What’s the perfect beer style to pair with pizza? Personally, the crisp, hoppy combination of an Italian pils feels like a winning way to go but BentSpoke have another answer. The Canberra brewery have partnered with their Braddon neighbours at Italian and Sons to create the pizza-fermented pale ale, Regina. The collab is part of BentSpoke's Freewheeler series which celebrates community and saw the brewers take some of the pizza and wine bar’s 20-year-old sourdough starter to ferment the beer. Regina, meanwhile, refers to the Italian word for Queen, in reference to Queen Margherita whose name in turn is where we get Margherita from (there’s something truly joyous about learning facts like that while writing about a beer).
From the outset, there’s a definite waft of a finely-fed sourdough starter coming from the pale ale, which is something I’m willing to say I’m an expert in after turning 30 and deciding that making sourdough pizza should become a large part of my personality (it was either that or getting a smoker). That unmistakable taste of sourdough is joined by the oregano added to the beer, which adds a broader herbal wave and a dry finish. And, sure, you might never need an excuse to tuck into more pizza but Regina certainly feels like the perfect companion to be there as you knock back slice after slice.
Will Ziebell
Published May 25, 2022 2022-05-25 00:00:00
