Having a beer with dinner isn't such an unusual idea, but what about designing an entire meal around a collection of brews. Not many people know what goes into planning, organizing, and executing a beer dinner – or even the general idea behind beer dinners. It's where you skip food and have beer for dinner instead, right? Not really. In short, a beer dinner is an occasion where craft breweries and restaurants partner to highlight fine beers by pairing them with delicious food. A few months ago, Mr. Dunderbak's and Boulder Beer Company teamed up to host a European-inspired beer dinner. This spectacular event featured family-style service and German sized portions of dishes prepared and served with 5 gems from the Boulder product line. Jeff Brown, the president of Boulder Beer, was on hand to enhance the experience by sharing tasting notes, background information, and witty anecdotes about each beer as it was served.
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.