Editor's Note: On September 30, Chowdermeister organizers announced that the event has been cancelled due to Jägermeister pulling its sponsorship.
What's the worst food-and-drink combination? That's what Jake Browne, founder of Fizz Fight, the world's first hard seltzer festival, asked on Twitter on July 20. Somehow, chowder and Jägermeister was the winning pair — and even more inexplicably, Browne is now making good on his promise to throw a festival celebrating the most popular answer.
The first Chowdermeister will take place at Sloan's Lake on October 16, created with the help of Jägermeister and Chowdermeister co-founder Samantha Taylor, who is also behind the Grow-Off, a cannabis competition.
While the concept may sound silly, the event benefits a seriously good cause: The Gathering Place, a nonprofit that provides meals and other services for women, children and transgender individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in the Denver area.
Never imagined indulging in a combo like this? Neither has Gathering Place business relations manager Kelly Tobin. "Chowder and Jägermeister isn’t a combination that I have ever tried myself, much less attended an event dedicated to," she says, "but having fun while supporting the most vulnerable folks in our community? Why wouldn’t I go?"
Yeah, why not? (Well, except maybe for how your stomach will feel.) The organizers have priced tickets low, just $25 each, in order to make this fest accessible for all. "A lot of these food events are for people with $100 to spend on an afternoon of lukewarm sliders and 'Instagramable' moments," Taylor notes. "We wanted a festival for the people."
Although you will be able to fill your Instagram feed with photos of chowder from chefs like Carrie Baird and pics of the half-clam, half-buck mascot the group has created that will squirt Jägermeister — "or, if you're bad, clam juice," organizers promise. There is also an optional Fizz Garden add-on that gets you access to unlimited samples of hard seltzer and beer.
Want to avoid a possible clam juice shower? (Yuck.) Spring for $250 VIP tickets that also include early admission, a raw bar, unlimited cocktails, a T-shirt, swag and more.
"So here we find ourselves, ready to unleash botanical-infused, lactose-tolerant hell on the city of Denver," says head judge and host of Mythical Kitchen Josh Scherer. "I’m sorry. Or you’re welcome. I’m not really sure anymore.”