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Pi Pizzeria & Craft Beer slated to open before Christmas
Published: 12/13/2012 12:55 PM
Last Modified: 12/13/2012 12:55 PM


Brewmaster Clint Engles is putting the finishing touches on the new Pi Pizzeria & Craft Beer in London Square. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World

Pi Pizzeria & Craft Beer, 5800 S. Lewis Ave., should be open before Christmas, according to brewmaster Clint Engles.

“We aren’t there yet, but a lot of the things left to do are just cosmetic,” Engles said.

Engles will brew all of the beer for the restaurant, and owner Marcos Matheos will be in charge of the pizza, both deep dish and regular.

Matheos has been involved in previous pizza ventures (Pie Hole and Enzo’s), and his mother is the longtime owner of Tucci’s on Cherry Street.

Engles will brew a variety of 3.2, or low-point, beers and always have six on tap. He said the first six will be dunkel, stout, IPA, American pale ale, saison and rye.

“Craft beer and deep-dish pizza is a hard combination to beat,” Engles said.

The restaurant, located in London Square, will have an eclectic, funky ambience, with most of the furniture and decorations hand-made by Matheos and Engles from repurposed materials.

“Other stuff are just things he or I have had in storage, like old ammo boxes, Edison bulbs, old chairs from St. Michael’s Alley and beams we pulled out of a barn to build a 16-foot table,” Engles said. “We built the table on site, and there’s no way you could get it out of here.

“We also pulled some old architectural drawings we found in the Dumpster out back and turned them into wallpaper for a bathroom.”

Engles said he expects the restaurant to be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.



Reader Comments 8 Total

hey bartender (2 months ago)
From the photo, the brewmaster looks like he really could use a brew.
Major Beige (2 months ago)
3.2 ABV is seriously under spec for the styles mentioned. 4-6% is typical for many craft brew styles, according to Beer Judging Certification Program guidelines.
kaos23 (2 months ago)
A 3.2% stout? Not possible. 3.2% IPA? Doesn't exist. I wonder where this "brewmaster" picked up his trade.
DesireeKnott (2 months ago)
Guys, calm down. First, 3.2 ABW is actually 4.0% ABV which is what most states use to designate the alcohol content of their beer.
Second, unless they want to pay the kickbacks to the distributors, thus making it much more difficult to sell at a profit, then 3.2 is all he can brew legally. The red tape to brew "strong" beer for a brewpub is a non-starter.
Third, shhhhhh. As long as he doesn't go crazy making big styles like doppelbocks and barleywines, then he can make really good "3.2" beer. Wink wink nod nod.
Why don't you give his beers a try and THEN criticize his Brewmaster ability. I'm quite certain he is aware of styles and knows what that means. If his beers suck, then throw all the tomatoes you want at him.
Dr. Strangelove (2 months ago)
This place sounds great- hopefully something can get traction in that location.
Major Beige (2 months ago)
For most people, whether a beer "sucks" or not depends on whether they like it, and that's a fair and practical way to approach things. As you know, craft brewers also factor in how well a beer conforms to the BJCP standards of its style. A low-point IPA might appeal to restaurant goers, but it's not, strictly speaking, a great example of the style. It's like show dogs vs. the lovable family mutt. It all depends on what you're looking for, and obviously, this is a restaurant, not a brewing competition. The average diner will be just fine with the "craft beer" billing, but some of us beer snobs might cringe at the 3.2 restriction. I'll give Pi a try, though. The decor sounds cool, and if the pie is good and the ale OK, then that will work for me.
Mar (2 months ago)
Is this related to the old My Pi pizza place from the 1970's?
Okietransplant (last month)
Micro low-point ABW/ABV is really starting to become a trend and an art in craft breweries. Many breweries, especially in the NW, are working hard to develop low ABV beers that retain "craft style" flavor. This past year Food & Wine magazine and Draft magazine both had articles on the matter.
I myself have only tried low-point craft brews at Bricktown Brewery with mixed reviews. I appreciate anyone who brews their own crafts but I know the brewmaster at Bricktown Brewery (now owned by Rock Bottom) aren't well know, but Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company (Pliny Pliny Pliny!) is delving into low-point brews and recently admitted to only drinking low-point beer at home (that he brews) and at the RRB pub.
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