Five Cincinnati Pizza and Beer Pairings
Regardless of which Cincinnati pizza you call your favorite, there’s a Queen City beer out there to complement it. Here, we matched pizzas from five popular Cincinnati restaurants with complementary local brews.
Strong’s Brick Oven Pizzeria | Fifty West Brewing Company
Pizza: alla vodka
Craft brew: Doom Pedal white ale
Smothered in vodka sauce and topped with prosciutto, spinach, and mushrooms, the signature pizza alla vodka at Strong’s—named one of the best restaurants in Cincinnati by Northern Kentucky Magazine in 2015—pairs well with Doom Pedal, a white ale from Fifty West Brewing Company. The citrus and black-pepper flavors in the Belgian-style ale mingle perfectly with the saltiness of the proscuitto and the tangy vodka sauce.
Jean Paul’s Paradiso | Taft’s Ale House
Pizza: Big Daddy Stone Pie
Craft brew: Saison de Paulus
For a Chicago-style pie within Cincy’s city limits, try Jean Paul’s Big Stone Daddy Pie. The deep-dish pizza features peppers, onions, and roasted balsamic tomatoes, as well as housemade italian sausage, which complements the earthy Saison de Paulus. Additionally, the dry farmhouse ale’s spices ensure the beer holds up next to a hearty meal.
A Tavola | MadTree Brewing Company
Pizza: white anchovy
Craft brew: Happy Amber
Even if you frown upon canned beers—and you shouldn’t—you should crack open a can of MadTree’s Happy Amber with A Tavola’s white anchovy pizza. The amber ale’s mild sweetness is a great complement to the intense saltiness of the fish, and the beer’s cascade and chinook hops bring out the subtle flavors of the pie’s arugula and fontina cheese.
Cincy by the Slice | Tap & Screw Brewery
Pizza: Pickle Pie
Craft brew: Funnel Hat kölsch
Most heavy beers clash with the strong flavors of this eatery’s signature offering: a pizza topped with sliced dill pickles dipped in black and white pepper. Instead, pair the pickle-topped pie with Tap & Screw’s Funnel Hat kölsch. The crisp, light beer’s wheat undertones balance out the zesty pizza’s pungence.
Newport Pizza Co. | Rhinegeist
Pizza: buffalo chicken
Craft brew: Truth IPA
What’s more biting than the truth? Rhinegeist’s Truth IPA. Pair the crisp, bitter brew with the fiery flavors of Newport’s classic buffalo-chicken pizza. The india pale ale’s pungent West Coast hops not only cut through the heat of the buffalo sauce but the funkiness of the blue cheese as well.
