Backcountry Provisions dishes Pilgrim sammies and will soon be pouring Colorado beer

The only thing that could possibly have made the discovery of a new Pilgrim sandwich any better is that fact that I'll soon be able to wash it down with a cold Colorado beer.

Backcountry Provisions, the oddly-but-rustic-and-poetically-named LoDo sandwich shop, plans to start serving two beers on tap alongside a lineup of five or six canned Colorado brews sometime in the next month; Backcountry's liquor license application was recently approved.

Dave Mischell, owner of Backcountry's Denver franchise, says serving beer on tap and in cans is better for the environment. The shop is already composting and recycling and is one of the only restaurants in town that has been certified as a green location by the city. He plans to bring in at least two Oskar Blues beers and possibly some from New Belgium or Wynkoop brews. (He may also have one bottled beer, a gluten-free offering from Boulder's New Planet Brewing).

So, what beer could be paired with the Pilgrim? It's a tough call. The sandwich (a style that is perhaps one of the most perfect food combos ever created) consists of sliced turkey, a perfect-for-Thanksgiving stuffing, house-made cranberry chutney and muenster cheese. This one is huge and extremely satisfying, and the chutney is amazing.

The Pilgrim

There are a few other Pilgrim sandwiches (also known as Thanksgiving sandwiches) in Denver -- something I crave all the time -- but not nearly enough. So this discovery was fantastic.

Mischell isn't sure yet what he'll recommend as a beer pairing for the Pilgrim, but after eating it myself, I'd go with a Mama's Little Yella Pils from Oskar Blues, a lighter beer that would reflect the chutney flavors well.

The first Backcountry Provisions store was founded in Steamboat Springs in 1999 by Dave Pepin and Peter Boniface. There are also stores in Fort Collins and Jackson Wyoming. As a franchisee, Mischell hopes to open four or five more locations in Denver in coming years.