A new year? Try new beer!

With the holidays wrapping up and New Year’s resolutions being made, it might be time to try some new things. For the cooking-inclined, this just may be your column. Chef Ricky Myers of Jax Fish House has been experimenting with local brews and food, and has offered to share some of his inspiration with us.
Chef Myers was born in Georgia and grew up on the comforting wholesomeness of Southern cooking. After studying at the Culinary School at the Art Institute of Denver, and touring extensively through Europe, Chef Myers has an expansive knowledge of cooking. He has an appreciation for locally-sourced food and the way food brings a community together. “Locally-sourced” in Fort Collins means beer, and Chef Myers has a few tasty recipes inspired by locally brewed beers.
His recipes include a Funkwerks Saison-based clam chowder with bacon, a New Belgium Snapshot-braised beet salad with Snapshot wheat vinaigrette dressing, a Brew Masters Po’ Boy made with New Belgium’s Shift, and Shrimp & Grits with Odell’s Easy Street Wheat sauce.
“Craft beer lends itself certain qualities to cooking that you can’t get from wine,“ says Chef Myers. “It is really a joy to take a labored ingredient like our local craft beers to highlight in so many of our Jax dishes.”
For these recipes, visit our Brewery Buzz section on our website. Happy cooking (and drinking!)
Looking for cocktails to brighten up your New Year? Mainline bar manager Ryan Cobb has a few do-it-yourself cocktails that are perfect for New Year’s parties. Try a Cherry Moscow Mule — a sweet twist on the classic Moscow. All you need is Leopold Brothers Cherry Whiskey, lime juice, Angostura bitters and ginger beer. Looking for something to cozy up with by the fire? Try the East End. It’s bourbon, Crème de Cacao, cherry vanilla bitters, and garnished with a cherry. If you’d like help or hints making the perfect cocktail, feel free to email [email protected].