Info below was for the 2020 event and is for reference only.
Thursday, January 9, 2020 | 7:30 pm at Imperial Ballroom, Beaver Run & Resort Conference Center in Breckenridge, CO
If you love craft beer, you must come have dinner with us! The 2020 events will be a tremendous treat. The original weekend event was suggested by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and much ado has been made of them by our guests. The celebrity beer pairing dinners show off the ultimate flexibility of beer with food.
The Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner is hosted by different celebrated brewmasters each year, showcasing their portfolios of fantastic beer. Two brewmasters are invited to be the Big Beers Featured Brewmasters annually, to co-host this amazing dinner and to offer an educational seminar on a topic of their choosing. All Big Beers dinners feature one beer from each brewery for each course, resulting in a “double-beer pairing” dinner of elevated culinary complexity and commentary by both hosts throughout the evening.
Your Master of Ceremonies will be Jamie Bogner, Cofounder and Editorial Director of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
Your Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner Culinary Host is Beaver Run Resort, featuring the Beaver Run culinary team led by Phil Dilks, Executive Chef.
Phil Dilks, Executive Chef, Beaver Run Resort
Chef Phil grew up in Sedona, Arizona where he first got started in the restaurant business. He started working in the front of the house with an American/French influence. He found his way to Boulder, CO where he worked at Juanita’s Mexican food as a server, bartender, and eventually, cook. From there he made his way to beautiful Breckenridge, CO where he was able to combine his love of food with his love of the outdoors. He spent some time as the Head Chef at Mi Casa before moving to the Dredge and finally landing here at Beaver Run.
With his long history in the Culinary Arts he brought many talents to the Beaver Run kitchen helping us transform into what we are today. He specializes in local cuisine highlighting items like our Elk Tenderloin with forest mushroom and spinach risotto and a fig gastrigue; our Colorado Lamb Shank served in pan jus with garlic mashers and summer vegetables; and our classic Hand Cut Colorado Steaks made just the way you like it.
Chef Phil is an asset to our company and is truly paving the way towards a new food future for Beaver Run. He is our head chef for Spencer’s Restaurant, Coppertop Café and Bar, and our Banquet Operations. His passion for the craft is evident and we are blessed to have him on board.
Your Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner Hosts:
Neil Fisher, Co-Owner, Co-Founder and Head Brewer, WeldWerks Brewing Co., Greeley, CO
After homebrewing in his garage for over five years, Neil Fisher received his first major brewing accolades with two medals at the 2014 Big Beers Homebrew Competition, prompting him to start working on a business plan to open a brewery with business partner, Colin Jones.
Just 13 months after winning those fateful Big Beers medals, WeldWerks Brewing Co. opened its doors in February of 2015 in historic Downtown Greeley, and has experienced meteoric growth ever since.
In just over four years, WeldWerks has grown to an annual production of more than 8,000 bbls and has garnered even more awards and accolades, including USA TODAY’s Best New Brewery in the Country, two World Beer Cup medals, two Great American Beer Festival medals, and Zymurgy’s Top 10 Best Beers in America in 2018 and 2019 for Juicy Bits, their flagship New England-style IPA. And to think, it all started with a few Big Beers homebrew medals…
Troy Casey, Owner, Casey Brewing & Blending, Glenwood Springs, CO
Troy Casey began his brewing career at Bristol Brewing Company in Colorado Springs in 2005 making $8 an hour in beer credit. He graduated from the University of California at Davis with a Masters in Food Science specializing in brewing science.
Before starting Casey Brewing and Blending in Glenwood Springs in 2014, he spent time in the corporate brewing world at Anheuser-Busch and Coors Brewing Company.
Casey Brewing and Blending is an old-world brewery specializing in mixed culture oak fermentation and aging with a whole lotta fruit. Winner of Best New Brewery in the World in 2015 by ratebeer.com.
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 Brewmasters’ Dinners 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 five courses for each dinner, which makes for an incredible beer adventure as well!
This year our Featured Brewmasters 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 Dinner Menu Archives. All previous Brewmasters’ Dinner menus are available, as well as Marty Jones’ review of our first Brewmasters’ Dinner.
2016 Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner Hosts Geoff Larson and Omar Ansari