Our 2019 Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing event was held in downtown Breckenridge at Aurum Food & Wine. Join us for four small plates created by the culinary team to pair delightfully with each of two beers; from Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project and Blackberry Farms Brewery.
Learn about each brewery, the beers they are showcasing and discover the inspiration behind the pairings from the Chef and his team. This is a seated, plated event that will begin at 4:00 on Friday afternoon.
John Holl, Senior Editor of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, will be the Master of Ceremonies for this event, leading the discussion between courses and visiting with chefs and brewmasters in turn.
The 2019 culinary host of the Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing event is Aurum Food & Wine in Breckenridge.
Korey Sims, Executive Chef, Aurum Food & Wine
Korey Sims fell in love with food at a young age learning from his mother and grandmother. After a stop at Miami (OH) University to earn a business degree he moved to Colorado to turn his passion into a career.
Korey then had the opportunity to work for the 5 star 5 diamond Broadmoor Hotel. There, he was the chef of 4 diamond Summit restaurant and also 5 star 5 diamond Penrose Room. After this experience Korey fulfilled a lifelong dream of traveling, spending a year in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Upon his return he consulted at the Little Nell Hotel in Aspen, Colorado and ended up landing in Denver with TAG restaurant group. After three years and running multiple restaurants for the group, Korey decided that the opportunity to become part of the Breckenridge community and living in the mountains was too much to pass up.
In his spare time he enjoys golfing, fly fishing, and spending time with his three dogs. Korey’s greatest passion is connecting to people through the food his team shares and invoking a sense of hospitality and caring through their dining experience.
Your Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing hosts:
Travis Hixon, Brewmaster, Blackberry Farm Brewery
Like many craft brewers, Travis started his journey as a homebrewer, quickly embracing his passion for quality beer.
Since attending brewing school in the late ‘90s, and making the transition to professional brewing, he has spent 21 years in the craft brewing and distilling sectors.
In 2017, Travis joined the Blackberry Farm Brewery team as Brewmaster. Enticed by the ethos of Blackberry Farm Brewery, Travis shares a passion for the old-world style of brewing and taking time to do things right.
As Brewmaster, he is helping create a structure for the BF Brewery to continue growing while maintaining the same high standards of quality.
Josh Grenz, Founder and Co-Owner, Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project
Josh Grenz began his craft beer journey several decades ago. Raised in Fort Collins, Colo., he was raised around craft brew stars New Belgium and Odell Brewing Co. After years of beer appreciation, he learned to homebrew and the obsession took firm hold.
After homebrewing for several years, he and his wife, Angie, decided they were ready to take the leap to business owners and craft beer cultivators. In 2013, they opened Verboten Brewing in Loveland, CO, with a focus on creating unusual, innovative beers.
At just over one year old, Josh took two World Beer Cup awards at Verboten’s very first time competing in the prestigious competition. In 2016, he took Verboten’s first Great American Beer Festival award.
Looking over the shoulder of Fred Bueltmann from New Holland Brewing Co. to the table for Nebraska Brewing Co. at the 2016 Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing. Terra Bistro overlooks Gore Creek and Vail’s winter wonderland through the far windows.
Two of those awards were in wood and barrel aged categories and Verboten began to be known for wood aged beers. In 2016, they moved the brewery to historic Downtown Loveland and added Barrel Project to the Verboten Brewing name.
Today, Josh and his team continue Verboten’s tradition of being innovative, and looking for unique and new beer styles, with a heavy focus on barrel aging, and a commitment to quality. In May of this year, Josh began making Brut IPAs, an up-and-coming style out of California. Josh and Verboten released the first Brut IPA in Colorado and he continues to be a leader in the style.
Jennifer Glanville of Boston Beer Co. and Dave Cole of Epic Brewing Co. in 2015
Now that you are familiar with this year’s Hosts, here’s an overview of the Dinners themselves: The format of the Big Beers Festival dining events is rather unique. They are “double” beer pairings in the full sense of the term. The chef for each dinner is challenged to design a menu around the creations that the Brewmasters offer. Each course features one beer from each brewery, therefore considerably more difficult than a single pairing for each. And Chef is pairing four courses for the Small Plates event, which makes for an incredible beer adventure as well!
This year our Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing featured breweries have agreed to follow the historical precedent of donating product and assisting us with our special event, and it has made it possible to keep the cost of dinner to our guests quite reasonable. You can Purchase Tickets online. Should an event be sold out, a waiting list will be kept by the coordinator, and you can contact us directly. Cancellations are fully refundable, providing that we can rebook your seat. (Thus, refunds will only be issued after the replacement reservation has been paid in full.)
For historical Brewmasters’ Dinner information, check out the Dinner Menu Archives. All previous Small Plates & Craft Beer Pairing menus are available, as well as Marty Jones’ review of our first Brewmasters’ Dinner.