We love a good collab, and this one is hot. But not too hot. The Brit Pub has teamed up with the hot-sauce loving rock band Shinedown for some special dishes and a chance to win tickets to the July 31 concert at Weidner Field.
Turns out the members of Shinedown love hot sauce so much, they have a line of their own Torchbearer Sauces.
“I’ve been addicted to hot sauce ever since I tasted my first basic Tabasco sauce,” says Shinedown drummer Barry Kerch. “I grow my own peppers and make my own sauces. When we were approached by Torchbearer, a cool little boutique sauce company, to partner on something, I jumped at the chance, and together we created three great and really flavorful sauces I’m very proud of.”
Of course the three sauces tie to a Shinedown song. “The Chipotle Garlic pairs with ‘A Symptom of Being Human,’” Kerch says. “The Pineapple Jerk goes with ‘Devour,’ and ‘ATTENTION ATTENTION,’ the hottest of the three, lines up with the Mango Habanero.”
When Chef Phil Griffin and his team got ahold of them, they used them to create a pair of special sandwiches that are part of a special promo. From July 13 to 27, anyone who orders a Let the Mango Shine or Down With the Chicken will be entered to win four tickets to the Shinedown show.
The whole thing got started thanks to Nova’s rockstar past. The local TV host-turned-Brit-Pub-owner-and-marketing-director was the keyboardist and vocalist for the British indie rock band Scars on 45 in the earlier ’00s.
“My band Scars On 45 were actually label friends with Shinedown when we were on Atlantic Records,” Nova says. “Our radio promoter at the time, Mr. Lou Rizzo, now works for Shinedown. I’ve always kept in contact with all my radio peeps, and now we are working together on this one-of-a-kind collab and promo!”
Sampling the Sandwiches
We stopped by the pub to sample the saucy sandwiches. Here’s what’s on the menu:
Let the Mango Shine
This creation by Chef Phil is a delicious riff on a po’boy featuring Shinedown’s Attention Attention This Is Hot! Mango Habanero Sauce. It’s the hotter of the two, but it fires at what we’ll call a medium-plus heat. Sous Chef Chris Wells rates it a five or six out of 10 for its heat level. It does pack a slow burn, thanks to the habanero, and it’s nicely balanced with saffron aioli. Both of these handhelds are freshly crisp. In this one, tempura jumbo shrimp are the star, and the hoagie roll adds a perfectly toasted bite. It’s topped with lettuce and tomato.
Wells recommends pairing an Old Speckled Hen British ale with the sandwich. And I’ll attest that a Radeberger Pilsner delivers a fresh, cooling balance as well.
Down With the Chicken
“Who doesn’t like a hot chicken sandwich?” Nova says. This one is excellent. It’s big and juicy and super-crisp. And the flavor of its Symptom Chipotle Garlic Sauce and buttermilk marinade comes through nicely. It’s a couple notches down from the shrimp on the heat scale, keeping it in mild-plus, medium-minus territory. That was intentional, says Wells, who created this one. “We wanted them at different heat levels,” he says.
The slaw topping is a refreshing touch, and its grilled Denver bun is also a nice touch. As for beverage pairing, Wells recommends a Smithwick’s Red Ale.
As for the ticket giveaway, you get an entry for every sandwich order. “So if you order the dish five times in a week, you’re in with five chances,” Nova says. But only until July 27.
Kerch has a special tie to Colorado Springs and is planning an extra special show at Weidner Field. “We’ll bring the largest and most thought-out production we’ve ever created!” he says. “This show is meant for you to have an escape and for us to give you the best night out of your lives. And I definitely have to bring my best seeing as I was actually born right here in Colorado Springs while my Dad was at the Air Force Academy.”
Will Shinedown end up at the Brit Pub before or after the show? Will Nova end up on stage with the band, chicken sandwich in hand? That we’d love to see, but you’ll have to be there to find out.
And Don’t Forget the World Cup
The Brit Pub has been ground zero for England fans, as well as showing every match of the World Cup. “You should come to the Brit Pub to watch England because we’re English and we own the pub,” says owner Steve Jones. “We’re soccer mad. We all love it. Everyone’s welcome. And England is going to beat Argentina.”
Just get there early. Jones expects fans to arrive about two hours before kickoff. “And if England gets to the final, then it’s going to be a party from 11 o’clock in the morning until we lift the trophy,” he says.
How confident is he that will happen? “Probably the most confident I’ve been in my life,” he says. “But I do say that every World Cup.”
Check out the Brit Pub’s Shinedown specials and World Cup watch party details at greatbritish.net.
