On Saturday April 25th, BrüFrou, a craft beer + culinary pairings event, was back for its second year, and it couldn’t have been better. This year BrüFrou had an impressive 40 pairings for guests to enjoy, from wild boar to donuts to everything in between. As a vegetarian I wasn’t able to try them all, though there were several meatless options. And of course I got to sample as many beers as I wanted.
Rye Saison from Finkel & Garf with a Samoa Donut from Glazed and Confused
The event was held at Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, which was an interesting and educational setting in addition to being a whole lot of fun.
Spacious venue
My first stop ended up being one of my favorite overall pairings: Basta’s Rustic Pizza with ricotta and burnt orange with Wild Woods Brewery’s Nelson Sauvin Kiwi Blonde. I was ravenously hungry upon my arrival, so unfortunately I scarfed this one down before I could even get a photo. But the burnt orange and the kiwi complemented each other extremely well.
Basta brought a Rustic Pizza with ricotta and burnt orange to pair with Wild Woods Brewery’s Nelson Sauvin Kiwi Blonde
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how good a Kale Salad Taco actually sounded. However, I was pleasantly surprised; the taco was much more elaborate than I had imagined: house-made black beans, corn and red peppers topped with cilantro, onions and an avocado tomatillo salsa. Yum.
Dr. Wilkinson’s Dry Irish-Style Stout from Horse & Dragon Brewing with a Kale Salad Taco from McDevitt Taco Supply
I’m a huge fan of Saag Paneer–if it’s done right. I’m happy to say that Yak & Yeti’s was spot on. While the recommended pairing with their Gluten Free Apple Ale, I have a weakness for their Chai Stout and decided to give it a shot. I wasn’t disappointed at all; both the beer and food were so tasty that they went well together.
Yak & Yeti Brewpub Self-Pairing: Saag Paneer with Chai Stout
Thankfully I inquired about the Bootstrap/Lucky Pie pairing before digging in, as the food was marked as vegetarian when only half of it actually was. I enjoyed the Chilled Asparagus Soup but had to skip the Lardo Crostini (not pictured) for obvious reasons.
Insane Rush IPA from Bootstrap Brewing paired with Chilled Asparagus Soup with Micro Mint
Everything I tried was great. But if I had to narrow it down…
Favorite Pairings:
- Wild Woods/Basta: Nelson Sauvin Kiwi Blonde paired with Rustic Pizza: Anson Mills Organic “OO” Crema Semolina Flour, House made Ricotta, and Burnt Orange
- Verboten/Second Home Kitchen + Bar: Thinking of Something Orange American Wheat Beer with orange blossom honey & orange peel paired with Fried Squash Blossom stuffed with green chile chevre finished with honey
- Yak & Yeti: Chai Stout with Saag Paneer
Favorite Beers:
- Insane Rush IPA from Bootstrap Brewing
- Grey Watcher Grisette-style Farmhouse Ale from Trve Brewing
- Crimson Fog, a quadrupel, kettle soured strong ale, aged on Italian plums and pinot noir soaked oak chips from 12 Degree Brewing
I was surprised that two of the beers in my favorite pairings were fruit beers, which I wouldn’t normally choose. That’s one of the reasons I love pairings so much–they force me out of my beer comfort zone and make me try things I’d be likely to pass over.
Verboten’s Thinking of Something Orange American Wheat Beer with orange blossom honey & orange peel paired with Fried Squash Blossom stuffed with green chile chevre finished with honey from Second Home Kitchen + Bar
Everything about BrüFrou was so well done: the setup was such that none of the areas got too crowded, the planes were amazing and provided a fantastic atmosphere, and of course the beer and food–downright delicious!
