This is a great time of the year. The holidays. College football and basketball. NFL. You even have the NBA regular season (when nothing else is on). And it’s a great time for sports parties. Get the guys together, eat, drink, make fun of the dumbass who thinks Johnny Manziel will take the Browns to the Super Bowl.
In the spirit of the season, BC got some guys together — and tested some party products sent to us for review: Negra Modelo beer, Oberto beef jerky, and dry rub spices from The Spice House.
At parties I usually serve chips and buffalo dip. But some people won’t eat it. Usually it’s some dude who’s in Cross Fit (with his wife and 2 other couples): “you know how many carbs are in those chips? I’d have to do a 1000 burpees to burn those off!” And I stock my fridge with Bud and Lite. But people complain about that too, usually the craft beer bros: “don’t you have anything besides that watered down light beer? I only drink IPAs.”
Beer Fridge Before
Beer Fridge After
But this party was different, thanks to the good folks at Negra Modelo beer and Oberto beef jerky.
Besides chips, we put out Oberto beef jerky (regular and teriyaki). That’s right, beef jerky. And it killed! Turns out, it’s a good party snack. Fat guys love it because it tastes good (it’s portable steak!) and the Cross Fits guys love it because it’s all protein and no carbs.
The Negra Modelo was a hit, too. Like the Oberto beef jerky, and SEC cheerleaders, it seems to please everyone. Negra Modelo is a dark beer, but it’s so smooth even the Bud and Lite guys liked it. And because it’s dark, the IPA guys find it hip enough to drink in public (remember, drinking IPAs is more about reputation than taste).
But wait, there’s more. Negra Modelo also sent us a “Butcher’s Rub Box” of dry rub spices from The Spice House (for fun, look up “dry rub” on Urban Dictionary). It seems that a chef named Ray Bayless (who may or may not be Skip Bayless’ life partner, I’m not sure) has put together recipes that go well with Negra Modelo. The spice box came with 4 rubs (heh, “came with 4 rubs”) but we only tested the Quebec Beef on burgers and the Bavarian on ribs, and both were good (especially after 7 Negra Modelos). We were going to try their recipes, but they were too complicated for me. I suppose if you’re a trained chef, or you drink IPAs, you could pull it off.
The Spread
All in all, it was a good time with good food and beer, and it changed my approach to throwing a party. So the next time you have a party, don’t put out Bud and chips, put out Negra Modelo and Oberto. And get some Spice House to rub your meat.