This Friday, Tom and Athena Seefurth will brew batches of Mama Mia Pizza Beer at the Sprecher Brewing Company. The Seefurths say their pizza beer is the first of its kind in the world.
“The goal was to create a beer that would pair with a variety of foods, especially our favorite, pizza,” says Tom.
Officially called “Tom Seefurth’s Mama Mia Pizza Beer,” the brew is made with tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano. It’s kind of like beer-meets-marinara sauce or a Bloody Mary and a beer chaser mixed in one bottle.
The Seefurths live in Illinois, but plan to partner with small breweries, like Sprecher, to bring pizza beer to the masses. They will brew a 40-barrel batch -- 400 cases -- during their Sprecher visit.
Does the beer actually taste like pizza?
“We would say that it more or less leaves you with the impression that you have had pizza and beer. The first sip is definitely beer, then it has an opportunity to travel around your tongue where it has a very pleasant taste, mostly the oregano and garlic. The aftertaste is what blows people away 'cause it's real good,” says Tom.
Numerous Illinois liquor stores committed to buying the first batch of pizza beer, and Seefurth hopes to sell his product in Milwaukee, too.
"If a Milwaukee distributor wants to step up to the plate and place an order, we would be willing to consider working with them," he says.
What do you think, Milwaukee? Does pizza beer sound tasty or terrible?
Tasty. This sounds good to me, and “culinary beers” are gaining popularity. Culinary beers are sipping beers, not the kind you drink four or five of in one sitting, but great to pair with the right food. Plus, beer and pizza always has been a winning stand-alone combo, so why not mix the two? Curiosity alone will get me to buy pizza beer.
Terrible. The concept of combining beer and pizza is really gross. Tomatoes, garlic and spices along with beer just do not mix. I like beer and pizza, but pizza beer sounds gimmicky, and I think it's a product with limited appeal.
