“The beer idea really came from eating pizza with James, Brian and Erin and trying to figure out what flavors we could do with the Pizza Bandit in regard to food and then what that might mean for the beer,” said Haggerty. “So, the pizza really came first and was inspired by our new Smokery out in Springboro. Of course, I love smoked beer as well, so it was sort of a no-brainer for me to do a smoked beer for this project. As far as brewing with Pizza Bandit was concerned, James (Burton) came down and we spent two days working together. It was a very enjoyable experience and I look forward to pairing the pie and the beer together.”
For their part of the collaboration, Pizza Bandit’s James Burton and Brian Johnson worked with Warped Wing’s “resident culinary dude,” Erin O’Neill, to create the Panama Red pizza, which consists of the Pizza Bandit red sauce and cheese, brisket, smoked pulled pork, deep-fried smoked pork belly, Peppadew peppers and diced spicy pickles. Then, just for extra measure, the Panama Red pizza is topped with Warped Wing’s housemade root beer barbecue sauce.
Credit: Warped Wing Brewing Company
Credit: Warped Wing Brewing Company
“I’m really excited,” said Burton. “It was something that I’d always dreamed of — to at least learn the basics of brewing.”
Apart from indulging in the beer, customers might also get a kick out of the creative label on the exclusive Pizza Bandit bottle. The label reads: “Hops and cannabis. Cousins. Buds. And Panama Red? Well, that’s an old school cannabis classic. Settle into da couch with a DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR PIZZA IS? Panama Red Smoked Red Lager. Toke the smoke and pair this burnout of a beer with a fresh slice of ‘za. Say man, you got a Panama Red? It’d be a lot cooler if you did.”
The Panama Red Smoked Red Lager will be officially released to the public on Tuesday, April 20 at 4:20 p.m. in both Warped Wing taproom locations in Dayton (26 Wyandot St.) and Springboro (25 Wright Station Way) along with Yellow Cab Tavern (700 E. Fourth St., Dayton). The Pizza Bandit will be giving away a complimentary slice of their Panama Red pizza to go with the first 24 pours of Panama Red Smoked Red Lager at the breweries.
Bottles of Panama Red will be available for purchase beginning on Tuesday, April 20 exclusively at Yellow Cab Tavern.
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