Pizza and beer is the perfect pairing. Both beer and the crust are products of yeast fermentation. The crisp bitterness of the beer cuts through the fattiness of the cheese. The herbal and spicy hop notes pair nicely with the Italian herbs in the sauce, and the spritzy carbonation scrubs it all away, resetting your palate for the next slice. In the world of pizzas, Columbus-style pizza is arguably the perfect pie to pair with a beer. It’s thin crispy crust, edge-to-edge toppings, and smallish square slices, were conceived specifically to go with beer. To explore this match made in heaven, our guest for this episode is none other than Jim Ellison, author of of Columbus Pizza: A Slice of History and founder of the city’s first pizza and beer tour. Columbus Craft Beer pioneer Lenny Kolada, the man who launched Barley’s, Smokehouse, and Commonhouse Ales, rounds out the tasting panel. Our wide ranging conversation touches on topics that include the history of Columbus pizza; the best beer styles to pair with pizza; toppings that range from pepperoni to pickles; and a survey of 25 pizza styles that include the familiar (New York, Detroit, Chicago Deep Dish), the ultra regional (Youngstown, Rhode Island Red, Steubenville), and the peculiar (St. Louis). The only mystery not tackled is why it has taken us 51 episodes to turn our attention to this All American combination.
Don’t forget you can find this episode and earlier ones on our podcast page, as well as Apple Music, Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, and various other podcast apps. Just search for the All Things Beer podcast, and don’t hesitate to leave a comment or a rating.
Beers Reviewed
- Chill Sesh by Smokehouse Brewing
- Anchor Christmas Ale (2022)
Related Links
- The CMH Gourmand (website)
- Columbus Pizza: A Slice of History
- My Columbus Brew Adventure
- Brewery Tour vs Brewery Crawl
- Sunday in Athens – A (Chauffeured) Walk on the Wild SIde
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