Photo collage: PAIRED reunites the best of beer and food at the Great American Beer Festival this October

When the Great American Beer Festival returns October 3-5 to Denver, beer connoisseurs and epicureans alike will have the opportunity to experience PAIRED, the ultimate culinary and craft beer experience.

PAIRED unites independent craft brewers and acclaimed chefs in celebrating the endless possibilities of pairing beer and food. Attendees will meet the Michelin Star and James Beard Award-winning chefs and chat with today’s most creative brewers while food is being plated and beer poured. This year PAIRED welcomes 10 new chefs, thus bringing the lineup to 29 chefs designing mouth-watering delicacies to pair with 48 exclusive beers . The pairing menu will be available in September; chef bios and brewery lineup are posted on PAIRED.

This year’s lineup of acclaimed chefs includes:

• Alex Seidel of Fruition Restaurant and Mercantile Dining & Provision in Denver. Seidel was awarded 2018 James Beard Foundation “Best Chef Southwest.”
• Michael Galen of Dusek’s in Chicago. Dusek’s has been awarded a Michelin Star in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.
• Tim Rattray of Granary ‘Cue & Brew in San Antonio. The Granary has twice been named one of Texas Monthly’s top 50 barbecue joints, called “the future of barbecue” by Esquire, and one of the “changing faces of Texas barbecue” by Food & Wine.
• Dana Rodriguez of Work & Class in Denver. Dana was hired as Executive Chef at Work & Class after being promoted through the ranks from dishwasher to prep cook to sous chef. She received nominations in the “Best Chef Southwest” category by the James Beard Foundation in 2015 and 2016.
• John Tesar of Knife in Dallas. Tesar worked alongside Anthony Bourdain at Vine and Supper Club in New York and is a four-time James Beard “Best Southwest Chef” semifinalist, two-time contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and winner of Food Network’s “Extreme Chef.”

This year’s lineup of independent craft breweries includes:

• Allagash Brewing Company of Portland, Maine. Founder Rob Tod received the 2019 James Beard Award for Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional.
• Lawson’s Finest Liquids of Waitsfield, Vermont. Brewers of highly sought-after beers, such as Sip of Sunshine IPA and Super Session series IPAs.
• St. Elmo Brewing Company of Austin, Texas. The small community-focused brewery was named one of the “10 Best Breweries in Austin” by Condé Nast Traveler.
• Stone Brewing of Escondido, California. The ninth-largest craft brewer in the U.S., Stone has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice and has been listed on the Inc. 5,000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 11 times.
  

“We always want to push the palate by developing a menu that demonstrates how food and beer can enhance each other,” said Adam Dulye, executive chef of the Brewers Association and curator of PAIRED. “What makes PAIRED unique is the experience—attendees can speak with the chefs plating food and the brewers who made the beer that’s being served. I’m particularly excited about this year’s mix of acclaimed chefs and brewers and look forward to revealing the full PAIRED menu soon.”

A limited number of PAIRED tickets remain available for Thursday, October 3, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and can be purchased here.

A special entrance, two-ounce samples of exclusive beers, plus mountainside views make PAIRED a more intimate gathering than the general session making it a must-experience event! PAIRED tickets also include admission to the Great American Beer Festival general session (5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.), featuring one-ounce samples of more than 4,000 beers from an anticipated 800 breweries.