Not sure if this officially qualifies as pizza. It has no sauce. You cover the crust with provolone, then add slices of pear, then sprinkle some crumbled gorgonzola, and finally add some nuts. Supposed to be walnuts, but all we had was pecans, and that worked well, too.
If you’ve ever had gorgonzola, you know it is intense. It dominates this dish, so when picking a beer, you’re primarily picking something to complement the gorgonzola.
Been eating on the pizza for a couple days, so I’ve sampled three different beers with it. Dick’s Double Diamond Winter Ale, Sierra Nevada ESB, and Tommyknocker Butthead Doppelbock. They were all pretty much shots in the dark. I really wasn’t sure what would go well with something as crazy as gorgonzola.
Happily, they all worked. I’d say the Butthead was best, the ESB placed second, and the Double Diamond clocked in at number three.
Double Diamond is a Winter Warmer along the lines of an old ale. Not especially hoppy, but rich and malty with some fruity esters and a nice alcohol warmth. It was just ok with this.
Sierra Nevada is an Americanized ESB — a bit more citrus than English versions. I was very pleased that the hops didn’t clash with this. Something even hoppier might even work.
I was really unsure about going doppelbock, but Butthead was excellent with it. It has a more roasted character than most of the really classic examples of the style. And it’s just a bit thinner on the robust malt character that a Salvator has. But still a well done doppelbock and it was a great compliment to the gorgonzola.
Tags: Double Diamond Winter Ale, gorgonzola, pear, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Tommyknocker
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