce.
3. Bell's - Quinannan Falls Lager
Maybe fruity beer isn’t your thing. If not, I don’t understand you but I have you covered just the same. This high-quality lager is very deep, but when you just need something tasty to help those good old nuggets go down all of its complexities are easily brushed aside and actually coalesce quite gracefully into a unified flavor profile. The hop forwardness of this lager lends it a very musky pine needle bite that will dissipate with your first mouthful of sweet, savory bird chunks. If you take your nugs hiking or live in the forest, this one’s for you. The finish is all crisp malt sweetness and white bread, so if you time your sips and bites correctly it’s almost like eating a chicken sandwich!
4. Clown Shoes - Tramp Stamp Belgian IPA
This beer is every bit as fun as the name implies. Its primary purpose on this list is to assist those looking to spice up their nug life. Belgian yeast lends a little pep to the usual aggressively bitter IPA profile by introducing an herbal, floral quality that smooths the whole thing out. You get your bombastically bright hops with an undercurrent of bushy spice and some deep fried goodness will sit right in that flavor pocket snug as a nug in a rug. If you’re tired of the usual suspects in terms of dipping sauce, chase those nuggets with a gulp of Tramp Stamp.
5. 21st Amendment - Hell or High Watermelon
You know this beer had to make the list. Chicken and watermelon, people! Do I even need to say anything else? Were there ever more fitting bedfellows? Chicken and watermelon is like chocolate and peanut butter, apple pie and ice cream, spaghetti and meatballs, etc. in terms of archetypal flavor pairings. If you don’t like chicken and watermelon never speak to me. This beer is a fantastic stand-in for the fruit itself when your mega-mart has nothing to offer but under or over-ripe melons. The smooth and refreshing body of a wheat beer is the perfect style to accommodate the juicy flavors of fresh, real watermelon. This isn’t your typical artificially flavored Jolly Rancher watermelon beer. It’s brewed with actual melons and it shows. Take that and put it in your nug-hole.
6. Deschutes - Armory Experimental Pale Ale
What's a commonly offered side item when you go out for some fried chicken? Biscuits. Those buttery and flaky bread lumps are great for soaking up some of the grease from your wings or breasts. Well, why not nuggets, too? Perhaps because most fast food joints reserve their biscuits for breakfast sandwiches. Still, if you’re craving the portability of nuggets but missing the wafting aromas of silky yet crispy leavened grain Deschutes has your back with Armory. It tastes just like a freshly baked biscuit lightly drizzled with honey and finishes with a dash of black pepper. I know what you’re thinking and yes, this beer is weird as hell. I guess that’s where the “experimental” part comes in, but unlike your significant other’s techno death metal band this is the good kind of experiment. As diametrically opposed to this in concept as I was before I first tried it, Armory absolutely works in execution and will take your nug munchies to the next level.
7. Brasserie Dupont- Saison Dupont
This is widely considered to be the best saison in existence. Chicken nuggets are widely considered to be the best food in existence. Is it a coincidence that they happen to be perfect for each other? Nuh-uh. This delectable selection is not for the faint of heart, however. Its bold and brash esters go right for the nug-ular with stabs of earthy clove and swirls of banana before it drags those flavors back under and sends them spinning through the spice rack. This beer is a torrent of flavor, a tumultuous vortex that bewilders the palate and may be quieted only by the soothing balm of nuggets. Farmhouse yeast courses through every sip, waiting to be anchored and centered by the uncomplicated splendor of salty breaded chicken. This beer Tarzan. Nuggets Jane.
8. Orval
Sometimes finding the perfect beer to pair with your sacred chicken nuggets means reaching out to a higher power. He may not have known it at the time, but master brewer Pappenheimer was divinely inspired to create the most beatific nugget partner of all time when he concocted the recipe for Orval in a restored Belgian monastery in 1931. Today it remains the sole product of one of only ten authentic Trappist breweries operating in Belgium. What better way to consecrate your nuggins than with a beer brewed by monks? Its airy malt and tannic, hard-to-pin-down fruit flavor gives way to a faint bitterness and lingering dryness that impeccably compliments steamy white meat. Its mildly floral, musty aroma perfectly accentuates nugget breading and it retains its billowy head long enough for you to give proper thanks for the nuggos you are about to receive. Chicken nuggets and Orval are, perhaps literally, a match made in heaven. Can I get an Amen?
There it is, my list of the top eight beers to drink with your nuggets. I hope you enjoyed it! Now go out and try them for yourselves if you’re not too chicken.
