Whetting My Appetite for Denver Comic Con 2018: The Breckenridge Brewery Beer Dinner

Written by Zeke Perez Jr.

Twas the night before Denver Comic Con, when all through the city, not a creature was stirring… Well, some were. While most convention-goers were already nestled all snug in their beds, some of us were at Marlowe’s on the 16th Street mall, getting beer drunk and feasting on a delicious meal prepared in partnership with Breckenridge Brewery.
 
2018 marked the seventh year that Breckenridge Brewery created the official beer of Denver Comic Con. In addition to brewing a special beer, holding a naming contest, and serving the beer onsite at DCC, Breckenridge Brewery hosts a slew of events leading up to and during the convention. The most delicious of those are the ‘Denver Comic Con Beer Dinners’ that help kick off the festivities. Their beer dinners are multi-course meals where each course is strategically paired with a brew that compliments its flavors. This year, Breck hosted a Marvel-themed dinner on Thursday and a DC-themed dinner on Friday. John and I were lucky enough to represent Nerds That Geek at the Marvel dinner.
 
There was once a stretch of my life where I wanted to be a chef. There is an ongoing stretch of my life where I think about how cool it would be to eat food and then write about it. I’m excited that Breckenridge Brewery has given me the chance to do the latter. Though I have no formal culinary training (outside of a few summers working in catering at Elitches Amusement Park), I’ll do my best to set the scene for what was a delicious and fun-filled evening.
 
We arrived at the upstairs space of the beautiful Marlowe’s and were greeted by some of the event’s organizers. Marlowe’s, the historic chophouse in the building conjoined with the Paramount Theater, provided the perfect, swanky setting. Most of the tables were already claimed by about 30 or 40 fellow nerds by the time we arrived, but we found a spot at one up front and were welcomed by Emily and Vince, who turned out to be gracious and friendly table guests for the evening. We all talked about what we do, what brings us to DCC, and what excited us about the coming weekend.
 
As each course was served, a representative from Breck Brew and a representative from Marlowe’s would approach the table and describe the dish, the beer it was paired with, why they paired them, and how the course got its name. Let’s dig into that good stuff and talk about the food, shall we?

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The first course was ‘Namor’, a fresh crab cake served with a chili-lime aioli and on top of a bok choy salad. The name refers to Namor the Sub-Mariner, a fitting name for the first dish as Namor is Marvel’s first mutant character and is recognized as the first comic book antihero. The sea-dwelling Namor is also a good fit for the seafood course. It was matched with Breck’s Big Nose Wheat, a now limited run of a crisp wheat ale that went down well with the crab.
 
The follow up teaser course was ‘Valkyrie’s Vengeance’, an arugula salad, topped with pine nuts, pomegranate, parmesan cheese, and a vinaigrette. The salad was paired with the star of DCC: ‘Razznarok’, the Belgian Witbier made with raspberry puree that was brewed for the 2018 beer naming contest. For me, this was the best pairing of the night, in the sense that the food and beer complimented each other so well. My palate has never been sophisticated enough to understand which foods pair best with which beverages, but upon tasting the salad and the Razznarok, everything clicked. It hit me like a thunderbolt coming down from Asgard.
 
The main course, the ‘Elektra Wagyu’, was an ancho chile-rubbed cut of Japanese Wagyu beef alongside pickled garden vegetables. The red ancho chile gave the beef a nice kick, matching Elektra’s suit color and her power. It went well with the new Hop Peak IPA, a recent addition to Breckenridge Brewery’s mainline selection. It was a beer I want more of. And, while we’re at it, I wouldn’t mind eating Wagyu beef more regularly either.
 
Three courses (and thus three pints) in, we were all feeling pretty full (and pretty tipsy). But there was still a final treat to be had: dessert. The ‘Iceman’ was an ice cream float made with Breck’s Nitro Vanilla Porter (one of my favorite Breck beers), amaretto, and almond cream. It was the proverbial cherry on top of a perfect dinner.
 
Both fun and fancy, nerdy and sophisticated, Breck Brew’s Comic Con beer dinner was an experience like none I’ve ever had. The evening was spent trying new delicacies and chatting with strangers who quickly felt like new friends. I hope to do it again in 2019 and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. Tickets for this year’s dinners were $50 each, a price well worth it for four courses and four full-sized beers. As you begin your countdown to next year’s Denver Comic Con, keep the good folks at Breckenridge Brewery in mind and prepare for their event as well. Bon Appetit! 

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