Beer and pizza

When is International Beer and Pizza Day? 

Celebrated annually on October 9th, International Beer and Pizza Day pays homage to one of, if not the, most iconic food and drink duo on the planet.  Now there is a national day for almost everything and we are the first to admit that they are often performative, trivial and downright silly. However, this one we simply can’t ignore, we love it with every fibre of our Beerwulf being. 

It requires little imagination to see why these two go together so well.  The salty savoury crust of the pizza is reminiscent of other popular bar snacks such as crisps, pretzels and breadsticks. Match that with tomato and cheese and you’ve got yourself a party. Ever wondered why you crave foods like pizza, chips and crisps over salad and soup when you’re sipping pints?

Well when we eat salty foods, the mouth receptors that detect bitterness are curtailed. Salt in fact counterbalances bitterness, meaning beer can taste smoother, giving way to more complex flavours. This neutralising effect means you can appreciate other characteristics more. In short, salt makes beer taste better, so you should eat more pizza!

How should I pair my beer with pizza?

We have come up with a few suggestions for classic beer toppings and beers. Whatever your preference is, lager or IPA, draught or bottle, classic combos or interesting mixes, we've got you. Read on to find out the perfect pizza for every beer and why they work so well. 

How about a Lager?

For salty foods, there is one catch-all beer that will never let you down. The world’s most popular beer, lager. Lagers help to cleanse the palate and offer a crisp, refreshing experience - because of the typically lower IBU (bitterness). Lagers will let a Margherita pizza sparkle, the salt from the cheese and sweetness from the sauce can shine through and a veggie pizza will be able to showcase all its flavours without conflict. 

For some additional Italian authenticity, try something like Birra Moretti. If you wanted to make it an Italian-themed evening, why not try our Biramisù recipe, it's Tiramisù made with beer!

What about IPAs?

IPAs are known for being great for food pairings, not only because they pack tons of flavours themselves, but also due to the variety within the style. You can always find something that will compliment your toppings, no matter what!

If you love a greasy pizza with a lot of meaty toppings, we recommend going for something that will freshen up the palette. Our more herby IPAs, such as Mama IPA or Lagunitas Daytime IPA, will be perfect.

If you are one of the Hawaiian pizza lovers (no judgement here), a fruity IPA will be a match made in heaven. How about giving either Gallia West IPA or Brixton Low Voltage a go? 

What about a white beer?

This beer style tends to have a citrus kick, along wth a creamy texture, which might seem difficult to pair with a pizza, but there are a few options that will make both sing. 

A beer with citrus acidity will always go nicely with a seafood pizza. Prawns or squid are always good with fresh, light, citrus tones, that you typically find in a white beer. 

The high carbonation of a white beer is also a great match with cheese. This combined with the creaminess of a white beer makes for an idyllic pairing with a four-cheese pizza, cutting through the fattiness and ending on a light, spicy finish. A fresh goat's cheese pizza too with a lemony flavour will harmonise with the citrus and coriander notes in the beer.

German Wheat, anyone?

The freshness of a German Wheat beer is great for food pairings. A minimal acidity refreshes the palate before hints of banana and clove round off the drinking experience.

A less obvious but superb choice would be enjoying this with a Florentine pizza, with egg, spinach and sometimes asparagus. The delicate flavour of these green vegetables will almost taste better with a wheat beer! Try it with Paulaner Weissbier or Edelweiss Hefetrüb. 

Of course, you don't need to wait for International Beer and Pizza day to enjoy this delectable combo. 

So whether you are making your own or ordering in, make sure to add its match to your basket at Beerwulf.com.