How does one describe the Farm to Table pavilion at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF)? For me, it was heaven. Once I finally made it to the end of the GABF hall and entered into the stunning pavilion, I can only imagine what I looked like–a little kid in a candy shop who was told that anything and everything in the room was mine to taste.
In their recent blog post, “2014 GABF highlight: Farm to Table Pavilion,” Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, Colo.), shared some of the key aspects and pairings at the event:
“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.”
The beer that was paired with each of the chefs creations was beer that could not be tasted anywhere else at the festival. The exclusive beers, amazing pairings and the atmosphere in this pavilion make it an event to behold.
The Farm to Table pavilion hosted so many different and amazing pairings, but Odell Brewing Co. shared some of the pairings that they thought stood out the most:
Devils Backbone Brewing Co. (Lexington, VA) + Frank Bonnano of Russell’s Smokehouse (Denver, CO)
- Pumpkin Hunter | shrimp, garlic, bacon lardons, cherry tomatoes and stone ground grits
- Smokehaus Lager | house-bratwurst on grateful bread pretzel roll, smokehouse sauerkraut, mustard and thousand island
Nebraska Brewing Co. (Papillion, NE) + Alex Figura of Lower48 Kitchen (Denver, CO)
- Barrel Aged Hop Anomaly | porchetta slider, pesto and pickled vegetables
- Wick for Brains Pumpkin Ale | onion chip, katsuobushi, yeast and sour cream
Funkwerks (Fort Collins, CO) + Alex Seidel of Fruition and Mercantile Dining & Provisions (Denver, CO)
- Oud Bruin | pan-roasted duck breast, Belgian waffle and maple puree, mission fig verjus with smoked duck prosciutto
- Nelson Sauvin | red curried scallop ceviche, coconut water, caramelized pineapple and toasted macadamia nuts
To see pictures of these pairings, and get the full story from Odell, visit their blog post, “2014 GABF highlight: Farm to Table Pavilion.” Cheers to Farm to Table 2015!
Atalie Rhodes is the current Craft Beer Program intern at the Brewers Association. Her love of craft beer lead her to becoming a trainer at Yard House Restaurants, but she is constantly seeking more beer knowledge. If she is not at a brewery asking a plethora of questions about their beer, she is probably out fishing, playing volleyball or reading one of her favorite books.
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