Denver Beer (Ice Cream) Fest

by Joshua M. Bernstein, Posted Sep 23rd 2010 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Joshua M. Bernstein

At first, beer and ice cream seems an off-putting combination -- not unlike drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. And I'll admit, Budweiser mixed with a scoop of Rocky Road sounds nauseating. But when done properly, like carefully pairing a stout's roasty character with chocolate, beer and ice cream create a divine dessert -- the bar by way of the freezer aisle.

During last weekend's Great American Beer Festival, Denver's Sweet Action Ice Cream joined in the boozy fun with the Denver Beer (Ice Cream) Fest: six unique flavors concocted with Colorado beer. So on Thursday, after tippling a couple lunchtime martinis at Le Central, I poked into the pub, er, ice cream shop and sampled the mash-ups.

ESB Oreo
H.M.S. Victory ESB, Dry Dock Brewing
The amber ale's bready, toasty flavors were a great match to the Oreos. The slight crunch provided a nice contrast to the creaminess.

Double Chocolate Stout
Double Chocolate Stout, Fort Collins Brewery
The stout seemed to get lost in the ice cream. Though it was creamy and flavorful, I would've liked to have a more profound roasted, chocolaty profile.

Smoked Porter S'mores
Smoked Baltic Porter, Great Divide
Uh, yum. The cool, creamy take on the campfire treat -- marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers -- gained a delicate, smoky complexity from Great Divide's porter.

Maple Pale Ale
St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale, Odell Brewing
Hops and ice cream seemed like an incongruous combination, but this oddball was my top pick. It was fragrant and refreshing, with the maple syrup providing some sweet balance.

Cherry Kriek
Cherry Kriek, Strange Brewing
This was too sour and yeasty, with the cherry flavor fairly muted.

Brown Ale Chip
Ellie's Brown Ale, Avery Brewing
Who knew? Chocolate chips were seemingly tailor-made for this nutty beer with brown-sugar notes.

Would you mix ice cream with beer? Spill it in the comments.

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Denver Beer Ice Cream Fest

Filed Under: Drinks
Tags: beer ice cream, BeerIceCream, Great American Beer Festival, GreatAmericanBeerFestival, ice cream, IceCream

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-23-2010 @5:49PM steviferg said... An ice cream shop here in Columbia, Missouri offers a Guinness float. When I tried it, the shop guy recommended I get it with chocolate ice cream. It was awesome. Our local brewery pub also does a float with their own stout. I can't speak to other types of beer/ice cream blends. I'm a stout-only girl, so this is as adventurous as I've gotten.The ice cream shop also does a red wine & chocolate ice cream that is kind of heavenly.
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9-23-2010 @5:40PM Craig said... We just moved from Denver and our apt. a few blocks from Sweet Action. It is, by far, the greatest ice cream shop I've ever been to. Anyone going through Denver needs to drop by. (I have no affiliation, just a love for everything they make, counting the vegan stuff)
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9-24-2010 @10:38AM Joshua M. Bernstein said... Hey, Craig:

My friend I was staying with lives a few blocks away from Sweet Action. I felt like a lucky duck to have it so close.

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9-27-2010 @8:37AM Lee said... Don't think I'd like beer, and ice vream, as I don't like beer. My favorite is a mix I first tried in Ocean City Md. I don't know what they call it, but it's Kalua, and French vanilla ice cream. Try it. I think you'll forgo Beer, and ice cream.
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9-27-2010 @10:11AM sunny said... Ths is funny because back n the md-50's my father always ate ce cream when he drank beer.
He said it was really good.
My sister and I always thought it sounded awful and made faces.
UGH!
WHO KNEW??
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9-27-2010 @7:45PM Lyn from Chicago said... Ice cream & beer have been around a long time. My favorite, back in 1949, was mixed with cherry vanilla. Served in a tall soda glass, straw & long handled spoon, it was a cooling, delicious soda.

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9-27-2010 @12:04PM Cat said... I have said this for yearss. Beer goes with everything. Ice cream goes with everything. Therefore, beer and ice cream naturally go together. :)
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