National Nachos Day is November 6, 2018
What a great day, National Nachos Day, which is celebrated this year on Tuesday, November 6th. Do you remember your first chips and cheese? It was amazing, wasn’t it? Then came your first “loaded” chips and cheese, oh what an invention! So how about some fun pairings for nachos?
Stella has its roots in 1366 in a pub named Den Hoorn, The Horn. You can see the horn on the Stella label today, which honors their history. The name sounds French due to its brewmaster, named Sebastian Artois in 1717. The current style of Stella Artois that we drink today is more recent, 1926. It was only produced in Canada, and was a Christmas style beer. The Christmas style beer is what gave birth to the star on the label and the Stella which is Latin for star. This beer is very easy drinking and has a pleasant flavor with a hint of honey. The ABV is between 4.8 and 5.2%. This is a great pairing for any type of heat that you add to your nachos. A great price as well, it is in ad in Michigan stores but available in all Family Fare stores at a great everyday price.
A local newcomer is Old Nation out of Lansing, MI. Their new M43 New England style IPA has slammed the local market and has caused many beer companies to mimic this style of IPA. Customers love it! This IPA is a beer that non IPA lovers will drink. To me, it is an amazing balance of malt and hops that provide flavors of pineapple, mango, and grapefruit with a smooth finish. This beer is hazy, which is not a result of the yeast, but the “lipids form the malted oat oils and acids in the hand selected dry hops”. This beer lands at a 6.8% ABV and 65 very smooth IBUs. Available in Michigan stores.
How about some sparkling water with your nachos? Sparkling waters that are spiked have taken the scene with a storm. These new sparkling water items are leading the pack as growth items for 2018. One of the new sparkling water items is called Truly. For us, they were the first sparkling water with alcohol that we offered in our stores. It was received extremely well. Truly has all the great information you look for on a label boldly positioned on the front of the label. The package that is selling really well for Truly is the variety pack, 3 cans of 4 flavors. The flavors included are Wild Berry, Blueberry Acai, Raspberry Lime, and Pomegranate. The nutritional information that is easily read on the label is as follows: 5% ABV, 100 calories, 1g sugar, and gluten free. This item is very versatile with food or just sipping, so perfect for any nachos combination you want to throw at it. Available in all Family Fare stores.
Brewery Vivant is another amazing local brewery located in Grand Rapids, MI. Their new beer for us is the Hopfield IPA. This beer features Michigan hops on Vivant’s mainstay style of farmhouse beer. This beer is unfiltered and cloudy as well. A local brewery using local ingredients with the hops. The nose on this beer is floral and fruity. The palate is juicy and rustic in the perfect Vivant style. Food pairings would be for a spicier nacho or a more premium, less classic nachos combination like grilled chicken and gouda cheese. Brewery Vivant is proud to bring this beer to you. Available in Michigan stores.
A beer that we picked up last spring that has been doing well is from 10 Barrel from Oregon, a great craft beer destination. The name of the beer is Joe IPA. The crew at 10 Barrel tried the names of Tom, Dick, Dan, Carl, Bob, and Frank, but none of them seemed to work. They settled in on Joe IPA. This is very bright IPA with a nose of citrus and intense hops. The flavors are tropical fruit, tangerine, grapefruit, and a little pineapple. The hops are Simcoe, Ararillo, and Mosaic, which could have given them the name Sam, but it was already being used. The ABV lands at 6.9% and the IBUs are 70. This will bite through your spicy nachos as well.
Here are a few recipes for inspiration and to help you enjoy your nachos on November 6!
Greg VanOverloop, Beer & Wine Specialist
- Started in the Grocery business bagging at D&W in 1975. Worked at D&W for 30 years in various departments.
- Worked at SpartanNash for 11 years. Currently the Category Manager for Wine/Beer/Spirits for SpartanNash East.
- Have been a category manager since 1990 and a category manager of beer since 1997. CM of wine and spirits since 2007.
- Have travelled extensively which provided the opportunity to taste many foods and beverages from Hong Kong to Caribbean, from California to Maine.
- Love to cook, grill, and bake, snow ski, sail, and read books. Best baked item – a bourbon pecan pie with rum crust. Best grilled item – salmon with blueberry onion wine sauce and goat cheese. Best cooked item – Squash Apple soup with bourbon. Best ski slope – Go Devil at Keystone. Best book – Wonder.
- 1 wife, 3 children, 7.3 grandchildren.
Welcome back! 