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Pizza paired with craft beer, Prima Strada partners with Category 12

Besides the pizza oven, the Central Saanich brewery will also release new beers every month
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If you want some Neapolitan-style pizza with your craft brews, Category 12 has the solution.

As of June 28, Prima Strada’s mobile pizza oven will be at Category 12 (2200 Keating Cross Road) Thursdays to Sundays.

“It’s something we’ve thought about for a long time,” said Karen Kuzyk, owner and head of brand at the Central Saanich brewery.

“The opportunity presented itself and we were super excited to work them.”

In a media release, the partnership between Category 12 and Prima Strada was was obvious one.

“We could talk about the benefits of beer and pizza all day,” said Pizzeria Prima Strada Executive Chef Franz Dessombes. “Category 12 is obsessed with doing it their own way, creating superior quality craft beers with creativity and an intense attention to detail. Kind of like us.”

Ryan Denisoff, a pizza cook with Pizzeria Prima Strada, said one of the challenges of cooking outside was the wind.

“When the wind kicks up the flour goes everywhere!”

The taproom has been open since Category 12 was founded, but Kuzyk said the brewery recently acquired a lounge license, “which allows us to serve real glasses and more than one glass, so we’re really excited about that.”

“It’s the real, true West Coast taproom experience having food and pizza together.”

Kuzyk said their taproom is informed by her visits to other breweries in Washington, Oregon, and parts of California. “It’s really community focused, immersive experience where beer is at the forefront of exploring different styles.”

The oven is outside the brewery, but relaying orders would require a long trip through the rest of the brewery, so orders are relayed to the cook via Ethernet cable, which Kuzyk attributes to her husband Michael (also founder and head brewer) and his “inability to do anything badly!”

Besides the pizza oven, Kuzyk is excited for some new summer beer releases, which will include local berries, and new releases every month.

Because of their new lounge licence, the brewery will start serving “taproom-only” releases, because “that experimental mind doesn’t close after 7 days of opening,” said Kuzyk.

“We’ve always got something new.”

Pizza is served at the brewery until the end of September, Thursdays to Sundays. They have extended their hours so people can take advantage, opening until 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.

The oven closes an hour before closing time.