Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Oreos and milk. The food world’s power couples. Arguably, however, one of the prime courtships is fated to be pizza and beer. At Pizza Boy Brewing, they couldn’t agree more.
Offering a wide variety of both glorious fixtures, this 10,000 square foot location is quite the destination and houses both a brewery and a restaurant, Als of Hampden. Serving up so much more than just pizzas, the restaurant menu ensures that no one leaves hungry and the brew menu allows any palate to find hoppiness- I mean, happiness.
This happiness doesn’t just come from the products themselves, but from the people that create them.
“I think the most unique thing about our brewery is- though we do brew MANY IPA’s- our range of styles and unpretentious approach to beer. We enjoy having lots of fun: making fun of ourselves, laughing at the absurdities of the industry (and its patrons at times) and, lately, we’ve been having a blast with our labels and paying homage to some of our favorite things.”
This lighthearted attitude translates very clearly into both the labels and delicious brews inside. For instance, my favorite, their Michael Meyer’s Lemon IPA, is both entertaining in design and delightful in flavor.
As Terry mentioned, Pizza Boy is known for their astounding array -as well as quality- of IPAs. Even though IPAs are a style I am still acquiring a taste for myself, every IPA I’ve had from Pizza Boy is wonderful. They are crisp and clean, with an evenness I haven’t found in many of that style. And, of course, that hop bitterness one expects of an IPA. Terry says of Murren River, his current favorite, “it’s a classic West Coast style IPA, my favorite IPA style, and really screams Citra, one of my favorite hops.”
And Pizza Boy has more to offer than just IPAs. For instance, this delectable Belgian style aged with Brett named Whatever, Forever. Keeping with the common standard, this brew is crisp and clean. It pours similar to a champagne- and there is plenty to celebrate!
Even aside from the caliber of the brew, it is obvious that there is passion behind each beer. When asked about his craft beer love story, Terry told me,
“I grew up on Yuengling, not what most people think of craft beer these days, but certainly in the late 80’s to early 90’s it was; they let me know beer could have flavor. Then one day while moving out of an apartment in Ohio another guy was moving in and brought 2 big jugs of liquid in. When I asked him what they were he said ‘homebrew.’ I still didn’t know what he was talking about, then he said ‘it’s beer!’ I was shocked and amazed you could make beer at home so much so that, after I moved, I bought myself my first homebrew kit and the rest is history. It’s a fascinating process that never ceases to amaze me. Brewing is the perfect combination of science and art, how could I not love it?”
I am far from the only one noticing their passion for the craft, however. Pizza Boy was recently invited to and attended the 2018 BXL BeerFest in Brussels, Belgium. This festival boasts sixty breweries from ten countries and each brewery must meet certain standards to be in attendance.
Terry says of his adventures at BXL, ” BXL BeerFest was a blast. It was humbling to be invited, to pour my beer in the company of the greats like Cantillon, Drie Fonteinen, Jester King, and so many more. I also met so many new, talented brewers like Beerbliotek from Sweden, Brauerei J. Kemker from Germany, Boundary Brewing Cooperative in Belfast, and L’Ermitage Nano Brasserie in Belgium. To me, this fest embodied the real spirit of brewing. It was so well organized and everyone was incredibly nice. Food was amazing, as well. It was truly an honor for me to represent myself and Pizza Boy, showcasing our beer to the world.”
Terry and his team exhibit the epitome of the universal theme of the craft beer world: there is a beer for everyone and a place for everyone in the craft beer community.
“As a brewer there’s a LOT of things I wish consumers knew about beer but really it’s all about what YOU like, what YOU enjoy drinking and that’s all that matters. My brewery? The only thing that matters to me is to constantly strive to do better, I want people to trust me and trust our brand, to really know we care about what we’re making…I brew for our local customers. Sure, our beer is distributed statewide and I listen to their wants and needs too, but I see my locals everyday. I try to do my best to brew something for everyone.”
And there truly is something for everyone.
So if you’re lucky enough to get that chance, snag a can or , even better, snag a seat at Pizza Boy!
To learn more about Pizza Boy Brewing, visit:
https://pizzaboybrewing.com
To learn more about BXL BeerFest, visit:
http://www.bxlbeerfest.com
An Acquired Taste 