Pizzerias work with breweries to develop custom beers

If pizza and beer are a good combination, pizza and a special beer with a backstory is an even better pairing. People who enjoy beer with their pie occasionally might like to try something new, so some pizzerias collaborate with local breweries to develop a custom beer. While these innovative alcoholic drinks can generate excitement and sales, it’s important to find the right flavors, figure out how much beer to produce and price the beer appropriately.

Jeremy Maggio, co-owner of Maggio’s Wood Fired Pizza in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, says the collaboration with the pizzeria’s neighbor, Gathering Place Brewing Co., happened organically. “They opened about the same time we did,” he says. “We’ve always had a partnership. We deliver pizzas to their taproom, we carry some of their beers, it’s mutually beneficial.”

Maggio and Gathering Place’s brewmaster tossed around some ideas, such as using the pizzeria’s bread in the mash (the grain-combining process in the beer making) and including figs for flavor. “I told him many times I like what he does with fruit in his beers,” Maggio says. “It’s not overly sweet, and you could taste the fruit but you know it’s still a beer.” The pizzeria uses figs on one pizza and has a fig leaf in its logo, in homage to Maggio’s grandfather, who kept fig trees in Sicily.

The result is Good Neighbors, a golden ale brewed with figs and sold in cans at the pizzeria. A former Maggio’s employee created the graphic design for the label, and Maggios’s bought 10 cases of the beer from Gathering Place. The pizzeria sent out a press release about the collaboration, and the city, which is west of Milwaukee, included the announcement in some tourism materials.

“It turned out great,” Maggio says. “Our customers really responded to it, knowing the story behind it.”

Maggio had wanted to release the beer over the summer, but the whole process took longer than he expected, so Good Neighbors launched in September 2024. The beer sold out, so he hopes to release the same beer this summer, with a similar recipe and the same name. Maggio says other breweries have approached him about beer collabs. “It’s just a matter of deciding what’s the right thing for the business,” he says. “At this time, it’s good to stick with what works.”

Name That Beer

Part of the fun of developing a new beer is coming up with a clever name. Atomic Cowboy, parent company of Denver Biscuit Co. and Fat Sully’s NY Pizza, worked with Denver Beer Co. to come up with a beer that they named DBC Squared, to reflect the two companies with DBC acronyms.

Choosing the flavor was a thoughtful process. “We needed a beer we like to drink, first of all,” says Nathan Lotz, senior vice president of operations for Atomic Cowboy. “Everything we do is based around, ‘What beer do we like to drink, all year round, at lunch – no judgment – or dinner?’”

The result was what Lotz describes as a Mexican-style lager that goes great with pizza. The beer is available on draft, and Denver Beer Co. helped design the tap handles. Fat Sully’s NY Pizza promoted the beer with posters and fliers, pricing the beer aggressively to drive sales. “We love supporting Denver Beer Co.,” Lotz says. “We worked out a good deal.”

Price is not the only factor that boosts sales. It helps to have the staff get excited about the beer, so the brewery supplied training. Denver Beer Co. representatives talked to the Fat Sully’s crew about how the beer was made and how to pair it with different pizzas. “Beer companies love doing that,” Lotz says. “They provided us with great resources.”

The local piece also plays a role, Lotz says, as the restaurant group and the brewery are both Denver-based and have worked together previously for charitable initiatives and events. DBC Squared beer launched more than five years ago and has been one of Fat Sully’s best sellers. Atomic Cowboy has Denver Biscuit Co. and Fat Sully’s NY Pizza locations in Colorado and Kansas City.

Sharing Expertise

Even pizzerias that brew their own beers can benefit from collaborating with another brewery. North Fork Brewery, Pizzeria and Beer Shrine, located near Bellingham, Washington, has collaborated with several other breweries over the years. “It’s a way to cross-promote your brand,” says head brewer Eric Jorgensen. “The brewing industry is a very friendly industry. There’s not really a lot of secrecy.
Everyone gets along.”

North Fork has collaborated with Terramar Brewstillery, another beer and pizza establishment in rural Washington, and with Fringe Brewing, another local craft brewery, for the Outsiders Series. The collaboration has generated several beers, including the most recent launch, Wookie Mistake, a German-style dark lager available in cans. Someone from Fringe designed the label, and the three breweries supported the launch with social media.

“Most collaborations are just for fun and for cobranding and a chance for brewers to have a release party together,” Jorgensen says.

Pizzerias don’t have to limit their brewery collabs to small businesses. Homegrown Tap & Dough, which has five locations in the Denver area, collaborated with New Belgium Brewing, a large craft brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado. “Our longstanding relationship with New Belgium made them the perfect partner,” says Travis Everhart, vice president of food and beverage for Gastamo Group, the restaurant group that includes Homegrown Tap & Dough. “They understand Colorado craft beer culture, and together we crafted a brew that complements our menu while capturing the spirit of the mountains.”

That beer is Alpine Explorer, which reflects the ski lodge-inspired atmosphere at Homegrown Tap & Dough. “We wanted something that felt like an adventure in a glass – crisp, refreshing and perfectly suited for après-ski or a casual night out,” Everhart says.

Finding the right flavor was a challenge. The goal was to strike a balance of flavors to make Alpine Explorer unique, still approachable, distinctive enough to stand out and versatile enough to pair well with a variety of pizzas and dishes.

“Finding that perfect profile – something crisp, slightly hoppy and incredibly drinkable – took some time and tastings with the New Belgium team and Homegrown Tap & Dough’s F&B team,” Everhart says. “But New Belgium’s expertise made the process smooth and, in the end, we landed on a beer we’re really proud to serve.”

NORA CALEY is a freelance writer who covers small business, finance and lifestyle topics.