AURORA | Close to 100 brewers and restaurateurs are heading to Lowry April 25 for an afternoon of epicurean eats and sumptuous suds.
The 2nd Annual BrüFrou festival is taking over the Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum on the final Saturday of April to offer metro-area eaters a sample of dozens of local fares and brews.
“Colorado is witnessing a dual renaissance in the brewing and culinary worlds,” John Heins, co-founder of the event said in a statement. “BrüFrou is where they collide.”
Pronounced “Broo-Froo,” the festival pairs 40 Colorado breweries with local chefs and restaurateurs to create over 50 exclusive beer-and-food combinations. From carrot cake donuts served beside drams of dry-hopped ales, to peach pale ales poured alongside specialty sushi rolls, the pairings run the entirety of the gastronomic gamut.
“Breweries and eateries are paired based on compatible flavor profiles, style and brand — we look for mutuality and contrasts,” Heins said.
Aurora’s Coda Brewing is one of the festival’s featured breweries this year, and will be debuting a brand new libation at the event.
“We’ll be doing an exclusive breakfast cream stout with chocolate, locally roasted coffee, oatmeal and lactose — it’s very rich and kind of meant to be like breakfast in a glass,” said Luke Smith, co-founder and head brewer at Coda. “We’re playing with a lot of things that go into a stout, but usually not all at once.”
Coda will also be serving its Passionfruit Kolsch at BrüFrou, which won the fledging brewery a coveted silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver last fall. The Kolsch will be paired with a passionfruit tart served by Coda’s culinary counterpart at the festival, Denver-based dessert restaurant Sugarmill.
A former chef himself, Smith said that working with Sugarmill Pastry Chef Noah French was a refreshing return to his culinary roots.
“I was a sous chef in college, so working under a chef was kind of like being back home essentially,” Smith said. “And I’m all about collaborations whether it’s a band or a chef — it’s that collaborative spirit I really enjoy. But working with a chef was just icing on the cake — quite literally.”
New this year, BrüFrou will feature TastyTalks, a 90-minute session before the actual festival kicks off featuring industry insights and additional tastings. Smith will be giving a talk on the specifics of the water used in the craft brewing process along with the head brewers from Pikes Peak Brewing in Monument. Also new this year, the festival will host a farmers’ market-style event directly outside of the Wings Over the Rockies Museum, which will feature solely Colorado-made goods.
BrüFrou 11 a.m – 12:30 p.m. Tasty Talks Session, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Afternoon tasting, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. evening tasting session. April 25. Wings Over The Rockies Museum, 7711 E. Academy Blvd #1, Denver. 1,500 tickets are available for each of the two tasting sessions and are $95, or $65 for dining only. More information at brufrou.com/tickets-info.
