Friday Fun: BEHOLD the ultimate beer/pizza pairing infographic

First off: The content below was created for Chicago’s Home Run Inn brand of frozen pizzas, which are tops on our list of quality freezer meals. It was first published right here. We appreciate both the opportunity to repost and all of their rad knowledge about pizza and beer in general.

In food, there are many relationships that smart people refer to as symbiotic: knives and their cutting boards, salad and its dressing, omelettes y fromage. Without one, the other is basically useless.

The relationship between pizza and beer is an obvious example of this. Without beer, what even is pizza? Gooey, crunchy, savory, decadent, awesome, fulfilling, iconic — all yes, but necessary? Life-affirming? Mind-altering? Not without beer. Not without multiple consecutive beers. No. I’m afraid not.

And in turn, what is beer without pizza? Sudsy, sure, and tasty, intoxicating, revitalizing — but immaculate? Better than oxygen? The root of all joy? Not without several piping-hot pizza slices in succession. That’s for sure.

See what I mean? It’s true. Neither reaches its potential without the other. But how do you know which beer goes best with which pizza? How do you know you’re getting all there is to get out of your pizza and beer pairings? You don’t. Or, you didn’t. At least, not until now.

In the Ultimate Pizza & Beer Pairing Guide, we solve that problem. For example, let’s say your buddies just ordered a couple of Meat Lover’s pies from your local pizzeria. Naturally. But lo and behold, the apartment is all out of brews. What do you buy to complement all that meat? The guide says that a smoked beer will further enhance your enjoyment of literally all the meats. A dark, smoky beer is your best bet here.

Now let’s go 180 degrees in the other direction: margherita. No meat at all. Classic. Simple. Legendary. In that case, the guide recommends reaching for an unfiltered lager, which will boost the texture of the charred crust and allow the sweetness of the sauce to shine. Make it Italian made for an even more authentic feel.

The guide hits all the classics. Pepperoni? Try a brown ale. Meatball? An India Pale Ale will add notes of pine and big fruity flavors. And what about the not-so-classics? It covers those too. Pour yourself a crisp golden ale to accentuate the pineapple and Canadian bacon on your Hawaiian pie. Or choose an IPA with mild fruitiness before chowing down on that buffalo chicken.

No matter which pizza you love most, now you have a go-to guide for the booze you should be pairing with it. Check it out, in all its glory, below.

Matt Zajechowski is an outreach manager and content developer at Digital Third Coast. Connect with him on Twitter and Google+.