Yes, we moved from Chicago, Illinois to Boulder, Colorado and went to a Goose Island beer tasting. But it was most definitely worth it! Every few months, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse hosts a beer tasting, each time with a different theme.
As you may remember from my Colorado Eats post, Brandon and I were big fans of this place after we tried it for the first time. When Brandon got the email about the beer tasting coming up, we knew we had to check it out. We arrived a bit early so we started out with a BJ’s special, Jeremiah Red.
Once we sat at the table, we were pleasantly surprised to find that there was also food included with this beer tasting. Lots of food, as in four courses of food. After the warm up beer, we enjoyed the fresh watermelon and feta salad which was a deliciously unexpected combination of flavors.
Next course was the gourmet five meat deep dish pizza, which of course was perfect because, well, pizza and beer. Enough said.
The Lemon Thyme Chicken was next, although I wasn’t as crazy about that course (I believe because I was getting pretty full by that point). However, you can never be too full for dessert right?! The night ended with the peach and candied pecan cobbler, which was melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
All in all, we tasted a total of 9 different beers. It was tough to choose, but I have to say I think my favorite was the Sofie. Coincidence maybe, but we also happened to get the trivia question right that won us the Sofie sign that is now hanging up in our kitchen.
So for $30 a person, you really get your money’s worth. We went home with a a full belly of food and beer, and a whole load of goodies!
32 Comments
Melissa
October 15, 2014 at 8:19 amOoooh that food looks delicious! I don’t drink beer, but I love pizza!
Marissa Sutera
October 15, 2014 at 8:33 pmIt was a great combo, but even the pizza alone would suffice!
Bailey K.
October 14, 2014 at 9:44 amNice! Looks like a lot of fun. Makes me wish I could drink good beer (I’m gluten-free and all the gf beers I’ve tried are really terrible)!
Marissa Sutera
October 14, 2014 at 5:18 pmIt was a lot of fun! Never tried gluten-free beer but they are just going to have to work on making some better options then 🙂 Thanks for reading Bailey!
Mark and Kate @vagrantsoftheworld
October 13, 2014 at 1:48 pmDoes it get any better than BEER. Yes it does, beer and pizza. And better still pie with pecan in it. Aaaagh we are sitting here wishing we were there (maybe due to the hurricane about to hit us on Vieques)
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:39 pmHaha it only kept getting better! This deal was definitely a steal. Hope you stay safe from the hurricane!
Kate @ Vagrants Of The World
October 13, 2014 at 11:47 amThere is nothing like a good brewery, and great food- Bonus. What a great day out!
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:38 pmThe food was definitely a great perk! Thanks for stopping by Kate!
Lunaguava
October 13, 2014 at 11:44 amNot a big fan of beer, but would gladly join the tasting if I could get my hands on that peach and candied pecan cobbler. That looks scrumptious!
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:37 pmI’d approve of just going for the peach cobbler! It was delicious!
Hayley Swinson
October 13, 2014 at 10:42 amGotta love surprise four-course meals! Looks like y’all had fun. Lovely pictures.
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:37 pmThose are the best surprises! Thanks for reading Hayley!
Vasudha Aggarwal
October 13, 2014 at 10:16 amSounds like a fun evening !! Never been to a ‘Beer Tasting’ but would love to. The peach cobbler looks yummy. 🙂
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:36 pmIt sure was a great time, and the peach cobbler was the perfect way to top it off!
Tamara Gruber
October 13, 2014 at 10:01 amIt’s interesting to see what they pair with beer because you don’t generally think about what beer matches well with what food (well, except pizza and burgers!!) I’m always up for these types of events though so it sounds like a lot of un.
Marissa Sutera
October 13, 2014 at 8:36 pmI thought the same thing! It certainly gave me a new viewpoint on beer!
Lauren
October 12, 2014 at 4:21 pmOooh a beer tasting! I love stuff like this. I’ve tried a couple of different “beer flights” before where they give you 4-5 small glasses of each one to try – so much fun! A great way to discover which one you’d like the best!
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:11 pmThat is actually what I was expecting this tasting to be like, and when I saw we got full glasses (with unlimited refills!) it was definitely a pleasant surprise!
Jess
October 12, 2014 at 4:06 pmWow – I would expect that to be way more expensive. I’ve never been to a beer tasting, and the food looks delicious!
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:10 pmYeah I was shocked to see how much we were getting for the price. I didn’t even know food was involved! It was certainly a refreshing surprise 🙂
Amy
October 12, 2014 at 9:18 amThis looks like so much fun and what a great value for $30! I love to go to events like these – they’re always a lot of fun. I did a wine pairing class recently that was maybe a little educational but mostly a great time. By the way, that peach and pecan cobbler looks amazing!
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:09 pmI like to go to wine pairings for their educational value as well 🙂 haha thanks for stopping by Amy!
Anda
October 11, 2014 at 9:52 pmIt seems the beer tasting is a good deal in Colorado, especially if you’ve got some “goodies” included. You would have paid way more than $30 here in California, but hey, we are the snooty state!
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:44 amHaha yea it was a steal! I guess that’s Boulder for you!
Daidri | Thee Getaway Gal
October 11, 2014 at 1:26 pmLove tasting events whether its craft cocktails, wine, food or beer. We have BJ’s here in CA and the Jeremiah Red is my husbands favorite. Looks like you had a lot of fun and congrats on winning the sign. I bet it looks great in your kitchen.
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:14 amTasting events are great, especially when there’s more than one tasting involved! This one was especially delicious, and the sign is a wonderful complement to our kitchen 🙂
Tim
October 11, 2014 at 1:09 pmI lived in Chicago for many years and spent quite a few evenings at the Goose Island Brewery. I also lived in Boulder for a time and loved it there as well. To be honest though, I think your decision to move to Boulder is an excellent one.
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:12 amMoving to Boulder has definitely been a change, but it sure has been a great one! I am loving every minute of it. Thanks for stopping by Tim!
Esther
October 11, 2014 at 11:44 amThat looks really great! Whenever me and my husband are traveling we love to go wine or beer tasting.
(Found you through #theweeklypostcard)
Marissa Sutera
October 12, 2014 at 8:09 amWine and beer tastings are always fun activities to take advantage of! Thanks for reading Esther!
Ashley @ Asouthern Gypsy
October 10, 2014 at 10:34 amBeer and food put together? What more could you ask for? That pizza looks amazing! Thanks for linking up to #WeekendWanderlust 🙂
Marissa Sutera
October 15, 2014 at 10:41 pmIt definitely doesn’t get much better than that! Thanks for another great #WeekendWanderlust!