Five Cleveland Pizza and Beer Pairings

With so many inventive breweries in town, Cleveland pizza slices are incomplete without cold beer beside them. We chose pies from a handful of restaurants in Cleveland and paired them with local brews that best complemented their flavors to form these five delicious duos.

Crust | The Brew Kettle

Pizza: hot margherita pepperoni
Craft brew: Black Rajah black IPA

Crust’s hot margherita-pepperoni pizza gives the traditional pepperoni pie a twist with margherita aromatics and smoked mozzarella. Intensely hoppy IPAs cut through spice and grease, making them a smart choice for pepperoni. However, the cheese’s smokiness pairs best with a darker brew. Fortunately, Black Rajah offers both. The seasonal black IPA combines bitter citra hops with roasted malts for a complex yet balanced brew.

Edison’s Pizza Kitchen | Platform Beer Co.

Pizza: hawaiian
Craft brew: Two Stroke Tripel

Edison’s effortlessly blends salty and sweet flavors in its hawaiian pizza, which is topped with bacon, ham, and pineapple. The eatery adds a sweet touch to pies by including honey packets with every order, too. Wash down the pizza with Platform’s Two Stroke Tripel, a straw-colored Belgian-style ale with notes of ripe fruit.

Angelo’s Pizza | Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Pizza: seafood pizza
Craft brew: Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA

An award-winning pizza from Angelo’s and a pint of Great Lakes may be the quintessential Cleveland combo. With shrimp, crab, and spinach slathered in lobster cream sauce, Angelo’s decadent seafood pizza pairs perfectly with a glass of Sharpshooter Session Wheat IPA. Clocking in at 4.8% ABV, the session beer’s subtle notes of lemon and orange brighten seafood, and its crisp jarrylo hops balance the pizza’s creaminess.

Danny Boy’s Pizza | Butcher and the Brewer

Pizza: Brooklyn Bacon Cheeseburger
Craft brew: The Repeater Kölsch

Can’t decide between a burger and a pizza? With Danny Boy’s Brooklyn Bacon Cheeseburger pizza, you don’t have to. Despite its thin crust, the pie is piled high with big flavors, the result of ingredients such as bacon, pickles, and cheddar. Pair it with Butcher and the Brewer’s The Repeater Kölsch, a light and crisp brew that’s hoppy enough to cut through the grease without overshadowing the toppings.

PizzaBOGO | Market Garden Brewery

Pizza: Bombay
Craft brew: Pearl Street Wheat

PizzaBOGO’s menu features a handful of flatbread-style pizzas that showcase international flavors, and the Bombay pizza is chief among them. Topped with curry-laden tandoori chicken and a mélange of spinach, tomatoes, and banana peppers, its mild heat goes well with hefeweizens. Try Market Garden’s Pearl Street Wheat, a Bavarian-style ale with hints of clove.