A Perfect Pairing: The Busey Brews dining room accommodated more than 30 reservations for their speciality dinner. PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER KELLEY[/caption]

On a cold Sunday night in Nederland you can hear the live music in the distance as you cross the covered bridge. Walking down a snowy East 1st Street, the smell of smoked meats and barbecue lifts you off your feet and carries you inside. Instantly you feel the warmth caress your cheeks, the sounds of soulful music filling your ears, and the alluring smell of lovingly prepared food hitting your nostrils.

On Sunday, January 29, 2023, Busey Brews successfully hosted its first Paired Beer Dinner, a seven-course meal created by chef Tony Conrad. Six courses, beginning with an Amuse Bouche, leading to the magnificent main course and ending with dessert, all featured a perfectly paired beer, crafted by Busey Brews’ Head Brewer Steve Conrad.

A ticket for $75 granted the customer and their party reserved seats; Chef Conrad noted that there were nearly 30 reservations made for Sunday night. Service began shortly after 6 p.m., starting with freshly baked pretzel bites served with a sharp Cajun mustard, paired with a crisp German Kölsch. The Amuse Bouche was followed by a sautéed prawn with cheesy grits hors d’oeuvres, which was paired with a light Mexican Lager.

The decadent prawn, wonderfully prepared in a sofrito butter sauce, sitting atop creamy, rich, and smooth grits, created a pregnant pause within the room as diners became transfixed by the flavors. It was the perfect moment for Kyle Busey to welcome and thank the crowd for attending the special event, and for Head Brewer Conrad to detail the brewing process and the tastes of each carefully crafted concoction.

Conrad explained his next creation, a sweet Barley Wine brewed a year and one month ago, which was served alongside a winter greens and brandy poached pear salad, dressed with a citrus vinaigrette, and topped with candied nuts and crumbled blue cheese. The bitter notes of the greens and the strong punch of the cheese mingled with the sweet, earthy pears and the bright citrus, with all of the tastes strengthened by a swig of the delicious Barley Wine.

Live musicians Nick of Time and Steph Jay, vocalist for Fort Collins’ Indie hip-hop band Wasteland Hop, serenaded the crowd with scaled-down, intimate covers of Radiohead, The Fugees, and Death Cab for Cutie. Their soulful songs and inventive renditions of classic favorites accentuated the intoxicating atmosphere and complimented the amazing conversations being shared by friends and strangers in between indulging in the courses.

After a pork belly appetizer paired with a Pilsner, and a green tea mochi ice cream palate cleanser, it was time for the main course: a smoked and braised beef short rib accompanied by a silky sweet potato purée, beautifully prepared collard greens, and glazed purple carrots, paired with a Malty IPA.

The Busey Brews crew excelled in providing impeccable and well-timed service, clearing customers’ dishes and serving each course with seamless precision. The service, the musical accompaniment, the beer; all of these things when paired with a masterfully prepared dinner combined to make for a truly magical evening…with dessert acting as the perfect final send off.

A heavenly moist and spongy molten lava cake, with fresh strawberries and a “Commander Cow” infused chocolate sauce, was the final course of the Paired Beer Dinner. The rich and gooey dessert acted as a goodbye hug and, when paired with a barrel-aged Milk Stout, which spent a good year inside a bourbon barrel, provided a warm and friendly note to end the night on.

With their first Paired Beer Dinner, Busey Brews, located at 70 East 1st Street, has cultivated a unique experience in Nederland. A chance for the hardworking, hard-playing people of the mountains to have a night out at the local barbecue joint raise their pints with a raised pinky finger to toast their friends and neighbors.