Photograph by Osayi Endolyn
A range of excellent beer options have been available for some time at Slice & Pint in Emory Village, but the pizza restaurant/brewery that launched last summer has finally started pouring its own creations, fulfilling its mission as a destination for handcrafted pizza and handcrafted beer. Brewmaster and co-owner Crawford Moran says people who have enjoyed his beers at 5 Seasons Brewing will know what to expect: New beers, all the time. “I like to change it up,” Moran says.
Moran is one of Atlanta’s craft beer pioneers. He launched his own brewery in the mid-nineties, closing it in 2004. He joined up with 5 Seasons Brewing Company afterwards, where he has been making beer that complements an ever-changing menu since then. But Moran has always been passionate about pizza, and more specifically, pizza and beer together. The pizza dough at Slice & Pint uses organic flour, Moran says, and is made in-house along with the cheese (mozzarella and ricotta). All meats are all natural, and they source locally as much as they can. Moran notes “every human culture has made some form of pizza and beer pairing—flatbread with toppings and fermented drink. There must be some kind of mathematical universal constant there.”
The first beers introduced to Slice & Pint guests were the ones that would be ready as quickly as possible, Moran says. I spoke with him about the current line-up. In addition to what’s pouring now, Moran says a dry Irish stout and a classic ESB should be on by next weekend.
The Druid, a Belgian golden ale
“It’s like a Belgian single. This is going to be our house beer. We use the same yeast in the beer as we do in our pizza dough, which is from the Chimay monastery. I make a lot of different beers with it, and it almost has a sourdough character. This beer also uses a couple of wild yeasts from Italy, adding a fruitiness and situates the bready, malty side as well.”
The Redneck Druid, a Belgian golden ale with Pearson peaches
“We got a bunch of peaches from the Pearson farm, the first crop of the season. Summer officially begins when the first peaches land, when they sit on the counter and fill the room with that wonderful aroma. Peaches have a subtle fruit character that accentuates the beer. We pureed them and threw them in the keg, then put the beer on tap.”
Village Idiot Wit, Belgian white
“This is a wonderful summertime beer. The orange peel and coriander are just really lovely together. That yeast is aggressive so it finishes dry, with some acidity from citrus. Coriander is bright and spicy at the same time. It’s typically difficult to get a good wit in the market because it’s not fresh. Those flavors don’t really hold up over time. But this style is great for owning a brewpub because you can put it on right away and the results are great.”
Totoweizen, a German hefeweizen
“Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz? In the brewery there’s a walkway that goes through and it kind of looked like the yellow brick road. We bought up all the gold sparkles from the craft stores. We ran with that theme. This is a nod to the land of Oz.”
Citra IPA
“A lot of citra hops in there, which have a tropical, fruity citrus character. It’s all backloaded so it’s going to be big aroma and big flavor and a clean bitterness. It’s real smooth.”
