It’s OK to play with your food, especially when there is beer involved.

That's our motto as we kick off a partnership with Chef Bryan Voltaggio at SAVOR: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience in Washington, DC June 3-4.

Presented by the Brewers Association, SAVOR is the country’s premier beer and food event and a must-attend for area beer connoisseurs and foodies. Attendees will sample beers from 72 independent craft breweries that team up with expert chefs to pair each beer with a dish of the chef’s choice.

In addition to the night’s main event, educational salons and private tastings provide additional opportunities to interact with craft brewers and chefs. That’s where we really come into play.

Voltaggio, along with Brewmaster Matt Brophy, will offer their take on using Flying Dog beer as a cooking ingredient. Their salon will include basic tips and techniques for cooking with beer, carbonation removal and reinfusion, spherification and the art of turning beer into finger food, and the balance of reduction and bitterness.

Concluding the salon is the world premiere of our first culinary collaboration beer with Voltaggio, which was brewed specifically to pair with the ever-changing, eclectic menu of VOLT, Voltaggio’s restaurant in Frederick, Maryland.

Our collaboration beer is still in the pilot stage. Further details on the beer, including the name and style, will be released closer to the event.

SAVOR will be held at the National Building Museum from 7:30 to 11 pm on both Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4. In 2010, the event sold out in less than 24 hours, prompting the Brewers Association to expand the event to two nights. General admission tickets are $110 and tickets for individual salons are $30 each. Tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, March 3. For more information, visit www.savorcraftbeer.com.