Where’s my hand tossed?

San Antonio, Texas is beginning to be known for more than just great Mexican food. In the last few years several pizza parlors have cropped up, which makes talking about San Antonio and pizza seem more and more natural. Freetail Brewing, Miss Ellie’s, and Dough Pizzeria have each made a splash lately, bringing folks back to small batch pizza and away from the national brands. One such small batch pizzeria with a flair for the creative, is Pizza Italia on Thousand Oaks near Jones Maltsberger.

Pizza Italia has been around for several years and many locals in the area will attest to its focus on creative pizzas and a wide selection of craft beer. Involved in a fire in 2009 that destroyed the building, the restaurant showed its resilience by re-opening in 2010 across the street from the old location.

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Hops and Pie

It’s still rare these days to find a craft beer restaurant that takes the right approach with the beer they serve and the food they create. Often times the food is okay and the beer selection not much better than the typical bar around the corner. One establishment that has successfully combined a good beer selection with great food is Hops and Pie in North Denver, Colorado.

Owners Drew and Leah Watson opened Hops and Pie just over a year ago with a goal of having not just a great craft beer selection, but also creating artisan pizzas that paired specifically with the beers they served.

They bring a combined 23 years experience in the fine dining industry and were looking to take their destiny into their own hands when they chose to re-locate to Denver from the San Diego area.

In fact, it was while they were in San Diego close by to beer giant Stone Brewing Co, as well as Green Flash, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey and Alesmith, that their appreciate of what beer could be was born. Denver was a logical choice for opening up their own place.

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Goose Island holiday ale

Wine may be the more common seasonal libation, but Goose Island brewery provides another means to be merry.  Every month, Chicago’s premier craft brewery hosts a beer academy that allows participants to indulge in a range of custom blended brews.  This month’s workshop features the festive theme of holiday brews.

On December 28 at 6:30 PM, the Beer Academy kicks off at the Goose Island brewery on Clybourne.

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This is Sparta! Sparta, Wisconsin, but hey, big beer bottles!

These giant bottles of Budweiser may be alongside the road, but that doesn’t mean they are encouraging you to drink and drive. However, it is okay to look longingly.

This post is part of UpTake’s Tuesday Roadside Attractions Series. If you have a photo of an odd, funny or interesting roadside attraction that you would like to see featured here please submit it via the link in the sidebar with subject line: Roadside.

Photo: Mykl Roventine via Flickr