Monday, October 19th, 2015

Brownie on Brownie – New Belgium Brewery pairing dinner

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You’ve probably already sipped some craft beers from Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewery — like a Fat Tire Amber Ale. The Colorado hallmark was actually first brewed a couple years before New Belgium was founded in 1991, in the basement of (future) co-founder Jeff Lebesch. It was aptly was named after the vacation that Lebesch spent biking on “fat tires” through little villages — in search of good beer, of course.

Glancing at the menu for New Belgium’s brewmaster’s dinner at The Swiss Restaurant & Pub next month, Fat Tire graces the menu. Shocker. The popular amber ale with its yeasty, caramel malt-heavy taste has name-recognition far preceded that of the brewery itself (so much so that New Belgium changed its logo to include the famous bicycle in 2006).

Also not a shocker is the Transatlantique Kriek as the dinner’s intermezzo offering. New Belgium began brewing sour beers in 1998 and has become well known for its offerings, such as Transatlantique Kriek, La Folie, Eric’s Ale and Le Terroir.

The New Belgium beer I’m most excited drink during the beer-pairing dinner at The Swiss is the new Salted Caramel Brownie Ale the brewery released in conjunction with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream makers. Released this month, the brown ale was brewed for two reasons: to raise awareness of climate change and to honor both companies’ designation as B Corporations. That’s fine and all, but to us “B” is for “brownie” that chef Jacob Thacker will create to pair with the Brownie Ale.

Tickets for the four-course, six beer New Belgium Brewery beer-pairing dinner at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 are $40, and available at The Swiss or Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2371040.

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