'Unfiltered American Ale Brewed With Basil, Oregano, Tomato and Garlic. Truly the World's First Culinary Beer Designed to Taste Great on It's Own and Even Better With Food (Especially Pizza) The Beer is Truly Unique In That It Also Makes a Tremendous Ingredient in All Types of Foods. Chef Tom & Mamma Mia Have Developed Several Cooking Videos on Display at http://www.pizzabeer.net/
Being the fat bastard that I am, I could not pass this beer up when I was perusing the aisles of my nearby Sam's Wine and Spirits. In Chicago 'Beer' and 'Pizza' are woven into the fabric of the city, right next to 'Political Corruption' and 'Insane Weather'. I think I was reasonably skeptical of the juxtaposition of these flavors.
This stuff pours a strange light orange with a nice white, fluffy head. By looking at it you would assume this beer is terrible, so my initial worries started to grow. It smells strongly of the aforementioned oregano and basil, very strongly actually. Only the slightest standard beer scents force their way through the herbs and spices.
So I took the plunge, a nice big gulp. It's bizarre, but the spices that smell so pungeant really are not overwhelming in flavor. I really do not taste the tomato but the basil and oregano are prevelant. The garlic only makes itself noticed in the aftertaste but it is not too extreme like you would expect from such a powerful spice.
I would say this beer doesn't really taste like pizza, but the herbs inside it definitely bring pizza to mind. The beer itself is rather smooth with perplexingly little malt flavor. Perhaps garlic overrides maltiness? This is the quintessential 'meal beer' as it would definitely go well with plenty of hearty dishes but it is not something I could drink all night. In fact, it made me hungry. It's such a strange idea, but I think it pays off pretty well. Definitely one of the best novelty beers I have had in my life and the biggest pleasant surprise I have had since I started this journal. So go pick some up, they are sold individually which is perfect since it's not a hard drinking beer whatsoever. Much better than I expected. Recommended.
Being the fat bastard that I am, I could not pass this beer up when I was perusing the aisles of my nearby Sam's Wine and Spirits. In Chicago 'Beer' and 'Pizza' are woven into the fabric of the city, right next to 'Political Corruption' and 'Insane Weather'. I think I was reasonably skeptical of the juxtaposition of these flavors.
This stuff pours a strange light orange with a nice white, fluffy head. By looking at it you would assume this beer is terrible, so my initial worries started to grow. It smells strongly of the aforementioned oregano and basil, very strongly actually. Only the slightest standard beer scents force their way through the herbs and spices.
So I took the plunge, a nice big gulp. It's bizarre, but the spices that smell so pungeant really are not overwhelming in flavor. I really do not taste the tomato but the basil and oregano are prevelant. The garlic only makes itself noticed in the aftertaste but it is not too extreme like you would expect from such a powerful spice.
I would say this beer doesn't really taste like pizza, but the herbs inside it definitely bring pizza to mind. The beer itself is rather smooth with perplexingly little malt flavor. Perhaps garlic overrides maltiness? This is the quintessential 'meal beer' as it would definitely go well with plenty of hearty dishes but it is not something I could drink all night. In fact, it made me hungry. It's such a strange idea, but I think it pays off pretty well. Definitely one of the best novelty beers I have had in my life and the biggest pleasant surprise I have had since I started this journal. So go pick some up, they are sold individually which is perfect since it's not a hard drinking beer whatsoever. Much better than I expected. Recommended.
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7 comments:
I was really curious about this beer. I need to find some and give it a try. I will try anything at least once.
I can get you some if you are interested, just drop me a line at the email attached to my account. Its like $1.50 a bottle or something negligable.
Sam's Sells it via the Internet
1-800-777-9137
Glad you get the concept of a foodie beer. We are in the process of working with some of the better restauants in town to incorporate the beer into their menu. Will not disclose who yet.. But a World Class Chef has a sour dough culture with our beer going & we'll know in a few days how this beer works with it.
Anthony Rosati allowed us into his kitchen with a twelve pack of our homebrew some time ago. The pizza crust was phenominal!
Glad you liked the beer, it's fun & affordable. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the Herb Companies don't do what the Hop Growers did!!!
I'm not going to lie to you, I expected this to be awful. I still have no idea how you pulled that off! I am impressed.
-Matt
I'm still very afraid, but if Sams sells it in single bottles (haven't been there in AGES) then I may have to make a trip...
There's a whole bunch of places in Chicago & suburbs who have it. Binny's is another big one.
www.pizzabeer.net has all the info.
Matt, You are not the first to question what the heck the beer is. At competitions (homebrew) and had it entered in the "experimental" category. It was always saved for last in the flight & I happened to be sitting next to a couple guys judging the beer & their initial reaction to the beer on paper was "oh god, what the hell is this?" Then after sampling, they pretty much had the entire room surrounding them, all with huge smiles commenting on how well the spices worked with the beer!
Look forward to some more reviews.
Sam's told me that it's against the law to ship it to Mass, any recommendations on how to get around this? (hint)
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