Why a beer blog?
It's pretty simple: I like beer.

I didn’t always like beer. In fact, I never even started drinking beer until I tasted one that I actually enjoyed at a local microbrewery (BIG shout-out to Bristol Brewery in Colorado Springs, CO)... And the rest was history.

I have always enjoyed being in brew pubs, whether in the US, England, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, or Canada. I am also very interested in the brewing process, being somewhat of a home-brewer myself.

In this blog I want to capture the essence of the American microbrewery, an industry that is growing exponentially due to its focus on quality and creativity.

I believe that good food and drink bring people together in a way like no other... Good beer breeds good culture.

I want to experience the culture of local pubs across the country and document the fantastic beers being produced by people who love what they do. In this blog, I intend to not only focus on the beer itself, but also on the places I drink it, and people I drink it with.

Let’s see how this goes.

Pizzeria Bianco - Phoenix, AZ (June 9th, 2011)


I found myself alone in Phoenix on a Thursday night with nothing to do.  At 8:00 pm I realized that not only had I forgotten to eat dinner, I had forgotten to eat at Pizzeria Bianco.  I was leaving for LA the next day to meet my wife, so this was my last chance.  I called the restaurant and they told me they were having a slow night, so if I got there within 30 minutes I could be seated almost immediately.  I got in the car right away, and drove downtown as giddy as a child on Christmas.  People usually wait in line multiple hours to get a taste of this stuff.  A couple years back, I tried making a reservation, and I was told that the soonest I could get in was in 3 months from my call.  I realize this isn’t a brewery, but I don’t care.  I must include it in my blog.  Of course I had beer too, but that will have to wait a minute.

Put this place on your “Top 10 things to do when I am within a 1,000 mile radius of Phoenix” list.  Anything but pretentious, this warm brick building with dim lights and modest décor will make anyone feel at home.  I sat at the bar, and was primarily surrounded by locals who frequent the pizzeria many nights a week.  I overheard interesting conversations about mechanical engineering, educational politics, and physics, all of which were immediately drowned out as soon as I got my pizza.

They offer a very stripped-down  menu,  a limited wine list and only 1 beer on tap.  The owner, Chris Bianco, sources most, if not all, of his ingredients from local farmers.  If you are looking for a greasy, cheese-laden, over-topped pizza, then this is not the place for you.  But if you are interested in trying the product of a true artisan, you will not be disappointed by the perfectly paper-thin, crispy, chewy crust.  I went with the Margherita Pizza… Fresh Basil and house-made mozzarella cheese atop a light layer of bright, fresh, tangy tomato sauce.  You bite into it and immediately regret not ordering a second for the road (or dessert).

I received my pizza well before I finished my first Thunder Canyon Sandstone Cream Ale.  The beer alone may have been nothing phenomenal - a typical cream ale, gold in color, with a light hop profile, noticeable sweetness, and smooth mouthfeel.  But it was very pleasant, didn’t over-power any flavors in my food, and turned out to be the perfect complement to the best pizza I’ve ever had.  This night I was reminded that beer shouldn’t always be judged on its own.  Pairing beer with food is a skill that is oftentimes overlooked and underappreciated.  While they could have chosen a number of other delicious beers that do well on their own or with many other foods, they chose this light and subtly flavorful cream ale that showed respect for the food it was served with. Pizzeria Bianco picked the perfect beer to go with their perfect pizza.