Originally published June 22, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified June 26, 2007 at 3:12 PM
Want to throw back a few pizzas? Try this beer
For years, Tom Seefurth drank what he called "lawn-mower beer" — mass-produced, canned brew best suited for drinking while mowing...
Chicago Tribune
CHICAGO — For years, Tom Seefurth drank what he called "lawn-mower beer" — mass-produced, canned brew best suited for drinking while mowing the lawn.
Then he tried a small Oregon brewery's dark, rich stout and everything changed. He realized beer could be art.
The real-estate broker and father of two turned part of his garage into a brewery. He added a refrigerator and brewing equipment, hung beer cans from the ceiling, and went to work. He crafted porters. He crafted pale ales.
And last fall, he came up with something he swears will revolutionize the world's favorite 5 p.m. drink: pizza beer.
While there are no pizza chunks in the reddish-brown ale (the biggest misconception Seefurth fights), the brew does include ingredients and an aroma generally associated with marinara sauce: tomatoes, garlic, basil and oregano.
The beer is already on tap at one Aurora, Ill., restaurant as Mamma Mia Pizza Beer, and has been mocked by Jay Leno on national TV and is the hot topic of discussion among home brewers — for better and for worse.
Seefurth plans to incorporate still more food flavors into beers in a movement he calls "culinary brewing."
Salsa beer. Curry beer. Oatmeal-raisin-cookie beer. He has tried them all.
"The pizza beer is not for the Saturday-night bowling alley," said Seefurth, 43. "But it will appeal to a wide range of people if they keep an open mind."
He hopes to strike a deal with a small regional brewery to get the drink on tap in Italian restaurants.
Herbs such as oregano and basil were among the flavors in beer for hundreds of years before today's most common flavor, hops, was added, in part because hops act as a preservative.
But industrywide, spices are being reasserted as prime flavor ingredients.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 02:03 AM
Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
Obama warns of 'difficult' days in Iraq, pledges support for troops
Top Iran clerics decry election, defy supreme leader
UPDATE - 02:18 AM
2 NATO soldiers killed in southern Afghanistan
UPDATE - 02:09 AM
Reformists resist Iranian government pressure

Tribal Fireworks Rivalry
The Fourth of July marks a long-standing fireworks rivalry between two clans of a Native-American family in Suquamish.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new SUV? Weigh the impact your choice will have on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
- Rob Johnson's double in 11th powers Mariners past Red Sox, 7-6
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
755 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/04 game thread
244 - Reports: NKorean missile arrives at launch site
100 - Woman accuses Sounders FC player Nate Jaqua of sexual assault, seeks more than $10 million
99 - Palin's Declaration of Independence
73 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
60 - Mariners score unlikely win over Red Sox in battle of bullpens
58 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
54 - Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
41 - Plasma and LED beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
28
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Yakima teacher reprimanded for sending 5-year-old student home with bag of feces in backpack
- Art and conversation flow from hands and heart of artist Mandy Greer
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Fire danger already here in parched NW forests








