Beer with a PIzza ? ...but PIzza Beer ?
Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora, Illinois, is the oldest existing limestone roundhouse in the US.
It started life as the site for a major car building and repair shop by the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Originally, twenty-two stalls were built to house and repair locomotives. Eight additional stalls were added in 1859, and in 1864, the final ten stalls were added to the Roundhouse, making it a complete circle. (Rest of the history for railroad buffs here)
In 1995, the Aurora City Council voted 10-0 to permit Walter Payton, NFL Hall of Famer, and legendary running back for the Chicago Bears (he died in 1999) and his partners Scott Ascher, Pam Ascher and Mark Alberts to redevelop the Roundhouse into a 70,000 sq.ft. entertainment facility in Aurora housing a restaurant and brewpub, 14 bars, and a comedy club.
For the next few weeks this bustling hostelry is going to be offering it's thirsty and hungry customers - pizza beer - a barley-based brew flavored with ....er ..... tomato, basil, oregano and garlic.
Mamma Mia's Pizza Beer was developed by amateur home brewer Tom Seefurth of St. Charles. "The French are always famous for pairing their wine with food, and I wanted to create a beer that's good with food," Seefurth says. "And what's America's favorite food? Pizza."
Walter Payton's agreed to make 24 kegs of pizza beer in a 930-gallon vat, using canned tomatoes, spices and red beets for color.
This isn't the first time Walter Payton's has opted to turn a home-brew recipe into a large-scale beer run, or added off-beat items to their beer. They've made up batches of chocolate beer and a cherry-flavored beer with hot black granite rocks added to it, among others. But this is the first time they've added real food to a beer.
Thursday sounds like a fun night in the Cognac Bar....but count me out on Mamma Mia's Pizza beer.
If you are in Chicago .. don't miss Shaws Crab House simply the best seafood in the world....those oysters...mmmmm
2 comments:
Green Eggs and Ham syndrome.
Try it Try it, you will see.
Ask for a free sample with your meal. You will not be sorry.
Campton man brews up fame
By KARTIKAY MEHROTRA - kmehrotra@kcchronicle.com
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CAMPTON TOWNSHIP – Tom Seefurth says his pizza-flavored concoctions will have him rolling in the dough in no time.
The real-estate agent turned brewmaster says the local publicity that he received after putting his Mamma Mia Pizza Beer on tap at Walter Payton’s Roundhouse in Aurora has both beer drinkers and newsmakers nationwide, and even internationally, looking for a swig of his most recent brew.
“I can’t even describe what the feeling is,” Seefurth said, citing his emotions after hearing that “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno made reference to his pizza beer during a recent show.
“Close to 20 radio stations across the nation have called, Albany called this morning. ... [WLUP DJ Jonathon] Brandmeier, he was a naysayer.”
Seefurth said his beer would be talked about between 6 and 8 a.m. today on Brandmeier’s show.
Seefurth’s pizza beer is a combination of tomatoes, garlic, yeast and herbs, which, when purified, strained and fermented, comes out a pale orange and tastes, as advertised, like pizza.
Despite a few reports on one of about a half-dozen Web logs, the beer is not a chunky stew of tomatoes and toppings, although some of his key ingredients are in actual pizza.
“This is better than anything you’ll put in your mouth with any kind of Italian dish,” Seefurth said during the beer's recent unveiling at Walter Payton’s restaurant on Route 31.
Seefurth even has Canadian talk shows calling in to find out how he came up with the pizza beer.
“They said, 'Who knows, Mr. Seefurth, maybe it’ll be the first beer that Canadians actually like,'” Seefurth said.
While pizza beer might take pizza parlors around the country by storm this summer, Seefurth’s entrepreneurship isn’t stopping there. Just last week, Seefurth signed a contract with an area cheese manufacturer for pizza-beer cheese.
“We went up and packaged our own half-pound packages of Wisconsin cheese, we’re going to make this and sell it to the brew pubs,” Seefurth said.
Seefurth has turned his beer making business into a family affair, using has wife, Athena, as his quality control technician and his 14-year-old daughter Suzanne’s drawing skills to create emblems for the beer and cheese.
Seefurth’s next ambition to gain some publicity? Tossing a pizza into a brew-pot from a New York City rooftop.
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