The Perfect Beers for near Perfect Pizza

Most seasoned foodies are well aware of the advantages of pairing select wines with certain foods. They use a simple system comparing a wine’s acidity, tannins, alcohol level and sweetness to the essential ingredients and specific traits of a food dish they’d want to pair. Okay, so it’s not that simple, but with enough research and experience it’s not that hard to understand, and the knowledge pays off in full.

    When you pair a beverage with enough of a gentle contrast to a food dish, you open up a whole new level of flavor enhancement. Red wine & beef immediately comes to mind. White wine and Seafood. Rose and Cheese. Wine pairings are all too common in the restaurant industry. The last decade or so, you can put Craft Beer pairings right up there with them.

Craft beer, many times, can share similar qualities to wine, so why not? Craft beers can be sweet, bitter, acidic and salty. The mouthfeel of a brew can be one of it’s biggest qualities. Is it a light bodied beer? Medium bodied? Heavy? Does it taste boozy, can you feel the heat? Is it astringent, does it feel pillowy? Creamy? Grainy? Does it have an aftertaste? Does it proudly display aromas, is it is well structured? Overall, the more beer varieties you drink, the more appreciative you’ll be towards beer. This isn’t always about heavy beers or higher alcohol content. There really is something for everyone.

Pairing Craft Pizza with Craft Beer.

We all know pizza and beer go together like Batman and Robin. Ever since the discovery of pizza in 1861 I’m sure pizza that first beer wasn’t very far away. They’ve likely been an iconic duo ever since.

We aren’t talking about late night slice of cheesy grease bread paired with a crispy cheap mass-produced lager. I’m talking about pairing an authentic, quality, modernized take on legitimate Italian pizza with a well thought out, crushable, unique, deliciously flavorful and repeatedly perfected craft brew.

When carefully paired, using the simple system wine’s created, an enjoyable pizza and beer experience could go from good to glorious.

 I had the incredible pleasure of tasting Savannah’s best pizza this week. Pizzeria Vittoria, located in the Starland District, will be offering genuine, pure, savory, incredible brick oven pies as well as salads and a few other starters and desserts. Each ingredient from Kyle Jacovino’s homegrown yeast, to each topping has been carefully created or selected to give you the most authentic Italian pizza experience yet.

Kyle invited me in for an exclusive tasting, with the expectation that I would bring my favorite Two Tides brews to pair with them. Sold.

    I packed my cooler of brews and was on my way. When I arrived, nothing was pre-made. He artfully massaged and tossed the dough, layered on the ingredients, presented, sliced and enjoyed each of his creations with us. While he cooked I watched in awe. His skill and passion for his craft is indisputable, his presence was vibrant, the pizzas were inconceivable. After he taught me the correct way to eat a slice, which was a little embarrassing, we paired the beers.

Classic Margherita

    Everyone knows them. Entry-level craft pizza, if you will. This Classic Margherita, which included mozzarella, marinara and basil was like taking a bite out of a fresh summer’s garden. The fresh, fragrant basil, plump tomatoes, creamy mozzarella. This pizza was so fresh it would make a farmers market seem stale. The flavor was unreal. I paired it with a crisp IPA, Sixfoot IPA by Two Tides to be exact. Something about the creaminess of the cheese and boldness of the tomato and basil worked beautifully with the brisk, citrusy flavor of the beer. It did not disappoint.

Honestly, Sixfoot across the board paired beautifully with all of the pizza’s we tasted.

La Diavola
    Second pizza out was the La Diavola, my favorite and according to Kyle, one of his two most popular. This pie was topped with Calabrese Sausage, Soppressata, Calabrian Chilies and Mozzarella. The savory and spiciness of the pizza shined when paired with a Cold Hard Facts Sour Double IPA. This beer is loaded with concord grapes and black current providing a beautiful sweet contrast to the flavors of the pizza.

Siciliana

    The third and final pizza was the Siciliana. I’ve never experienced a pizza so unique. Topped with Capers, Olives, Anchovies, sauce and Mozzarella, this pie was a flavor haven by itself. Perfectly finished with a dusting of freshly grated lemon zest.

For this, I paired again The Paradox Gose, which is brewed with tangerine, raspberry, passion fruit, persian lime and sea salt. Both the pizza and beer are strong flavors on their own. Paired together, it was a match made in heaven. The tart, sweet citrus of the brew elevated the salty, delectable, complex flavors of the pizza. This by FAR was my favorite pairing.

    Yes, we did choose all Two Tides Brews. Why? It’s a hop, skip and a jump from Kyle’s front door at Pizzeria Vittoria. All of it part of the explosion of development we have seen in Savannah’s Starland neighborhood.

Don’t be afraid to get some friends together tried one, try them all. We hope this will inspire you to see what is waiting for you out there if you choose to pair a great beer with a great pizza, which Pizzeria Vittoria is.

Pizzeria Vittoria Napoletana
2411 DeSoto Avenue
Savannah, Ga 31401
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