Beermania UFC 144 Edition

Welcome to the UFC 144: "Edgar vs Henderson" edition of MMAmania.com presents "Beermania."

The plan is to rate and review two different beers prior to each Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) pay-per-view (PPV) event, with one brand representing each of the two main event fighters. For this edition, I will present a beer from New Jersey (Frankie Edgar) and another from Colorado (Ben Henderson).

Edgar and Henderson are set to collide in the UFC 144 main event, which is scheduled for the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Feb. 25, 2012.

As always, I have done my best to use beers that are of the same style and represent the fighter's home country (or state) for each post. With any luck, I can convince some you to try out a beer that you normally wouldn't have sampled at the local watering hole. Also for this episode I have included "Chocolate Silk's Cooking Corner," which will give all you Maniacs some recipes that should compliment the style of beer being reviewed.

Here's how it works:

When reviewing a beer, there are typically five categories of concern: Appearance (A), Smell (S), Taste (T), Mouthfeel (M), and Drinkability (D). After a brief description for each category, based on my tasting notes, I will assign a letter grade to each beer.

Follow me after the jump to get started:

Fighting out of the blue corner representing the challenger, Ben Henderson, and brewed out of Lyons, Colo., we have Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale:

Tale of the Tape:

Beer: Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale

Brewery: Oskar Blues located in Lyons, Colorado

Serving size: 12 ounce can poured into a Weyerbacher pint glass, 6.5 alcohol percent

by volume.

From the Brewery:

America’s first hand-canned craft beer is a voluminously hopped mutha that delivers a hoppy nose, assertive-but-balanced flavors of pale malts and hops from start to finish. First canned in 2002, Dale’s Pale Ale is a hearty (6.5 percent and 65 IBUs), critically acclaimed trailblazer that has changed the way craft beer fiends perceive canned beer.

ShivanTiger's Review:

A: Copper orange in color. Two finger off-white head, giving way to slight lacing and light film of suds on the beer.

S: Citrus and bready, not overpowering, nice balance of malt and hops.

T: Malty sweet at first, immediately followed by bitter hops, finishing up with citrus hops. Well balanced.

M: Medium bodied, slight cloying from the hops.

D: For me, this is an easy drinker. I could pound down a sixer no problem, and have on numerous occasions.

Overall: A+

For my money, Dale's Pale Ale is the prototypical American Pale Ale. When ever I drink a Pale Ale, I judge it against Dale's Pale. As a bonus, since it is only available on draft or in a can, it is approved by M-1 Global and Fedor Emelianenko, so how can you go wrong?

Out of the Red Corner, representing the UFC Lightweight Champion, Frankie Edgar, and brewed out of Lambertville, N.J., we have River Horse Brewing Hop Hazard Unfiltered American Pale Ale:

Tale of the Tape:

Beer: River Horse Hop Hazard Unfiltered American Pale Ale

Brewery: River Horse Brewing Company in Lambertville, New Jersey

Serving Type: 12 oz bottle poured into a Weyerbacher pint glass. 6.5 percent alcohol by volume

From the Brewery:

A golden-orange hue, medium body and a floral/hoppy finish make this American Pale Ale perfect for any time of year.

ShivanTiger's Review:

A: One finger off beige head. Murky light brown body, which becomes a cloudy orange when held to the light.

S: Bready with a hint of grassy floral notes. Some hop bitterness.

T: Up front hop flavor, it is a very spicy hop flavor, but finishing somewhat sweet. Reminds me a bit of a hopped up version of Yeungling.

M: Medium bodied, nice carbonation.

D: It is somewhat of an easy drinker, probably wouldn't order more than two of these in one sitting.

Overall: C

The Hop Hazard is an average pale ale. While the brewery suggests it is a good "year-round beer" I would suggest holding off until the fall for this one. The spicy hopping would lend itself to a cool October night. If you are yearning for a traditional West Coast style pale ale, then pass this one by.

Additional Tasting Notes:

Of British origin, this style is now popular worldwide and the use of local ingredients, or imported, produces variances in character from region to region. Generally, expect a good balance of malt and hops. Fruity esters and diacetyl can vary from none to moderate, and bitterness can range from lightly floral to pungent. American versions tend to be cleaner and hoppier, while British tend to be more malty, buttery, aromatic and balanced. Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0 to 7.0 percent.

Some other examples of the American Pale Ale style would include:

• Daisy Cutter Pale Ale (Half Acre Beer Company)
• Burning River Pale Ale (Great Lakes Brewing Company)
• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (Sierra Nevada Brewing Company)
• Anchor Liberty Ale (Anchor Brewing Company)
• Three Kings (Three Floyd's Brewing Company)

And now, drumroll please, Chocolate Silk's Cooking Corner, brought to you by ShivanTiger:

Chicken Nachos!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortilla chips, or as needed
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, vegetable oil, and cayenne pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, or longer if desired.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture, and fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spread a thin layer of tortilla chips in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 of the chilies, and 1/4 of the cheese over the chips. Repeat layers ending with cheese on the top.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with your favorite nacho toppings.

Anaheim Fish Tacos!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 Anaheim chili pepper, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds halibut fillets
• 1 lime
• 12 corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the chile, leek, and garlic until tender and lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix the chicken broth and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Place the halibut into the mixture. Sprinkle with lime juice. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until the halibut is easily flaked with a fork. Wrap in warmed corn tortillas to serve.

Spicy Jalapeno Slaw!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ head green cabbage, should be about 2 1/2 cups ( can use red cabbage, or a combo of both)
• 1 medium red onions, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 3 medium jalapeno peppers, sliced thin
• 3 tablespoons olivado avocado oil ( can use vegetable, grapeseed or walnut oil)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 limes, juice of, about 1/4 cup
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (can use Splenda)
• 2 teaspoons prepared wasabi powder

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, red onion, and jalapeno slices.
2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the oil, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, and wasabi powder.
3. Toss the dressing with the slaw, season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

That does it for this week. As always enjoy responsibly and go Frankie!

Be sure to check us out in advance of UFC 145: "Jones vs Evans" for another go-round. In the meantime, keep an eye out for special "Pregame Beermania" posts leading into FuelTV, FX and FOX events.

In addition, remember to stay up to speed on all the UFC 144 news and notes right here.