Nothing’s more American than beer and barbecue

May 25, 2012

This week, we will celebrate Memorial Day. In honor of those who have fought and died for our country, we will partake of the fruits of the very soil they gave their lives to protect — fermented, bottled and paraded across the lawn at Beaver Creek.

Beer and barbecue at Kirby Cosmo's BBQ
Bar in Minturn. Photo by Christian Caslin.

This year, for the first time, Blues, Brews & BBQ will allow co-mingling of beer and brisket. The all-outdoor venue will stretch from the lawn adjacent to the Centennial lift down to the plaza around the ice rink, allowing beer snobs to rub elbows with barbecue aficionados. I’m predicting a chaotic jumble of anarchy — kolschs paired with pulled pork, ribs dunked in brown ales, hot links crammed into mouths alongside IPAs. It’ll be fantastic.

Though touted as an exclusively Colorado microbrew tasting, one curious entry slipped through the chinks in Beaver Creek’s beer festival armor. Scott Gubrud, director of sales and marketing for the Park Hyatt, acknowledged the limitations of the new online registration system. It lacks the checks and balances that would require breweries to be indigenous of Colorado. Thus, we have Brasserie Brunehaut, from Belgium. But Beaver Creek’s marketing foible is a coup for beer lovers.

Charlie Cindric, importer for Brunehaut, said he would be pouring three or four beers, starting with a gluten-free beer that he claims to be the best of its class in the world. Possible hyperbole aside, it’s worth wandering over to get a taste and also to try Brunehaut’s St. Martin Brun and Trippel. St. Martin was originally produced in 1096 as a trappist beer, making it one of the oldest recipes in the world. Cindric said the brown-sugar, caramel taste of the Brun will pair well with the sweet tang of barbecue.

Rockyard Brewing Co, out of Castle Rock, is toting a foursome of carbonated creations up the mountain, starting with Hopyard IPA. Brewmaster Jim Stinson said the IPA has the aroma of skipping through a hop garden and would be a faithful companion to zestier barbecue. He’s also bringing the Scottish export-style Red Hawk Ale, which just won a silver medal at the World Beer Cup in Denver, and his Double Eagle Ale, which he said is good for before or after mowing the lawn. Stick around the Rockyard tent for a couple of deviations, too. Stinson said they’d most likely have Belgian, imperial or super somewhere in the moniker.

Josh Breckel said the brewers at Left Hand are cranking out beer as fast as they possibly can, working their fingers to the nubbins, as my mother would say. The result is that they never know quite what they will have on hand to bring up to Beaver Creek until the last minute. The guys in the warehouse will be picking a few favorites, but Breckel said two brews that will definitely make an appearance are the nitro version of the well-loved Milk Stout and Smokejumper, an imperial smoked porter. Left Hand smokes all of the malt for this beer in house, allowing the brewers to choose a blend of woods that give the exact flavor hit they’re looking for. Smokejumper is an apt choice for a dry year: Left Hand works with the National Smokejumpers Association to raise money for trail restoration.

Other beers to look for: AC Golden’s Colorado Native, an amber lager made with all Colorado ingredients and one of the oldest yeast strains in the U.S.; Bristol Brewing’s Laughing Lab Scottish ale, a malty brew that goes well with heavy, greasy barbecue; and Golden City Brewery’s Clear Creek Gold kolsch, a sessionable, effervescent palate cleanser.

For a full list of the breweries attending the festival, visit www.beavercreek.com and look for the “Blues, Brews & BBQ” link under the “Events & Activities” tab.

From the Fridge: Crazy Mountain Lava Lake Wit

Crazy Mountain will be bringing its Hops of Prey fruit-forward IPA, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades ESB and brand-new summer seasonal Scenic Route Kolsch to the Blues, Brews & BBQ beer festival at Beaver Creek, but I’ve lately been enjoying the sunshine with cans of the brewery’s Lava Lake Wit.

 

Canned beer is perfect for summertime. You can pop it in your backpack to enjoy on the trail, throw it in a cooler for a raft trip down the river or haul it to a softball game by the case. Crazy Mountain began canning its Lava Lake Wit and Mountain Livin’ Pale Ale this spring, completing a trifecta that started with its flagship Amber Ale.

This beer is a golden color with a strong coriander flavor and hints of orange. I was recently cooking an Oaxacan-inspired pork tenderloin with a chipotle-orange sauce and got giddy about grabbing one of these wits to pair with it, only to find that they had all mysteriously vanished from the fridge — or maybe not such a mystery, since I was probably the one who drank them all.

Enjoy this beer with a light conscience: A percentage of all of the proceeds are donated to the Eagle River Watershed Council.

Krista Driscoll

Hophead
Vail Daily Weekly