Bottoms Up

Pizza and beer go together, but unfortunately, if you’re into good beer, the selection’s usually fairly limited at most places that specialize in pizza. There’s nothing wrong with pizza, but why must this fine dish be associated with pitchers of yellow American swill? Follow our pizza and beer list and you’ll never drink swill again.

Bobby G’s Pizzeria, 2072 University Ave., Berkeley, 510-665-8866. Excellent pizza. Proprietor Robert Gaustad has a decent stock of Belgians including all three Chimays. Also has the Guinness Surger and many West Coast craft beers.

Cato’s Ale House, 3891 Piedmont Ave. Oakland, (510) 655-3349. Another quite splendid pub. Good pub food, huge beer list. Great place to just hang out. This place started out as a pizzeria and it still serves excellent pizza.

Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 843-8277. Among the best pubs in the Bay Area. Find Russian River Pliny the Elder here. Decent pizza. An adult kind of place, college-age up.

Lanesplitter Pub & Pizza, 2033 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, (510) 845-1652. One of the best places in Berkeley to find a great selection of craft beer. Breweries and home brew clubs often hold events here. Excellent pizza.

Lanesplitter Temescal, 4799 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA 94609, 510-653-5350. A branch of the Berkeley pub in the newly trendy Temescal district. Good beer, live music. Excellent pizza

Mission Pizza & Pub. 1572 Washington Blvd., Fremont, 510-651-6858. Located near Interstate 680 on the southern edge of Fremont, this is a family pizza parlor with live music Friday and Saturday nights. But proprietor Phillip Willis is into craft beer, the harder to find, the better. If there’s something rare and unusual, he most likely has it. Besides, the pizza’s excellent.

Porky’s Pizza Palace, 1221 Manor Blvd., San Leandro, 510-357-4323. A reader recommended this one. I’d forgotten about it, but he’s right: This is a great beer place. Here’s the recommendation: “OK, OK, it’s a pizza place, but the beers on tap are pretty good.” No kidding. Proprietor Gary Valenziano has a long, varied and ever-changing beer list. Tap handles right now include Drake’s Expedition, Drake’s Mild, Deschutes Mirror Pond Ale, Green Flash West Coast IPA, Green Flash Hop Head, Anchor Steam, Anchor Porter, Trumer Pils, Marin Hoppy Holidaze, Hofbrauhaus (Munich) Maibock. Not too shabby, and the pizza is great.

Original Nick’s Pizzeria & Pub, 1214 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo, 650-574-1530. I’ve never been here, but fans in e-mails give it rave reviews for the beer list.

Rocco’s Pizzeria, 2909 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, 925-947-6105. This popular pizza joint in “the Creek” expanded last year, with a new bar and a decent beer list. This is the place to find Concord craft brewery Black Diamond’s beers, including the Belgian-style Blonde and Black Diamond Amber. There’s always a Lagunitas tap handle and something from Gordon Biersch besides the usual corporate stuff. Great pizza, too, (and a soundtrack heavy on Frank Sinatra).

Got a favorite pizzeria with an outstanding beer stock? Post your comment here or drop me an e-mail: whatsontap@sbcglobal.net.