This past Sunday was Victory‘s 6th Annual Chili Challenge. Various Victory employees made 5-gallon vats of their own chili recipes, to be reviewed by a panel of judges, as well as by the general public (Read: free chili!). We were so there.

The moment Tim and I arrived, we realized that this event was no secret. It was totally packed, but in a good way. Fun atmosphere, and plenty of chili to go around!

First of all, how smart was it of Victory to supply free, spicy chili to hundreds of people? Let me tell you, it made me extremely thirsty for beer. I wonder how much Hop Devil and Hop Wallop they sold on Sunday?

Anyhoo, there were some damn impressive chili recipes. It seemed that most people tried to be creative and really set their recipe apart. For example, one of the chilis had macaroni in it. Another had potatoes, carrots, peas, and apparently no tomatoes whatsoever (I believe he called it “Is That Really Chili?”). You gotta love creativity in the kitchen.

That being said, one of my favorite ones happened to be a more classically-made chili from Andie, the retail manager. She made hers all meat, no beans (her husband isn’t a bean fan). Italian sausage, ground beef, flank steak, Hop Devil, and Chimayo chile powder were her claims to meaty, chili goodness. Nice job!

Another chili that I really enjoyed actually turned out to be the winner from the judging panel. He (and I can’t remember his name, but I believe he’s one of the servers? Sorry guy!) called it “Two Brews Chili” — a pot of double strength coffee and a 1/2 gallon of Storm King Stout made for an incredibly unique and tasty chili. I gotta try making that sometime!

Finally, I think the most interesting chili was from Dr. Tim, head of Quality Assurance. “Tim-atillo Chili” (cute name, right?) contained smoked chicken, smoked jalapeño, Prima Pils, and of course, tomatillos. When I first tasted it, I could have sworn he doused that chili in lime juice, because it had a really wonderful citrus acidity about it. But it turns out that the flavor was actually from the tomatillos. Good stuff!

This was a pretty rockin’ event. Our mouths were on fire, and we cooled the flames with always-wonderful Victory brews. We’ll be back next year for sure!