Quality Italian and Departure Dominate Cherry Creek North Food & Wine

On Saturday, August 12, seventeen Cherry Creek North restaurants brought their A game to the 9th Annual Cherry Creek North Food & Wine event. The teams competed for the titles of Best of Show, Best Dessert, Best Table Décor and People’s Choice. A group of independent jurors gave the honors of Best of Show and Best Table Décor to Quality Italian and the Best Dessert to neighboring spot Departure. Attendees were also given the opportunity to vote for their favorite restaurant. Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar took home the People’s Choice Award.

Speaking of competitions, at the International Beer Challenge in London, nine year old Aspen Brewing Company won silver and bronze awards, respectively in the English Summer Ale & English IPA categories with its brews called This Season’s Blonde and Independence Pass Ale. The two decade old competition saw 700 beers from 30 countries enter the competition. According to a press release, the winners were selected by UK beer experts including: retailers, importers, publicans, brewers, writers, and flavor analysts (which may just be the best job title there is).

Black Shirt Brewing is bringing back its most famed creation, Red Evelyn, starting on Saturday, August 19 at 11 a.m. The Imperial Red Rye IPA comes in at 9.6% ABV and 90 IBUs, and it is hopped with Chinook, Centennial, Citra and Mosaic and then double dry-hopped with Citra and Mosaic. The brewers add 120 lbs of Colorado Wildflower Honey to the process to get notes of resinous foxtail pine, prairie grass, Colorado wildflowers, ripe grapefruit, and fresh-picked tangerine. The release is a once-a-year event. The beer will be available on tap and in very limited 32oz Crowlers (no bombers this year) to go. Limit to be determined.