Pizza & Beer Matching – You Need to Try These!
Yes, International Beer and Pizza Day is a thing and yes, we wholeheartedly recommend you celebrate. There’s even a dedicated website for it! This delicious holiday is celebrated on the 9th of October every year and pays homage to one of our favourite food and drink matches.
#BeerAndPizzaDay #BeerAndPizza #PizzaAndBeer
After putting together our World Food Days Calendar earlier in the year, this specific foodie day was high on our list to get behind and support. So we’ve got some local beers in the chiller and we’re ready to roll (pun totally intended!).
“Choose a beer the same way you select your pizza – look for something fresh with great flavour! Match intensity in both beer and pizza, so if you’re going for a slice with a tonne of big ingredients make sure your beer is just as bold and vice versa. Oh and remember, hops enhance chilli heat so if you’re a chilli-head, a hop bomb of an IPA will be your best friend!” – Pia from Girl + Beer
Below are some of our favourite matches however we urge you to experiment, who knows what awesome pairing you may stumble upon!
Margherita Pizza & Pale Ale or Pilsner
Such a simple match, yet utterly delicious. The malt flavours in a Pale Ale beer will work wonderfully with the acidity of the tomato base and the lightness of the flavours in the beer will help the mozzarella cheese on top really shine.
Likewise, a classic Pilsner with its bready malty sweetness and spicy hops will work so well with the nice thin Italian pizza base and tomato topping. Pilsner’s work well at cleansing the palate ready for your next intake of deliciousness.
Four Cheese Pizza & Wheat Beer
We all know that cheese addict who cannot go past a Quattro Formaggio as the Italians call it. All that ooey gooey cheese deserves a partner in crime and for us, we can’t look past a wheat beer. Wheat beers are like the crisp white wine of the beer world. They are fantastically food-friendly with their citrussy, aromatic style (Belgian Wheat Beers) to the more banana and clove styles (German Wheat Beers).
Pepperoni Pizza & Indian Pale Ale
Indian Pale Ale (IPA) is more of a bitter-style ‘hoppy’ beer which is why it works so well with salty meat like pepperoni. IPAs are very popular in the United States and in Canada which is why you want to go for a nice big slice of pepperoni pizza for this one, to get the full experience! If you want the true American pizza experience in Perth, make sure to check out Mack Daddy’s on Beaufort Street who are also conveniently BYO!
Seafood Pizza & Radler
What the hell is Radler you ask? There are many different Radler styles out there from your low-alcohol shandy styles to full strength 5% Radler’s like New Zealand’s Monteith’s Radler. Basically, they’re a beer infused with lemon and/or lime to give a citrus twist to your brew.
We love a nice cold Radler with seafood served up in any which way – especially when on a pizza!
Hawaiian Pizza & Golden/Summer Ale
Summer Ale, also known as Golden Ale is perfect for Perth and Australia’s warmer all-year-round climate. It’s a beer which is easy-drinking, not too bitter and has a hint of sweetness from the malt which is why it works so magically with the sweetness of the pineapple and ham of a Hawaiian pizza. It’s a pretty true-blue Aussie match if you ask us.
BBQ Swirl Pizza & Stout or Porter
Whether it’s a BBQ meat-lovers, BBQ chicken or anything with a BBQ sauce swirl or sauce base – grabbing a pint of Stout or Porter will make for an interesting match. Even though these two types of beer are quite different, they tend to match similar types of food well. Both will stand up to the rich caramelised, tomato-based flavours of the barbeque sauce.
Chilli Pizza & Matso’s Chilli Beer
Calling all the chilli food lovers out there! If you can’t help but always ask for extra chilli on your pizza – then we have the beer for you! If you haven’t yet tried Matso’s Chilli Beer, it is a must! It’s not overly spicy but it has a nice kick and teamed with a spicy pizza will keep all those fire-breathers happy.
Plus how can you not love a beer which is described like this:
“The legendary chilli, rumoured to be packed with magical properties, they say it can improve your sex life, contains anti-biotics, oozes vitamin C and can stimulate the brain.” – matsos.com.au
If you’d prefer not to overload on chilli and have it in your beverage then we can assure you any ice-cold beer will help the burn, for a little bit anyway. Otherwise, head to the fridge for some milk.
Truffle Pizza & Truffle Ale
When food and drink matching, the general rule is to either compliment or contrast the flavours (the latter is a bit harder to nail on the head perfectly). So, it’s a no-brainer that an extra swanky pizza with fresh truffle or truffle oil drizzled over it will go well with Blackwood Valley Brewing Company’s Truffle Ale.
If you’re looking for something to make at home, then go no further than this recipe for a Mushroom & Truffle Tapenade Pizza. Give us a moment, while we wipe up the drool on our keyboard.
So, who is hungry for pizza and thirsty for beer now? We know we sure are!