Culinary Beer

Crack open a bottle of Mamma Mia's Pizza Beer, and you'll quench your own thirst as well as elevate your cooking. It was designed to be paired with food and to be used as an ingredient for cooking, say creators Tom and Athena Seefurth. Introduced less than a year ago (and already the winner of a silver medal in the Indiana State Brewers Cup, Herb, Spice and Fruit Beer Category), this ale is flavored with fresh tomatoes, oregano, basil and garlic. It has a mellow tomato flavor that doesn't overwhelm, and leaves a nice garlic bite on your lips.

The idea came from the couple's love of cooking with and pairing dishes with beer and wine. "We're just two people, just having fun home-brewing in our garage turned brewery, in which the crazy idea of designing a "foodie" beer entered our minds," says Tom. Since the initial release, the Seefurths have brewed a total of 300 barrels of their Pizza Beer, which is currently distributed in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and most recently Pennsylvania. Pizza Beer is sold in 16-ounce bottles, larger than the traditional 12-ounce beer bottles.

Mamma Mia's Pizza Beer is available online at samswine.com; internetwines.com; and topshelfwinesandspirits.com.

In the Kitchen
The Seefurths have many culinary recommendations for Pizza Beer, including using it as an injectable marinade for whole chickens, rather than the traditional Chicken on a Beer Can method; using Pizza Beer Pizza Crust Mix to make homemade Pizza Beer Pizzas; Pizza Beer Bread; and Pizza Beer Brats. Local Midwest eateries have been inspired as well, creating Pizza Beer Battered Cod and Pizza Beer Bloody Marys.—Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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