Beer with pizza

[efdee]

I rarely drink beer but would like to have beer with (delivered) pizza occasionally, so I'm looking for a bottled beer that is: (1) good with pizza, and (2) not too hard to find. TIA

[vanierstudent]

I like Griffon Extra Blonde with my pizza. Then again, I live in Canada so I don't know if its hard to find in the USA.

[Jim Dorsch]

Griffon is McAuslan, right? I believe their beers are back in the US, although I haven't seen them around here. I have a wonderful memory of their oatmeal stout on nitro in a Montreal bar.

[vanierstudent]

Yes it is. The Oatmeal stout and the vintage ale(when available, and it isn't cheap either) are the best beer that McAuslan produce=).

[Alan N]

I think I am the 4th to like Brooklyn Lager for Pizza. I like Leinenkugels Lager (original) the best for my pizza night. It is flavorful and refreshing with good carbonation and a taste that holds up to pizza and lingers a bit without being overwhelming.

[Larry33]

Old thread but wanted to add my 2cents.

Just had a traditional margherita pizza with a Lowenbrau Original. I thought they went very nicely. Peroni or Moretti is classic with traditional Italian pizza I understand that. That is a likely pairing when in Italy and the memory will make you look fondly on it. I prefer the Lowenbrau because of it's crisp, clean lightly hopped taste. Worked wonderfully!

[californiabeerandpizza]

A lot of recommendations on pairing a beer for the one pizza you mentioned that you like. You could go the other way and find beers that you like and then create your own pizzas to pair with the beers.

[TonyO]

I like a Kolsch style brew with pizza.

[Mr Siegal]

I had Troeg's Nugget Nectar tonight with my pizza and it was fantastic. The meaty, greasy pizza mixed with the floral hops and above average ABV was wonderful. the best beer of the year, I only wish all my local distributors didnt sell out in less than two weeks!

[Caralien]

I like Organic Weisen-Edel Weisse with sausage & pepperoni pizza; it's a refreshing pairing.

[lawgirl3278]

I like a lighter beer, like Moretti or Peroni.

[Faune]

I agree Peroni and Moretti go good with pizza and pasta

[Chinon00]

Why?

[Josh]

Because they're Italian!

[Faune]

To Chinon00,

They just do...their taste, they get the job done. When I was in Rome, Firenze and Venezia I always had a Moretti or Peroni on tap with the food and it worked good for me. They are not "Chimay Grande Réserve", no, but they are decent beers to accompany Pizza, especially takeout pizza.

When you are scarfing down a pizza and washing down with a beer you don't need some fancy expensive brew. Chances are you probably won't be able to fully enjoy it with the overpowering flavors of the pizza. If you want to enjoy a nice beer have it separately, enjoy it for its taste.

But when you want something to go along with your pizza have a decent refreshing, clean, crisp beer which can be drank in quantities. Why get something complex if your barely going to enjoy it for the taste...a waste if you ask me, I'd save the more complex beer to be had by itself.

Anway, for that matter a Pilsner would be fine too: Staropramen, Kozel, Starobrno, Pilsner Urquell. All of which I like as well, even more so than Moretti and Peroni.

[Insidious Rex]

Well said. I too have never really understood the whole beer pairing furor of recent years. When I want a good beer I want to focus on the BEER not anything else. And more often than not I find the food detracts from that. So whats the point of killing yourself trying to make the pairing work if its almost always a detraction? At least for me. Yeah, I also prefer something relatively light when Im eating something good. Something that works well but doesn’t get into the way. Because when I want to focus on the food I don’t want to be distracted by the drink. And vice versa. When I am drinking a very nice Belgian or a rare hop monster or imperial stout Im not interested in clouding my judgment and enjoyment of it by adding a plate of nachos or something even if it is considered the ideal pairing combination in all the right beer circles… So I will often resort to a “simple” decent session style beer when eating rather than trying to find that perfect combination of beer to food that only makes it better. Because in my long experience it almost never works.

The analogy I like to use is you don’t want your rhythm guitarist playing all over your lead man. It just muddles and confuses things and doesn’t allow you to fully appreciate the music as much. You want to focus on the lead guitar and appreciate it with the subtle backing of basic chords provided by the rhythm guy. Or you just want to sit and appreciate a lone guitarist for their art alone. Not try to wrestle apart the music made by two playing at the same time.

Yeah I know, Im an unsophisticated boob but you gotta do what works for you right?

[Faune]

Thanks Insidious Rex, hopefully your analogy will help people get the picture.

[Jim Dorsch]

I like music with interlocking guitar parts.

[Insidious Rex]

:D
Does Lynard Skynard make a beer? Free Bird IPA perhaps?

[Josh]

If the food is detracting from the beer, or vice versa, then that means you have an unsuccessful pairing. I do agree that people tend to overcomplicate things when pairing.

A heavy Belgian ale is not anything I would pair with food. Hop monsters should be kept very far away from food. Imperial stout is also not well-suited to food combinations, IMO.

All that said, pairing can work very well with beers that are not too high in alcohol.

Meats that have been grilled or roasted work very well with brown ales and porters. The flavors are complementary, and work well together. Good pairings work like this. The flavors support each other and make something greater than the sum of their parts.

[waylook]

Brooklyn Lager is my favorite with pizza, if you can get it where you live.

[mrgrotto]

Nice... Brooklyn Lager is a good 'un.

Depending on toppings, of course, I'll almost always reach for an American non-imperial IPA like Smuttynose, or a crisp lager like Brooklyn or Victory Prima Pils. I wish Sixpoint bottled their Bengali Tiger 'cause that would be the sh*t.

[DrewBB]

I'll third the Brooklyn Lager. I;ve also always liked Sapporo with pizza, pretty easy to find too.

[TonyO]

Brooklyn Lager seems so much tastier on tap than in bottles. Maybe a bad/old six pack here in Vermont ???

[bignickpsu]

I dont know how hard it is to find but the local Philly beer writer wrote a column about a beer meant to be drank with pizza. It's called Mamma Mia Pizza Beer. Here is his review:

http://www.joesixpack.net/columnArchi...

[Chinon00]

I recentedly had a very hoppy beer (Rogue Brutal Black Bitter) at my new local watering hole. On it's own I have to admit that it was a chore to drink for me. However I ordered a pizza at the bar to eat. And man as the fat and oil from the cheese and sausage were met and cleansed from my palate with those hops and it was very enjoyable. I mean I probably wouldn't order that beer on its own again, but paired with the right thing it is something I look forward to experiencing again soon.

[chuckl]

probably anything pilsner or lagerish. How about Pilsner Urquell, which is widely available.

[Mr Siegal]

I agree with you but I don't agree with the Pilsner Urquell recommendation. Drink any lager or pilsner that is near where you are. Every microbrewery has a lager or pilsner and I guarantee they are all better than PIlsner Urquell.

[Jim Dorsch]

Lagunitas Pils is a great alternative to PU.

[Chinon00]

I love PU and Staroprahmen so I looked forward to trying LP. I had it on tap at a reputable location and man was I disappointed. The musk and spice that I like about both PU and Staroprahmen were missing. I also found it to be "macro" sweet which wasn't unpleasant but just was not what I desire in a Czech Pils.

[The Professor]

I would strongly disagree that every microbrew larger/pilsener is "better than Pilsener Urquell". Pilsener Urquell is a classic...and obviously not for everyone's taste. But microbrew and especially brewpub brew is a very hit or miss thing. Local will definitely not always be better.
I love small-brewery products...there are some outstanding micro beers out there for sure, but an awful lot of small breweries and brewpubs simply lack real skill. Having been an avid fan of the micro movement since its earliest days, I can tell you without any doubts or remorse that not all of it is great stuff.

[Josh]

Pilsner Urquell in green bottles isn't anything I'd buy. It travels too far, and there's too big a chance of it being lightstruck. The kegged version is much better.

[Jim Dorsch]

Last time I looked, Lagunitas Pils was rated about the same as PU on beer advocate.

[Chinon00]

I found Lagunitas Pils to be very disapponting. I'm puzzled by it's popularity. It's supposed to be a Czech style I think and if there were any Saaz hops in there I didn't find any. I found it to be "macro" sweet in a way as well. I'm a pils guys both Czech and German style and it wasn't my thing at all.

[yankeefan]

I'll admit to being a bit of a beer snob, but I prefer the beer nerd side.

But, Urquell is far far underrated.

[mrgrotto]

Eh. People mistake "local" and "craft" as "better." Good example: John Harvard's Pan's Pils is local and craft and I'd take a Pilsner Urquell over that. A bad example: Bud is "local" if you're in St. Louis and, believe it or not, claim to now be a top player in the "craft" beer game (I think they say they're 3rd largest or some such hilarity?).

Most brewers I've had the conversation with will say that a pils/lighter (in color... as opposed to a darker lager) lager are the hardest to brew. There's nothing to hide behind and it takes way more finesse. Point is there's plenty of bad local/craft lagers out there.

[JessKidden]

(I think [A-B] say they're 3rd largest or some such hilarity?).

Sounds like it might be a reference to their 1/3 minority ownership of the combined Red Hook-Widmer companies, now know as the "Craft Brewers Alliance" which *is* the #3 craft brewer (behind Boston and Sierra Nevada) and whose beers (along with the Kona and Goose Island brands) are distributed by the A-B network.

http://www.craftbrewers.com/

[mrgrotto]

That's exactly it. Makes me giggle.

[ndelson]

I don't like to get too fancy with my pizza-beers.

Yuengling is a good choice if it's available in your area. Victory Prima Pils is also nice. I also had a Cooper's Sparkling with pizza the other day that I really enjoyed.

[1stand3rd]

Victory Prima Pils is an excellent choice, and one of my favorite brews. I also do not like to get too fancy with my "pizza beer". For this reason, I usually choose Rolling Rock. A Vienna style lager is a good idea and something I will try.

[jessicheese]

I have to second Yeungling! It's nice and smooth. Perfect pizza beer for someone who doesn't drink it often. Other options that come to mind are Stella Artois, Shinerboch, Lefthand Sawtooth Lager (if you can get it in your area), New Castle.....

Enjoy!

[Jim Dorsch]

In another thread on CH I said: Michael Jackson recommended Vienna lager, comparing its malty spiciness and sweetness to cooked-tomato sweetness and basil spiciness in pizza.

Vienna lager would include such beers as Dos Equis and Negra Modelo, which is a bit darker. These are fairly easy to find.

[efdee]

Perfect. Both of those will be very easy to find in my neighborhood. Thank you.

[efdee]

I tried Dos Equis Lager and Amber with my last pizza and thought that they were both too sweet, especially the Amber. So I'll make a list of the other suggestions and try the ones I can find. Thanks much and happy Thanksgiving.

[Mr Siegal]

Dos Equis Amber is far superior ot the lager. Please drink more of it.

[Jim Dorsch]

If you wanted to explore other such beers, you could look at Gordon Biersch Marzen, if you're in an area where they sell, or some of the German festbiers such as Spaten Oktoberfest. But they might also be sweeter than you like.

[The Chemist]

It's hard to think of a beer that doesn't go well with Pizza =D It might depend upon your beer preferences and your pizza preferences. What kind of each do you enjoy most?

[efdee]

Sorry for the dumb, general, question, but I don't have any beer preferences. I usually drink wine or Manhattans (not with pizza) and aside from a recent taste of draft Maudit (that I liked), don't even know what the alternatives are to Bud Lite. So when I stand in the beer aisle of the super market, should I just pick a bottle of light (not lite) beer at random? The pizza, btw, is sausage/pepperoni : )