How excited are you for this weekend’s Chili and Beer festival at the CBMR base area? One of Crested Butte’s lesser-known “holidays” that combines beer, chili, and downhilling, this is one of our favorites. We caught up with the chili contest veterans and Dogwood Cocktail Cabin employees Kat Harrington and Grant McFarren from Team Dogwood to get you guys excited for the weekend. Grant and Kat are to chili as the Dogwood is to cocktails. Just sayin’.
Grant getting psyched at last year's event. Photo: Dogwood Cocktail Cabin
With a couple awards from years past, Team Dogwood will be set to impress this weekend. Grant’s “Green Grump” won the Judges’ Choice award in 2010 while in that same year “Mama Kat’s Suppastar” won the “Best Dressed.” With high expectations for this year Grant is modifying the Grump to join the Vegetarian category and Kat will be bringing back the bread bowls which will probably blow your mind.
Kat is entering the Suppastar in the “Anything Goes” category with an Asian-inspired chili. A beef and chicken chili with Hoison, Star Anice, and nut brown ale flavors that is guaranteed to run out. Kat will have a jalapeño brittle garnish to culminate the three days of preparation needed to make the chili
The Green Grump will be making it’s return this year in vegetarian form. Green curry, coconut, spiced cashews, basil, and a pilsener will bring this seitan-based chili to life (seitan is kind of like tofu on steroids). Also taking three days, Grant explained that the day before the contest the finished chili sits in the refridgerator to really “marry” the flavors together. Kat added that leftover chili is almost always better because the longer the flavors sit together at fridge temperature the better they get.
Best Dressed in 2010? Clearly. Photo: Julia Fitting
This is an amazing time to be in Crested Butte: the leaves are changing, bike wheels are spinning, and people will be trying to impress you with their beer and chili, specifically Team Dogwood. Getting ready to continue the Dogwood’s experimental tradition of testing people’s taste buds, both Kat and Grant have been looking forward to the Chili and Beer Festival all summer. Mama Kat’s Suppastar and the Green Grump will be in the “professional” category for voting so make sure you get out there, try some, and rock the vote. Oh, and wash it down with some beer or something.
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