Photos: Food, Beer and Whiskey at Two Denver Pairing Festivals

Two recent events showcased the food-pairing powers of local beer and whiskey. Last Thursday, the fourth annual Chef & Brew hit the EXDO Event Center, crowning winners for best food, best beer and best pairing. The Squeaky Bean won the best dish award for a Peruvian papas huancaina dish featuring...

By Westword Staff

November 23, 2015

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Two recent events showcased the food-pairing powers of local beer and whiskey. Last Thursday, the fourth annual Chef & Brew hit the EXDO Event Center, crowning winners for best food, best beer and best pairing. The Squeaky Bean won the best dish award for a Peruvian papas huancaina dish featuring purple potatoes grown on the restaurant's farm. The judge's favorite beer turned out to be the only out-of-state entry: a German-style doppelbock from Wasatch Brewery in Utah. And the pairing prize was awarded to a salted caramel porter from Former Future Brewing served with a beignet with caramel sauce from Range's chef Paul Nagan. For more photos, see photographer Brandon Marshall's slideshow.
And on Saturday, the creators of last spring's Brufrou had another boozy hit with the Autumn MMMixer at Mile High Station. This event was a little more collaborative than competitive, but ticket holders enjoyed fall-oriented Colorado whiskey cocktails and small plates from local chefs nonetheless. Photographer Ken Hamblin was on hand to capture the high spirits an haute cuisine. For more photos, see the complete slideshow.

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