Tidbites | Week of April 30, 2015

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WINE BARREL TASTING AND FARM-GROWN MEAL

Bookcliff Vineyards in Boulder is hosting their annual spring barrel tasting on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2.

The event gives people the opportunity to taste wines as they age in the barrel, giving amateurs and connoisseurs alike the ability to see how flavors and textures change in the barrel. Attendees will also compare single varietals aged in different barrels, thus seeing how different types of oak and char interact with the wine.

Current releases will also be tasted, so you’ll be able to have some actually finished wine, too.

Perhaps best of all is that this all coincides with a five-course sitdown dinner prepared by Eric Skokan, chef and owner of Black Cat Farm-Table-Bistro in Boulder. Wines will be paired with dishes, creating combos like smoked Mulefoot pork roasted on a bed of rosemary, morels stuffed with smoked pork, white polenta, beets and escarole; paired with 2014 Malbec, one glass aged in French oak and the other aged in American oak. Or, for instance, the next course is roasted lamb, cocoa, parsnip puree and grilled spring onions, which is paired with 2014 Merlot, with tasters from different vineyard blocks to see how where the grape grows, even on the same plot of land, alters flavor.

Dinners on Friday and Saturday both start at 6:30 p.m. and cost $75. Visit bookcliffvineyards.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

HOMEBREW COMPETITION

The West Flanders Brewing Company is hosting the 2015 Brew Like a Flem Homebrew Contest on Sunday, May 3 at 2 p.m.

Homebrewers who have brewed in the style or spirit of Belgian brewers are encouraged to submit their entries. The winner of the competition will earn the opportunity to brew on a 10-barrel system at West Flanders and have their beer on tap at the brewery.

Brewmaster Brian Lutz, who created the recipes for Dale’s Pale Ale, Black Jack Porter and Angry Monk, will conduct the judging alongside John Carlson of the Colorado Brewers Guild.

Second place earns a $50 gift certificate to West Flanders and third place brings home a gallon of West Flanders beer. If you’re interested in participating, there is no limit to the amount of entries per person and each entry must include one 22-ounce bomber or two 12-ounce bottles. Entries are free and due May 2.

RUNNING ON A STOMACH FULL OF BEER

Have you ever been so excited to try a new craft beer that you forget that cars were invented and just start running? Perhaps that’s why Rocky Mountain Brew Runs was founded, or perhaps not.

Either way, you can join in their tradition of running a 5k race and slugging down an ice cold beer. Join them on Saturday, May 2 at 10 a.m. in Broomfield for a run with views of the Rockies. Starting at the Old Man Bar, the race finishes with one free Big Choice beer at their brewery and a signature pint glass. The run coincides with Big Choice’s anniversary party, so you’ll finish the run with games, music and more.

There’s also the challenge of (if you choose to undertake it) carrying two water-filled growlers, and if you don’t spill or drop the water and finish the 5k in 25 minutes, you’ll win a growler filled with a beer of your choice.

For more information, visit rockymountainbrewruns.com.