Pizza and Craft Beer Pairings Part 1

Our friends over at Screamin Sicilian Pizza reached out to us earlier this year to see if we’d like to try their frozen pizza and possibly recommend some beers to go with them.  I’ve been a pizza fan my whole life, and have baked my fair share of frozen pizza, especially during those college years.  I was hoping these pizzas would be on the high end of the frozen space, and luckily that was true. Nothing worse than a frozen pizza that tastes like packaging it came in!

So Jonny and I headed down to our local Ralphs to pick up some Screamin Sicilian pizzas. We found Bessie’s Revenge (3 cheeses) and Mambo Italiano (topped with Italian meatballs and rough cut pepperoni).

I then collected six easy to find craft beers……

Alaskan Amber – An American interpretation of a German Alt beer. Malty and full bodied.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter – A slightly smoky American porter.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA – Classic hoppy American ale.

Firestone Walker Easy Jack – A west coast style low alcohol IPA.

New Belgium Snapshot Wheat – A light bodied fruity wheat ale.

Sierra Nevada Summerfest – A crisp premium lager.

After baking both pizzas, we poured all six beers into tasting glasses and started with Bessie’s Revenge. We took a bite, then took a sip, then evaluated whether the beer worked well or not. Then we did the same thing with the Mambo Italiano.  Here are the results, you should be able to sub out any of the beers mentioned for something you can get locally within the style and have very similar results.

Bessie’s Revenge Worked Well With….

60 Minute IPA – Not too hoppy and didn’t elevate or detract, just made it enjoyable.

Alaskan Amber – The richness of the cheese worked well with the caramel malt the toastiness worked well with the crust.

Black Butte Porter – The smokiness of this beer played well with the cheese and took it to a new level.

Summerfest – Like the 60 Minute, it was a great beverage that went along with the pizza but didn’t detract, so if you just want “Pizza and Beer” this works perfect.

Mambo Italiano Worked Well With….

60 Minute IPA – I guess it’s a versatile beer.

Easy Jack – The bitter and citrusy hops played well with the salty spicy meats.

Summerfest – Played more as a thirst quencher with the savory and salty flavors.

Of note…..

New Belgium Snapshot Wheat was too fruity and spicy to work with these two particular pizzas. Black Butte Porter was too rich and smoky for the Italiano, the pizza brought out too much fruitness in the Alaskan Amber, and Easy Jack was too overpowering for Bessie’s.

This was a very fun experience, and I hope you tune in next month for part two.