With shorter cranks you will have less leverage, so lower gears could be helpful. However, if you are rarely in your lowest gear, and you mention this being a custom crank, ask if you can have your old rings used, and possibly save a few bucks.

If you must choose one or the other, and the cost is the same, I would suggest going with the 44 tooth aluminum ring. This for 2 reasons. First it saves a little weight. Second, I suspect you will spend most of your time on the 32 tooth ring since you currently spend most of your time on the 36... therefore any decreased life on the large ring due to wear should be minimal.

Also, unless you ride extremely long distances, a quality aluminum ring will provide years of service, even under constant use... and if you do ride extremely long distances, you shouldn't mind replacing a chain ring once in a while.