Fat Tire

Named in honor of our founder Jeff's bike trip through Belgium, Fat Tire Amber Ale marks a turning point in the young electrical engineer's home brewing. Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Jeff found the Belgian approach freeing. Upon his return, Jeff created Fat Tire and Abbey Belgian Ale, (assuming Abbey would be his big gun). He and his wife, Kim traveled around sampling their homebrews to the public. Fat Tire's appeal quickly became evident. People liked everything about it. Except the name. Fat Tire won fans is in its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness.

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Food Pairings

Chef Todd Davies, Partner of Tap House Grill, recommends:

Fontina stuffed banana peppers with smoked chicken, fennel sausage, corn flan, and tomato fonduta. Spicy banana peppers cut the sweet malts as the stuffing of the sweet hickory smoked chicken and fennel scented sausage complement. The fontina adds a pepperey element, complimenting the hops. The tomato sauce, cooked with Fat Tire, blends and smooths the ingredients, and the sweet corn flan cuts the spice while adding and intensifying the sweetness of the malts.

Melissa Newell, Owner of Terroir Restaurant, recommends:

My favorite beer of all beers. Period. When tasting this beer, immediately nuts and malts engulf my taste buds. Sweet caramel and a balance of earth make this beer very easy drinking and very palatable with many different foods. For starters, I would pair Fat Tire Amber Ale with a salad. Simple. Spinach, spiced pecans (cayenne, salt, light brown sugar - toss to coat and toast in oven), apples, and a sherry shallot vinaigrette. For second course, this beer would go well with a number of dishes. From a chestnut soup with crème fraiche to a lentil pate to, my favorite, an open faced ravioli with Coca-Cola braised pork shoulder (preferably from your local hog farmer) and shitake mushrooms in a light reduction sauce. The sweetness of the cola with the caramelization and umami of the mushrooms, make this a match made in heaven. To finish any meal with Fat Tire Amber Ale, I would pair this with the cheese Gjetost. The sweet caramelly notes of this goat's milk cheese with the earthiness that it suggest, lend it kindly to be paired with Fat Tire Amber Ale.

Derek Kennedy, Owner/Cheese Aficionado at Choice City Butcher, recommends:

Fat Tire is a perfect example of a beer that pairs with lots of different flavors. Its sweet malts and aromatic, bittering hops allow a choice of a robust cheese. I like to go big with either a farmhouse cheddar or Parmigiano-Reggiano. The cheddar is creamy and plays with the sweetness of the malts for a swirl of difference; the dry nutty undertones of the parm allow the fullness to come through.