Pizza and beer go together like coffee and cream, like sweet and sour, like macaroni and cheese. Here at Pizzeria Locale, we think it’s the perfect pizza pairing, and we’re proud to only serve craft beers from local Colorado independent breweries, beers that complement every pizza on the menu. Colorado is one of the homes of craft brewing, and with so many small local options, we can provide delicious beers in a variety of styles. Just another way Pizzeria Locale supports the Colorado community!
What is craft beer?
It’s a word a lot of us use without actually knowing exactly what it means. We may have a sense that “craft” somehow goes together with “quality” (and that’s not wrong). It’s essentially a beer produced at a small, independent brewery. America has completely embraced the small-brewery vision: there are more beer styles and brands to choose from here than anywhere else in the world, with more than 8,000 breweries bringing unique taste experiences to beer lovers all over the country.
Craft breweries independence from large, multinational breweries leave craft brewers agile, prepared to innovate, to support the local community, and to create unique taste combinations. And size matters: craft brewers are confined to an annual production of six million (or fewer) barrels of beer, which makes them sought-after and, occasionally, hard to find.
Of course, there’s a lot more to craft brewing than merely being local, small, and independent! The main identifying feature is innovation: innovation in sourcing interesting (and sometimes non-traditional) ingredients; innovation is interpreting traditional beer styles with unique—often local—twists; and innovation in how they connect with their customers and the places they live.
Craft brewers get involved in their local communities on an intimate basis, through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism, and event sponsorship. Big multinational beer companies may make donations to national charities, but with craft brewers, chances are they know the people they’re interacting with. We think that makes a big difference.
The majority of Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewer, and that’s especially true for those of us who live here in the Denver area. Colorado has 425 craft breweries, with 11.2 gallons produced per adult resident in the state every year. Today’s craft brewers share the same spirit of adventure as the city’s founding visionaries, always looking to the horizon and asking, “what’s next?” That spirit of adventure and exploration gave Denver its thriving local beer culture with more breweries per square mile than most cities have for miles around them, and we can suggest just the right craft beer to go with your pizza selection here at Pizzeria Locale.
What makes the beers different from each other?
The sheer number of beer styles that make up the craft beer scene is exciting. Beer types are determined by many different factors, including ingredients, region of origin, and brewing methods. From red ale to stout, from IPAs to lagers, from Belgian-style ale to Baltic-style porter, there’s certainly something for everyone. There are even gluten-free beers!
What’s special about Denver?
In 2010, there were fewer than ten craft breweries within Denver’s city limits; today there are nearly a hundred. Some of the first breweries to establish themselves in Colorado were in Denver—and are still here today. And Pizzeria Locale is doing everything it can to support these local community businesses!
Over the years many local breweries you know have been featured on the Pizzeria Locale beer menu: Epic Brewing, Odell’s, Crooked Stave, River North Brewing, Denver Beer Co, The Post, Renegade Brewery, Twisted Pine, Telluride Brewery and many more.
We’re proud to follow the Brewers Association guidelines and support small and independent local breweries, and we’re making it easier for you to try a local craft beer by offering our famous Happy Hour every day from 4 to 6 pm. Buy a full priced pizza and a beer, and we’ll give you a second beer or glass of wine for free. And visit our online shop for a special set of glasses (shaped like a craft beer can, of course) to keep the local independent beer flowing even when you’re at home!