Wood fired pizzas are popular at Knuth Brewing Co. in Ripon. (March 2, 2018) Daniel Higgins | USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin


RIPON - Craft beer deserves craft pizza. At Knuth Brewing Co.brewpub, it's a combination that makes this week's Hot Dish feature.

Each pizza starts with hand-tossed dough creating the perfect thickness for a finished crust that's both crunchy and chewy. I know that seems like any oxymoron, but it's not. 

The red sauce starts with tomatoes that brewery and restaurant owner Dave Knuth can tell you about in exacting detail of how soon they are canned after being picked. 

Sure, you can build your own pizzas from 21 toppings (you can even add feta, goat or Gorgonzola to your cheese experience), but there are specialty options as well.

Among the often ordered specialty 'zas are Dave's Fave (red sauce, fresh basil, garlic, portabella mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella) and Blue Fungi with Prosciutto (olive oil base, portabella mushrooms, prosciutto, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, mozzarella and Gorgonzola). 

All pizzas get a blast of 800-degree heat in a brick oven — which Knuth built himself — heated by locally sourced hardwoods.

"We cook our pizzas at a little lower temperature than a lot of places," says Knuth. "If we leave it in there even an extra minute, I feel like the flavors develop more and the crust gets a little crispier."

That brick oven does more than bake pizzas in just a few minutes. Nearly every menu item — including chicken wings — gets a blast of wood fueled heat. The only other heat source in the open kitchen is a panini press. No deep fryers here.

Knuth was well versed in the restaurant business before opening his brew pub in 2015 the heart of Ripon including general manager for Christiano's Pizza in Green Lake.

The brewing started as a hobby with a home brew kit from his father-in-law eight years ago. Word of his brewing skills is spreading as the self-distributed beer can be found from Oshkosh to Wautoma to Green Lake. Demand has grown enough that the brewery recently added more equipment to increase capacity. They can handle up to 600 barrels annually. Bottles are making their way to shelves in Ripon.

If you're looking for beer pairings with the pizzas, Knuth doesn't hesitate. The hoppiness of their American pale ale is just aggressive enough to not get overpowered by the sharpness of the Gorgonzola in the Blue Fungi. The more classic flavors of Dave's Fave goes best with easy drinking Blue-Eyed Blonde.

Is it coincidence he suggests that the beer named for his wife, who has blue eyes and blonde hair, is the best pairing with a pizza named after him?


Menu Sampler: Sides, $4.95-$10.99, cheese board, wood-fired wings; Paninis made with fresh baked bread, $7.99, Thai turkey served with a side of Thai chili sauce; Salads, soups and wraps, $3.95-$9.99; Wood-fired pizzas, $6.95-$15.95, personal size serves one, large serves one to two people.


Location: 221 Watson St., Ripon

Contact: 920-748-5188

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