BOOZE
SLICE OF LIFE
BREWERY TAPROOMS SERVING UP CALGARY’S SUDS AND PIZZA SCENE By Don Tse
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I think there is definitely some sort of social link between beer and pizza being so welcoming to all,” says Benjamin Leon, co-founder of Dandy Brewing Company (2003 11 St. S.E.; thedandybrewingcompany.com). “There is a beer for everyone. There is a pizza for everyone.” Dandy recently unveiled new branding and revamped its tasting room menu. New York-style pizza is the focus now. “Giant hand-stretched pies with a crispy thin base and soft, chewy crust. Big slices to fold up and scarf down. Simple but exciting toppings,” says Leon. “Our pizza philosophy is really similar to our beer philosophy. We take a simple process, dial it in, and make sure we source the best ingredients,” says Leon. “We use Alberta-grown and milled flour, as well as cold-press Alberta canola oil in place of olive oil. Much like our beer, we’re able to find some of the highest-quality pizza ingredients in our
own (proverbial) backyard.” Of course, beer and pizza is not a novel concept. An argument can be made that it is one of the greatest food and beverage pairings of all time. “I think that pizza and beer go so well together because they are both things that are best shared with family and friends. It’s great to go to a taproom with tasty beer and pizza with a bunch of people so that everyone can enjoy a variety of different pizza flavours with different styles of beer to go with it,” says Colin Metcalfe, head chef of Portland Street Pizza located in ‘88 Brewing (#1070 - 2600 Portland St. S.E.; eightyeightbrewing.ca). The ‘za at ‘88 is Sicilian-style. “This means our pizza crust is very similar to a loaf of focaccia bread, having a very light crumb while getting a very crispy outside crust,” explains Metcalfe. “We top our pizzas on the lighter side so even though our pizza looks like it will be heavy, a lot of people really like how light it is …”
Dandy and ‘88 have recently been joined by Acme Pizza and Two House Brewing (1901 10 Ave. S.W.; twohousebrew.com) forming a triangle (or, if you will, a pizza slice) of brewery pizzerias. The pizza at Two House is contemporary, with interesting pies like Chicken Alfredo and La Koreana (which includes kimchi), and classic Italian staples like Margherita and Funghi. For those wanting a closer connection between their beer and pizza, Half Hitch Brewing of Cochrane has five Calgary locations of The Mash (masheats.ca), which serves pizza on crusts made from spent grain. The great thing about both beer and pizza is the broad variety of flavours available. For those who freeze in the face of too much choice, Leon’s favourite is the Dandy White Pizza (ricotta, parmesan, cracked black pepper, garlic and lemon); Metcalfe says the ‘88 Magnum P.I.E. (Calabrian salami, pancetta, pineapple, mozzarella, pickled chillies, dried chillies and tomato jam) is enjoyed by
everyone; Ty Hinton, general manager of Two House Brewing, describes his favourite, Gamberetti al Pesto (arugula pesto, mozzarella, garlic prawns, bacon, confit tomato, feta, chili flakes), with the appropriately simple “so good!”; and Chris Heier, president and brewmaster of Half Hitch says his favourite, with no hesitation, is the Wild Mushroom. Don Tse has sampled over 26,000 different beers. He is the Official Beer Taster for Craft Beer Importers Canada Inc. and Far Out Exporters Inc. which work with many of Alberta’s breweries. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it.
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2023-03-31 11:26 PM