Forget the phrase “Spaghetti Western” — the best type of showdown involves a much heartier dish! To give their talented brewers a break from barley, hops, yeast and water, Victory Brewing Company held their 2nd Annual Brewers Chili Showdown this past Sunday, August 12 at their restaurant and brewery in Downingtown. Seven of Victory’s own brewers competed against one another in a special chili cook-off, judged entirely by chili chompin’ freeloaders like me!
Obviously, I wasn’t the only individual in the area excited by the prospect of free chili and midday drinking. A cheerful crowd of chili and beer enthusiasts swarmed the restaurant on the beautiful afternoon. Seven booths, each home to a warm tray of chili, were set up around the restaurant to beckon to guests. However, the brewers went beyond simply cooking tasty chili to entice the judges. From interesting names to decorations and musical accompaniments, the chili chefs injected plenty of personality into their entries. To make things even more interesting, each type of chili seemed to incorporate a Victory beer into its recipe, as well.
My first stop was a light yet tasty chili made by Victory’s President and Brewmaster Bill Covaleski. I was “jammin'” to the sounds of Bob Marley as I took a taste — quite good, but reminded me more of a stew than chili. Booth number two was definitely real chili, but I couldn’t help being bowled over by the name and taste of booth number three, “Quiche My Ass.” I continued to wander around the room, washing down samples of various types of chili with a tall glass of Victory’s seasonal Festbier. I was very disappointed to find that “Man Boob Chili” had already been sampled out, but a delicious hearth smoked chili and vegetarian chili just about made up for it.
After I had my fill of chili, I went back for another pint and waited for the results. Finally, the announcements were made. My favorite, Jim Bair’s “Quiche My Ass,” took second place. The first place winner was the Restaurant General Manager Matt Krueger’s Hearth Smoked Chili, rich with smokehouse meats. I was a little too far behind the bar to see what Matt claimed for his prize other than accolades, but the cheers and clapping alone seemed to be worth the effort.
I can’t wait to see what those Victory brewers have in store for next year — or to try my own recipe in the meantime!
If you missed this event you can catch more chili at West Chester’s upcoming Chili Cookoff!WC Dish will be there! Will you?Learn about other fun upcoming events on WC Dish’s “In Other Food News” section.
