Beer and Donuts – 2 great tastes that go great together!
Hello….. Is this thing on?? Is anybody still listening??
OK, we could make a lot of excuses about this, that and the other thing and how we were too busy to newsletter, but really, “stuff” happens, so let’s just move on.
This Friday, June 2nd is National Donut Day! What better way to celebrate the end of the week, and to kick off summer, than joining the crew at Burning Brothers to eat donuts (Gluten-free, of course!) while lifting a pint. With that in mind, we thought you might like a handy guide to pairing your beer with your donuts…
Ask the Brewer
Can you really pair donuts with beer?
While some people may find this an odd combination, the sweetness of donuts can be excellent when combined with the hoppiness of beer. When you look at how popular donuts (sweet) and coffee (bitter) are, the combination may make a bit more sense. In light of that, we have unearthed some general beer and donut pairing guidelines, as well as picking our taproom manager’s brain to find out which donuts he thinks will pair well with our beers.
If the donut you prefer is Spanish or Portuguese in origin, like the Churro, you may want to pair it with a spiced beer, so that the various spices can compliment each other. If your preference tends towards Beignets from Louisiana, you’d want to grab a coffee beer, where the smoothness of the coffee and bitter of hops mimic the chicory roast used in New Orleans. To counteract the decadence of a Boston Cream Pie Donut, drink a Pale Ale. The light citrus refreshment of the pale ale will compliment the cream filling and highlight bitter notes in the chocolate topping.
Since National Donut day requires donuts, and those of us who are gluten-free love donuts too, we will have fresh donuts for sale in the taproom on June 2nd from both Crazy Puppy and Sift Gluten Free Bakery (first come, first served until gone). The Crazy Puppy chocolate mini-donuts pair well with our Raj-Agni IPA, our Roasted Coffee Ale, or the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale. With these, the chocolate of the donuts will be highlighted by the slight bitterness of the IPA and the coffee, or the fruity chocolate of the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale.
After much taste testing (which was rough) our taproom manager settled on 5 different varieties to order from Sift. There will be double chocolate donuts, which will pair well with the Roasted or the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale. The chocolate with salted caramel donuts should probably be eaten with a pint of Roasted. 
The Vanilla Bean donuts, with either Maple, Blueberry, or Raspberry, will all pair well with Pyro or Fused; while Parched would accompany the Vanilla Bean Blueberry or Raspberry like a taste of summer. As an IPA lover, our taproom manager would pair Raj-Agni with any of these donuts, and find it delicious.
Taproom Tidings
Summer hours go into effect on June 2nd! New taproom hours throughout the summer will be:
- Wed 4-10pm (Activity Night)
- Thu 4-10pm ($1 off pints, $2 off Growlers)
- Fri 2-10pm (Food trucks and fun)
- Sat 12-10pm (A refreshing break during the heat of summer)
- Sun 12-6PM (A quiet pint before the work week starts)
Tap selection includes Pyro American Pale Ale, Roasted Coffee Ale, Fused Honey Ale, Parched Lime Shandy, Raj-Agni India Pale Ale, Grapefuit IPA, Steamed Honey Lime Ale, Scorched Coffee IPA. Grapefruit IPA will be replaced by the Raspberry Chocolate Strong Ale on Friday.
On Friday we will be joined by Crazy Puppy, slinging their gluten-free fair food including Pyro batter onion rings, spicy cheese curds and corn dog brats.
Final Thoughts
For those of you who love Minnesota Pride, and beer, tickets for the Pride Dabbler are already on sale. This years beers are inspired by the songs of Lady Gaga, a staunch GLBTQ advocate. Join us and other Minnesota breweries as we get our Pride on!
If you have questions, drop us a note via Email, Facebook or Twitter.
Cheers!