This article was written by Breweries In PA Contributor Paired Pints.

There’s a reason why this is only the second pairing I’ve done with this brewery. Their beer is too good – I finish it before I can plan a pairing. The first time I’ve paired beer from this brewery was for an article entry for a local zine called Atomic no.6, a group of creatives who work together to showcase how our talented residents make this town special.

Rebel Hill joined the Phoenixville roster in 2017 and with their arrival, came this beer. This was one of, if not the first beer they offered and to this day is still in my top three favorite beers they offer.

The Beer:

One of my favorites since they’ve entered the town, Scratch the surface is a crushable and smooth pale ale with notes of light pineapple. The subtle sweetness and refreshing juiciness made me think of a summer day – somewhere I’d love to escape to during a east coast winter. The carbonation and tropical notes played well with the spice rub and the salty nori in the furikake-seasoned rice. 5.4%. abv.

Wings:

Party Pack of Chicken Wings
Spice Rub:
Trader Joe’s Coffee Rub
½ cup Wegman’s Bee Pollen
½ cup Old Bay
2 Tbsp baking powder

Smoking:

• Preheat your smoker to 250F.
• Combine all rub ingredients in a large bowl and mix with whisk.
• Wash and pat dry chicken wings with paper towels.
• Add wings to bowl and cover wings with spice rub. If you feel confident enough, toss the wings in the bowl. Make sure the rub covers the wings completely.
• Cook at 250F for 45 minutes
• Get your smoker up 425F for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
• Place wings on a baking sheet to cool.

Rice:

Basmati
Hank’s Hot Sauce
Furikake

• Just before the wings are complete, start the rice.
• Follow the directions on the bag of rice.
• For every cup of rice you make, add 1 tsp of Hank’s Camouflage hot sauce and stir in.
• Plate 5-8 wings with a half cup of rice.
• Season the rice with a pinch or two of furikake.