Easter Pairing: Nod Hill Arvo DIPA and Bunny Peep Sugar Cookies

This is one of two pairings that came as a result of a recent trip out to Wilton and Ridgefield. As happenstance would have it, the Painted Cookie bakery was open late just down the road from our ultimate destination - Nod Hill Brewing. All components of the trip will get their own post to give them all the glory they deserve. The first pairing is a seasonally appropriate Easter cookie and a wonderful Double IPA.

The Beer: The Arvo DIPA easily filled the most glasses around the taproom. A super hazy and opaque golden orange color, I had a strong suspicion that it would be a favorite of mine as well. A wonderful foamy head begged for a cookie to dive in. Aroma like you just opened a bottle of mixed tropical fruit juice, the sip didn’t disappoint with tons of fresh hop character. A medium light malt backbone stayed in the backstage to highlight the hops who headlined the show. It ended with light but noticeable bitterness. 

The Cookie: I love how new and different each sugar cookie we encounter can be. When we started the project I figured you have one you have them all, but that is always proved incorrect. These cookies were a crisp sugar cookie with some additions giving it a nice complexity. A little nutmeg and some other spice made the dough not your run of the mill cookie base. The colored sugar crystals give it a bump of sweetness and take the crunch factor to 11, giving it a nice textural element next to a glass of beer.

The Pairing: Sugar Cookies with decoration on top continues to be one of the most versatile pairing partners. The mild spices in the cookie set off wonderfully against the hops of the beer, giving an ever changing flavor profile from beginning to end. The bite and sip was nice but when we went for the dunk we were pleasently surprised. The dough got soft and absorbed the fruity beer but the sugar crystals held up the top side and maintained the crunch really well.