Having a beer with dinner isn't such an unusual idea, but what about designing an entire meal around a collection of brews. Not many people know what goes into planning, organizing, and executing a beer dinner - or even the general idea behind beer dinners. It's where you skip food and have beer for dinner instead, right? Not really. In short, a beer dinner is an occasion where craft breweries and restaurants partner to highlight fine beers by pairing them with delicious food. A few months ago, Mr. Dunderbak's and Boulder Beer Company teamed up to host a European-inspired beer dinner. This spectacular event featured family-style service and German sized portions of dishes prepared and served with 5 gems from the Boulder product line. Jeff Brown, the president of Boulder Beer, was on hand to enhance the experience by sharing tasting notes, background information, and witty anecdotes about each beer as it was served.

Beer dinners usually begin with a reception that includes small appetizers; the informal getting-to-know you period can take place at the table where dinner is being served or in a lounge environment, as was the case at Dunderbaks. This reception featured draught pours of 4.8% ABV Hazed and Infused Dry Hopped Ale or 6.8% ABV Mojo IPA, paired with German meat and cheese platters, assorted European kolaches, and warm brie with honey and cashews. The hoppy flavors in the two beers were a nice balance to the soft oily meat, buttery cheese, and rich pastries on the German-style buffet.

After everyone was seated, the meal began with beer cheese soup prepared and served with Boulder Singletrack. The delicate caramel malt and citrusy pine flavors in the 4.9% ABV copper ale blended well with the richness of the soup's ham stock base and blend of creamy yellow hued cheeses.

A summer-tasting American wheat beer like Boulder Sweaty Betty Blonde Ale requires an equally light pairing. At Dunderbaks's, a duo of salads accompanied the delicate brew -- wilted spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and Fliesch salat, a traditional German summer salad with soft bologna, cheese, pickles, and mayonnaise. The lemony wheat profile and assertive 5.9% ABV of Sweaty Betty was a wonderful companion to the savory vinegar tone of the two salads.

In true German form, the entrée course was bountiful and succulent. Five meats were passed around the table, starting with a heaping plate of Dunderbak's signature Sauerbraten alongside dumplings and vegetables. Next out -- thick slices of baked Hessian ham glazed with Boulder's Killer Penguin Barleywine. Cheese spatzel boiled in Sweaty Betty Blonde Ale with sautéed onions, ham, and gruyere followed, and after that, tilapia roulade steamed in white wine and rolled with gruyere and smoked ham. The main course's grand finale featured the most incredible hunks of swinehaxen, pork knuckle, boiled in Sweaty Betty and grilled crisp. This avalanche of meaty, starchy goodness was backed up with Boulder Flashback, a 6.8% ABV India brown ale brewed in celebration of Boulder Beer Company's 30th anniversary. The nutty caramel maltiness and earthy citrus bite from 5 doses of Cascade hops was a truly harmonious pairing for the heap of full-flavored animal protein prepared in the German tradition.

For dessert, Homemade apple strudel and locally made European style guava and cream cheese kolaches were paired with Boulder's Killer Penguin Barleywine, a massive barleywine ale that's aged for at least 6 months before being packaged. The boozy sweetness, slippery mouthfeel, and mild hops kick of the American style barleywine blended wonderfully with the pastry's fruity sweetness. It was a fantastic way to draw the meal (and the evening) to a close -- a 10% ABV after dinner drink and something sweet before succumbing to a German themed food coma.