Started out accidental. I was sipping on a coffee oatmeal stout homebrew when the pizza man cometh. Life’s crazy right now, so not much cooking. We went with an old favorite, chicken, feta, sundried tomato, and garlic from Yankee Pizzeria.
My first instinct was to polish off the stout before digging into dinner. “Coffee stout won’t go with pizza!” I thought. But I don’t guzzle beer, and there was just too much left to finish for me to hurry through it before eating.
Surprisingly good. Not “Oh my god you must try this it will rock your world” good. But pretty darn good for something that never should have happened to begin with.
By the time I’d finished my first slice, my glass was empty. I wanted another slice, which presented an opportunity to try one more beer with it. Having been surprised by a pairing that no one would have suggested if they’d chosen carefully, I went with what should have been the obvious choice, a pilsner. Brooklyn Pilsner, to be exact. Which may be my all-time favorite pilsner.
Unfortunately, I think the popular image of pizza and beer (in which the beer is a pilsner-like macro such as Bud or Coors) has more to do with the flavorlessness of macros than it does with any special qualities in the pilsner style. Brooklyn Pilsner is quite hoppy, and the hops clashed pretty bad with the pizza.
So, to sum up: coffee stout, which should have been a horrible pairing, went quite well with this pizza. Brooklyn Pilsner, which ought to have been a great match, was harsh and unpleasant here.
Tags: Brooklyn Brewing, coffee oatmeal stout, homebrew, pizza
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