Burgers and beer are an excellent combination, one frequently used in all kinds of marketing, and they’re the two offerings emphasized in the name at the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews restaurant chain. Red Robin’s now taking that even further, though, collaborating with famed craft brewery New Belgium Brewing for “Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale,” based off their signature Banzai Burger and dubbed “the first-ever burger-inspired beer.”
The new beer will be unveiled next weekend at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. From their release:
You can now have your burger and drink it too as Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews partners with New Belgium to create the Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale! The first-ever special release beer inspired by Red Robin’s famous Banzai Burger® will make its debut at the Great American Beer Festival on Oct. 6-8, in Denver. The recipe for the Banzai Burger features a fresh, fire-grilled patty glazed in teriyaki, topped with grilled pineapple, Cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo on a sesame seed bun. To accurately capture the unique components of the burger, New Belgium developed the beer to complement the burger’s teriyaki and pineapple flavor profile.
“Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews continues to build its bar program by exploring craft beers, ‘Burger and Brew’ pairings and new drinks that incorporate fresh ingredients and new, bold flavors,” said Jonathan Muhtar, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Red Robin. “Our collaboration with New Belgium to create the Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale showcases our creative approach to innovation. We are excited to tap into beer lovers’ craving for unique beer offerings and complement the Banzai burger, one of our most popular burgers, in an entirely new and refreshing way!”
The Golden Ale style beer checks in at 5.5% alcohol by volume. New Belgium brewmasters used ginger, brown sugar and black malt to build up the soy and umami notes, followed by a dose of pineapple chunks and a touch of Applewood smoked malt to give the beer a recognizable Banzai Burger finish. After its unveiling at the nation’s largest beer festival, the Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale will be served on-tap at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews restaurants throughout Colo. while supplies last.
“From inspiration to innovation, New Belgium shares a lot of the same passion and commitment as Red Robin,” said New Belgium Brewer Dave Glor. “Partnering with Red Robin to create Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale is a great fit because they feel the same way about their world-class burgers as we do about our world-class beers.”
The official launch of this beer is next weekend at that Great American Beer Festival, and they’ll have two beer-and-burger pairing sessions there. On Friday, Oct. 7, they’ll be partnering with Samuel Adams and featuring their Smoke & Pepper burger with the Sam Adams Hoppy Red Ale, and on Saturday, Oct. 8, they’ll show off the Grilled Pineapple Golden Ale and the Banzai Burger.
This certainly sounds unique, and it could be promising. New Belgium makes a lot of great beers, and they know something about developing beers from food inspirations; they’ve previously teamed up with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ale. Pineapple and teriyaki inspiration is impressive, and it sounds tasty. The dream of getting “a meal in a glass” may be getting closer…
