Brew Duel: (Counterweight Wizard Fight DIPA) or (Relic Brewing Mage DIPA) and Potato Chip Cookies

Mar 28

Mar 28 Brew Duel: (Counterweight Wizard Fight DIPA) or (Relic Brewing Mage DIPA) and Potato Chip Cookies

Another guy’s night was on the horizon and I swung by Counterweight on my way home from work. For the activities planned, a beer named Wizard Fight seemed almost too perfect. This went double when Bob found some cans of Mage from Relic Brewing at a local package store. Wizard Fight and Mage? Sounds like another Brew Duel, but over what cookie should they do battle? We decided to give one of our favorites another shot at finding its soulmate: the potato chip cookie. Also for this occasion, we got adventurous and attempted some icing work to make D20 inspired cookies...I think they turned out about as well as could be expected, but maybe we’ll leave stuff like this to Meg for now.

The Beers: While both these brews are very solid and satisfying double IPAs they are also quite different in interesting ways. My impression of Mage was big and bold. Massive amounts of tropical fruit on the nose, backed up by the same hop character throughout the sip. The malt backbone supports it nicely, giving it a bit of sweetness. A lack of bitterness in the finish really left me feeling like it was a glass of tropical fruit juice.

Wizard Fight comes through a bit on the lighter side with aromas of stone fruit and mild citrus. The body has a nice hop flavor, low malt and very little bitterness. A very pleasing DIPA. This drinks less like a fight and more like a pleasant conversation, but I won’t hold it against the people in charge of naming the beers.

The Cookies: The two pairing partners in attendance are familiar faces. The iced sugar cookie is as standard as it gets but we know the basic goodness of the cookie is versatile and the sweetness in the icing can be a good cover for bitterness.

The potato chip cookie is one of our favorites that has never gotten a love connection. It’s a crispy cookie with a shortbread consistency and flavor. Pecans give it a nutty flavor and crunched up kettle chips from CT’s own Deep River Snacks give it that salty/sweet combo that can make a dessert really dangerous.

Wizard Fight Cookie combo is a natural 20

The Pairing: Between the two cookies on the plate, the Wizard Fight won out as the best partner. I loved both beers but for these mild cookies the Mage was a little too flavorful, giving the edge to the milder contender. This was especially true with the iced sugar cookies, making a really special one-two punch.

Sadly, I still don’t think we have done the potato chip cookie justice. It is still sitting at home, waiting for that call for a date to go to the big dance.