[Edit: Not long after I posted this I checked up on Argilla’s social media and found that they were hustling to make more beer because their initial demand was so great. Way to support a local brewery Delaware! Keep it up!]
[Edit: Thanks for stopping by. If you want to see my review of our most recent stop at Argilla’s, you can find it here.]
I’ve talked a couple of times on this blog about how some things go well together but one of the best pairings I can think of is pizza and beer. So when I found out that local pizza maker Pietro’s was opening another location (2667 Kirkwood Highway Newark DE, the site of the old Gray Fox) in my area AND that they were dropping in a 1.5 barrel brewery named Argilla Brewing (Facebook : Twitter), well of course I kept my eye open. After several miscues Tracey and I (along with my daughter) finally got a chance to stop in and check them out.
The day we showed up at Argilla they had three of their own beers on tap; an IPA, a cream ale and a rye stout. First, let me say that I found all the beers clean with no off flavors. It’s important with a place first starting out that their process is tight and clean, and at this point Argilla’s seems to be. There’s also nothing earth shattering here. The beers were good, straight forward interpretations of their style, none of which blew me away. However, I won’t take that as a negative. They’re just starting out so brewing consistently clean beer is the goal at this point. They can tweak and play with the product later, once they’re comfortable with their new set up. And with a 1.5 barrel system, I hope they tweak and play often.
The IPA I ordered was cloudy (expected, Argilla isn’t filtering at this point) with a nice hop aroma but could have benefited from a little more bite in the back end and a tab bit more carbonation I thought. Normally I believe nitrogen should only be used for stouts. However the cream ale Tracey ordered reminded me that it works very well with that style as well. The ale definitely had that creamy, smooth mouth feel and tight head that you’d want in a cream ale plus a nice flavor. Of the three, the rye stout was my favorite. The brewery describes it as having chocolate and coffee notes, and indeed they’ve hit that perfectly. I don’t like coffee, so I normally don’t want big coffee flavors in my beer but this wasn’t over powering and played well with the chocolate. Like I said; three decent, clean beers with not a clunker in the bunch. Good first impression.
My daughter gave the pizza thumbs up. She ordered a meatball, roasted garlic and spinach pizza and it arrived promptly and hot. She thought the sauce was good and that the crust had a nice crunch to it. But she also felt the pizza was a little thin on the toppings. What can I say, my daughter loves her toppings, lol.
Sadly this was just a quick stop. I hope to get back in there soon and hang out a little longer and maybe get a look-see at their set up. If I do, I’ll be sure to let you know. In the mean time if you’re in the area, give Argilla Brewing Company a try. Watching a young brewpub grow into its own is one of the fun things about watching the craft beer scene. Having one growing in your own backyard is really fun.
Time for another beer….and maybe a slice of pizza….
The Dogs of Beer 