The classics of football tailgating, beer and brats, are coming together just in time for the biggest game of the year.

Saint Arnold Brewing Co., the oldest craft brewery in Texas, has partnered with Farmland Foods to introduce Saint Arnold Amber Ale Bratwurst and Saint Arnold Santo Bratwurst. Both are rolling out to HEB and Central Market stores throughout Texas.

Saint Arnold Executive Chef Ryan Savoie traveled to Kansas City to test and refine the bratwurst recipes with Smithfield-Farmland, the largest pork producer in the United States.

Saint Arnold provided Farmland with a broad range of different beers to test. They selected Saint Arnold Amber Ale and Santo because their respective flavors enhanced the flavor of the meat, delivering tender, meaty brats.

"When we decided to make these Saint Arnold brats, our focus was ensuring that the final product was something we were excited about," says Brock Wagner, founder of Saint Arnold Brewing. "Rather than just send a couple of beers to Farmland, Chef Ryan took an active role in
working with their team in Kansas City to determine which brews would result in the best taste and experience. We are all very proud of how it turned out."

Saint Arnold Beer Brats are made with high-quality USDA-inspected cuts of domestic pork and two of Saint Arnold's most popular beers shipped fresh from Texas. The brats also contain no MSG.

"We are excited to partner with Saint Arnold because their passion for brewing great craft beer is right in line with our passion for producing high-quality pork products," says Tom Danneker, vice president and general manager of fresh sausage with Smithfield Farmland. "Saint Arnold's full-flavored beers are a great match for Farmland's tender, high quality brats both as an ingredient and as an accompanying beverage."

Saint Arnold Amber Ale features a rich, malty body with a pleasant caramel character, producing an all-around flavorful brat. The brewery's Santo invented the concept of a black Kolsch with a dark malt flavor, resulting in a brat with a hint of roast.

Saint Arnold has long encouraged cooks to experiment with craft beer as an ingredient in their cooking. After all, the variety of flavors among craft beers makes it an ideal candidate for a cooking liquid, providing similar cooking properties to wine but with an even larger array of flavors.