pizza – An Acquired Taste

Brewery Spotlight: Pizza Boy Brewing

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.

Michael Meyers Lemon — How cool is that??

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!

Whatever, Forever by Pizza Boy

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.

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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!

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To learn more about Pizza Boy Brewing, visit:
https://pizzaboybrewing.com

To learn more about BXL BeerFest, visit:
http://www.bxlbeerfest.com

Brewery Spotlight: Minglewood

“A couple more shots of whiskey, I’m going down to Minglewood.”
-Grateful Dead

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The sun was shining as I strolled down the sidewalk and up to the doors of Minglewood Brewery. The outside architecture hinted at the past stories of this river town building constructed in 1891. Suffice it to say, this building has seen some sights. This historically registered establishment was originally home to a Masonic temple, then a well known local music store and, most recently, is the residence of Minglewood Brewery.

As I enter, I catch my favorite Blues Traveler song floating on artisan pizza-scented air that fills my nose and causes my stomach to rumble. Humming along, I take a seat at the bar, a gorgeous wood installment that is reminiscent of dark driftwood. In fact, the entire brewery is a stunning blend of dark wood, brick, and Edison lights.

A friendly bartender takes my order and, after, I take a moment to glance around, participating in my favorite sport of people watching. The strangest sight catches my attention. I notice that, unlike anywhere else, hardly anyone is on their phones. Instead of growing another digital appendage, everyone is interacting with each other, content just conversing and laughing in the comfortable atmosphere that is the brewery. There’s a couple clearly on their first date who are breaking the ice over a gigantic Bavarian pretzel and house-made beer cheese. At the next table, a girl snarls her nose up at her friend offering her a beer, emphatically stating she does not like beer. Her friend, rolling her eyes, pushes it her way with a “Just try it.” The girl reciprocates the eye roll and takes the tiniest of sips. And then a big gulp. “You know, that’s really good. Is that what beer is supposed to taste like?” she asks. A bit further down, there’s a group of businessmen who are making it very clear they’re excited that their boss chose to have their meeting at a place with beer on tap and rugby on television.

A smiling server brings me out of my own thoughts by placing a pizza in front of me. I notice three things immediately. One, that pizza is the best looking pizza I think I’ve ever seen. Two, not only is she smiling, but all the servers and bartenders are too, even while they’re briskly walking around. Which makes me and everyone they interact with smile. Three, did I mention that pizza, though??? It’s a taco on a pizza! Not to mention, made with grain from the beers: Bonus!

Of course, this glorious meal would not be complete without a beer. While the tap offerings are all in close but delicious competition with each other for my ‘favorite,’ the Satellite IPA wins out today. While IPAs are typically not my go-to, this version of a New England style IPA is perfection, easily my favorite example of the style. Stuart Matthews, owner of Minglewood, agrees. “[New England IPA] is a style that’s growing in popularity despite its non traditional hazy appearance. But the tropical fruit aroma and low bitterness has made it my go-to beer as of late. And my number one selling beer as well.” And he isn’t exaggerating. Stuart tells me that the first couple batches of the Satellite sold out in just a few hours and demand has only increased.

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While being one of the first to successfully bring this style to the area, it is far from the only aspect that makes Minglewood stand out. “The most recent thing that makes Minglewood unique is that we’re the first brewpub in the state to deliver beer with our pizza. We have a phone app and customers can order from our website. It’s city wide in Cape Girardeau. Only on weekends as of now.” And if that isn’t enticing enough, they also can beer directly off the tap at request that can be taken home in an insulated brown bag designed specifically to fit.

And if you don’t think that’s the best name ever, you’re just wrong.

Minglewood certainly has a wide array of offerings. The variety and flavor of their artisan pizza menu is enough of a head turner on its own, but when paired with beer that is made with precision and passion, they just can’t go wrong. Nor do they intend to. Unlike some businesses that get comfortable and lax after their first few years, Minglewood has made it clear they’re just getting started. With new styles of beer being expertly brewed all the time and their evolving relationship with the local community, they strive to prove that everyone has a place in the craft beer world, even if you’ve never experienced craft beer before.

“If you’re not familiar with craft beer and you’re willing to expand your pallet, then there’s a Minglewood beer for you.”

And you better believe I will be back for Minglewing Monday.

And yes, I did, in fact, finish that entire pizza by myself.

Cheers.

* Credit where credit is due to Stuart Matthews for providing some of the lovely photos for today’s blog*