“Fort Collins Brewery’s array of ales and lagers is meant for enjoying with creative food and friends,” says Christy Grace, marketing manager for the family-owned Northern Colorado brewery that opened in 2003. “Everything we do is founded on the principles of creating, sharing, and savoring. That philosophy guides how our team of brewers creates varieties of brews and how our chefs create recipes for food and beer pairings.” That philosophy encourages a very collaborative environment, says Grace.
The successful collaboration of beer and food has led the brewery to fully integrate the Gravity 1020 Modern Tavern (which has operated inside Fort Collins Brewery for the past 3 years) into the brewery itself. Together, they are moving forward as Fort Collins Brewery & Tavern and will continue to create new beers and craft beer-infused artisanal dishes using locally sourced ingredients, says Grace.
Among the new beers are the Malt Monsters, an artisanal bomber series conceptualized by Tina Peters, FCB’s general manager and co-owner and then brought to fruition by the FCB brew team. The idea was to create high-gravity, cellerable, big—but balanced—beers, each with its own identity and monster. Each monster name reflects the origin of the beer brewed. The German name Deiter was selected for the latest release in the series, a German-style lager. Deiter, Dunkel Lager has a Munich-malt sweetness with hints of nuts, chocolate, and caramel aromas and a dry, clean finish. It stars in a recipe for braised short ribs and spätzel that one of the tavern chefs has graciously shared here.
The inspiration for this dish started with the season and then the beer selection. "In the midst of winter, we start to take it a bit slower and have time for preparing warm hearty dishes. Since Deiter, Dunkel Lager was the newest addition to our Malt Monster series, we chose to highlight that particular brew. Beer-braised short ribs are a winter favorite, but we wanted to incorporate a German influence [to reflect Deiter, Dunkel Lager’s roots]. Thyme and mushroom spätzel seemed like the perfect pairing—with the earthy mushrooms playing against the sweetness of the beer, while the roasted chocolate flavors balance out the short ribs, ” says Peters.
Deiter, Dunkel-Braised Short Ribs & Spätzel
Active preparation time: 1 hour
Cook time: 2 hours
Serves: 2
¼ tsp ground sage
¼ tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
2½ lb boneless short ribs
1½ cup FCB Dieter, Dunkel Lager
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). In a small bowl, combine the sage, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Lightly cover the short ribs with the seasoning and rub gently into the meat. Place the seasoned meat into a 2-inch deep oven pan and pour the FCB Deiter, Dunkel Lager around the meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the covered pan in the oven and cook for 2 hours. Check for tenderness. The meat should be almost falling apart. Pour off any leftover liquid and save ¼ cup for the spatzel.
Basic Spätzel Recipe
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup whole milk
1¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground sage
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until thoroughly blended. Add the olive oil and milk to the beaten eggs and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the flour, sage, paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix well. In a medium pot, bring to boil 2½ quarts water and the vegetable oil. Hold a slotted spoon over the boiling water and press the batter through the holes of the spoon to create ribbons of batter in the boiling water. Boil for 4 minutes, then skim the spätzel from the top of the water and cool under cold running water. Drain the water and set aside the spätzel until the short ribs are done.
Mushroom & Fresh Thyme Spätzel
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ lb porcini mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup reserved short rib juice
Cooked and cooled spätzel
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, de-stemmed
Salt and pepper
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes. Carefully drizzle in the short rib juice, being wary of splattering. Once the liquid is absorbed, add the spätzel and fresh thyme, stirring constantly until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the mushroom and thyme spätzel into a serving dish or onto individual plates and top with the short ribs. Garnish with a sprig or two of thyme, if desired. Enjoy with a glass of FCB Deiter, Dunkel Lager.