FOOD NEWS
Why It's A Risky Move To Drink An IPA Beer With Hot Wings
BY Courtney Iseman
While beer and chicken wings are an iconic pairing, drinking an IPA and eating spicy hot wings may be a bad idea, as the drink's bitterness will enhance the wing's heat.
The presence and aroma of hops define the IPA, whereas foods like hot wings have irritants, such as capsaicin, that the tongue deems harmful and sends pain signals to the brain.
When eaten together, the capsaicin you'd likely get from wings reacts with the bitterness-causing alpha acids in hops, amplifying the pain-signaling process.
Plus, capsaicin is hydrophobic, so it won't dissolve in water-based solutions like beer. All this leads an IPA beer to elevate the heat in hot wings to an unbearable degree.