FreshCraft Autumn Food & Beer Pairing Dinner
Friday, Nov 25, 2011 at 1:05 pm by Sean Buchan
Last Thursday, my wife and I were privileged enough to attend one of FreshCraft’s quarterly beer and food pairing dinners. I’ve eaten and drank at FreshCraft many, many times but this was the first time that my meal and drink choices were predetermined. Similar to watching Tebow lead the Broncos onto the field on their big screen TV… I was excited but I had no idea what to expect. Unlike Tebow, FreshCraft lit it up from start to finish. This place is more than just an awesome craft beer bar, a fact they showed off well during the dinner when they managed to combine amazing food and incredible beers in a way that made both taste better. Also, as a nice surprise, representatives from each brewery traveled to our table when their course was served to talk about their beer and answer questions. I will definitely be there for the next one and I hope to see some of you there! If for some reason you haven’t been to FreshCraft before (there’s no excuse for that), here’s what they’re about:
We serve upscale comfort food in a casual atmosphere. Freshcraft is a great place for a quick lunch, a relaxing dinner, or something to fill you up after a night on the town. We make nearly all of our food from scratch using fresh ingredients and you can taste it. Our kitchen stays open late, serving a great menu well past the regular dinner hour. Our huge selection of craft beers has been handpicked for pairing with the food. Of course they’re great to enjoy all on their own as well.
And without further ado, here is what we stuffed our faces with:
Course One
Root Vegetable Spaghetti Salad
New Belgium Fall Wild Ale
Carrot and parsnip spaghetti tossed with braised kale on roasted beet carpaccio. Dressed in sour persimmon vinaigrette.
Course Two:
Squash Soup Ravioli & Chicharrónnes
Upslope Pumpkin Ale
Chipotle chile and butternut squash soup stuffed in a masa ravioli over a bed of crispy chicharrónes.
Course Three:
Spinach & Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Crispy Pheasant
Fort Collins Dopplebock
Pan seared pheasant thigh on a pile of handmade spinach gnocchi and sweet potato gnocchi in a pool of sage maple cream.
Course Four:
Dessert Spätzle
Denver Beer Co. Graham Cracker Porter
Handmade crispy spätzle served with a housemade marshmallow fluff. Topped with smoked sea sale and crumbled graham cracker, then drizzled with ganache.
Digestif:
Avery Rumpkin
Candied Cashews & Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Looks pretty damn good, huh? Yeah… it was. So get out there for FreshCraft’s next food and beer pairing dinner.
Tags: Autumn Food & Beer Pairing Dinner, Avery Brewing Co., denver beer co, Fall WIld Ale, FCB, food & beer pairing dinner, Fort Collins Dopplebock, freshcraft, Ft. Collins Brewery, Graham Cracker Porter, New Belgium, rumpkin, Tebow, Upslope, upslope pumpkin ale
Pingback: FreshCraft Does it Again – Winter Beer Pairing Dinner | Denver off the Wagon