The Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest: When Snowmass Sizzles

Chili Fun at Aspen/Snowmass

With all the chilly weather and snow we’ve been having the past few days, I’m ready for some hot, hot, hot. (Can you believe it? It has snowed nearly two feet in Telluride this week and here it is almost mid-May.) It’s all good though—that just means that the rivers will be flowing longer and the meadows will be greener come June and July. At this rate, the peaks should remain snowy white for quite sometime, making for a gorgeous backdrop for all the hikes, festivals and events that take place in our mountain towns from Memorial Day on.

Judging the Hot Stuff

I kick off the festival season here in Telluride with Mountainfilm, certainly one of the best gatherings in the world for drawing awareness to all kinds of issues from protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining to taking action against “big coal” and mountaintop removal. At Mountainfilm, you can also delight in viewing lots of films and photos about adventure travel, mountain life and other diverse subjects. Most of that weekend, however, is spent inside, so some of us almost hope for rain.

But come the first weekend in June, I’ll be praying for blues skies and warm days since I’m headed to Aspen to attend the eighth annual Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest, a weekend of good food and music that jump starts Aspen’s festival lineup. I’ve actually been invited to be a judge this year at this widely popular event that features a Regional Chili Cook-Off and a Champion Chili Tasting. The heat is on because we all know that there are lots of folks out there that take their chili very seriously. Also, the two main chili competitions are organized by the International Chili Society and I’d bet they’re not made up of a bunch of mandy-pandies. In an effort to set myself up well in advance, I’ve opted to judge the chili verde for fear that the red chili and salsa categories might work me up into too much of a lather. Thankfully I can always cool myself down with samples from over seventy breweries, representing top microbreweries from all over the country as well as many brew masters from Europe and other distant lands.

Serving Up the Suds

The Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest consistently brings in great music to keep the party going once the day cools off and festivarians heat up. But this year festival organizers have out done themselves by booking the Tedeschi Trucks Band to play Saturday night, June 4th. Husband and wife Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi will be performing with eleven other talented musicians, as part of their World Tour that coincides with the release of their new album, “Revelator,” in June. Wow, what a fiery act on such a smokin’ weekend.

It seems as though Aspen/Snowmass is the place to be early June, hot weather or not.

The Snowmass Chili Pepper & Brew Fest, June 3rd and 4th, www.snowmasschiliandbrew.com. This event is expected to sell out, so make your plans soon.

Thank you to Snowmass Tourism and Jeremy Swanson for the above images.