Jack-Odell-Lantern Tutorial
Halloween is an exceptionally exciting time at the brewery, for many reasons. This year, our Friek will be released on Oct. 31 (Frieky Friday), and will include a tapping party, costume contest, & live music. Why not prepare for the event by carving your own jack-odell-lantern? Click on any of the following templates for a larger version, then print, tape to your pumpkin, and carve away. Happy Halloween!
Fort Collins-Style Clam Chowder with Perle White IPA
Our Perle White IPA is the base of executive chef Ricky Myers’ Fort Collins-Style Clam Chowder at Jax Fish House. The beer, named for the spicy, floral hops with which it is brewed, brightens this rich chowder that’s made with tomato, bacon, mirepoix, potato and of course— lots of fresh clams.
Fort Collins-Style Clam Chowder
Recipe courtesy of Chef Ricky Myers of Jax Fish House
Ingredients
1 cup carrot, medium-diced
1 cup onion, medium-diced
1 cup celery, medium-diced
1 large tomato, medium-diced
1 large Russet potato, medium diced
1/4 lb. bacon
15 oz. can of chopped clams
15 oz. can of pureed tomato
3 cups seafood stock or bouillon
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, picked and chopped
1 bottle Odell Brewing Co. Perle White IPA (can substitute Easy Street Wheat)
Preparation
1. Render bacon in a medium pot until crispy. Remove bacon (not the fat) from pot and set aside.
2. Add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and bay leaf to pot. Cook on low heat and caramelize, about 15 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and thyme and stir to coat rendered vegetables.
4. “Toast” tomato paste for about five minutes, stirring often.
5. Deglaze tomato paste with beer and simmer for about five minutes to reduce beer just a bit.
6. Strain the clams, reserving the liquid.
7. Add the clam juice, lobster stock, diced tomatoes, chili flake, cooked bacon from the first step, and pureed tomato.
8. Bring everything to a simmer for about 30 minutes.
9. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender.
10. Turn off heat, add chopped clams, and stir. Garnish with fresh-picked herbs of your choice.
2014 GABF highlight: Farm to Table Pavilion
This year’s Great American Beer Festival was one for the record books – literally. The 33rd annual festival saw a 14 percent growth in brewery participation, resulting in more than 3,500 offerings and nearly 50,000 festivalgoers, according to the Brewers Association. That’s a lot of beer being poured. And while the Colorado Convention Center played an exceptional host to the 700+ breweries in attendance, it wasn’t long before I yearned for a quiet space to enjoy so many amazing craft brews.
Enter the Farm to Table Pavilion. Created to provide an opportunity to showcase how well craft beer pairs with food, ticket-holders sampled 28 pairings designed and prepared by 14 small and independent breweries and chefs from around the country. And unlike typical GABF interactions with volunteers and miscellaneous brewery employees, each pairing station was accompanied by at least one chef and one brewer. Lines were short, conversations were full and interesting, and the pairings were unreal.
Fort Collins saw its share of participation at the pavilion, represented by The Kitchen, Fort Collins Brewery, and Funkwerks. In fact, our neighbors stole the show with my favorite pairing, hands down: Funkwerks’ Oud Bruin barrel-aged sour with pan-roasted duck breast, Belgian waffle and maple puree, and mission fig verjus with smoked duck prosciutto prepared by chef Alex Seidel of Denver. It was worth the separate ticket price alone, and I may or may not have gone back for seconds and thirds.
Below, some stand outs in this incredible, show stealing event at GABF.
Nebraska Brewing Company’s Barrel Aged HopAnomaly paired with porchetta slider, pesto & pickled vegetables
