Amicas Pizza Microbrew & More: Salida, Colorado

08.07.09 – 08.08.09
Travel to: Pagosa Brewing Company, Pagosa Springs, CO

One of my favorite brewery road trips is a visit to Amicas in Salida, Colorado. Amicas is located in Salida's artsy and very walkable historic downtown. Amicas is a cozy, friendly and exceptionally consistent pizza brewery. It's clean and well-decorated with hip art on the walls. The restaurant is designed so that you order at the counter as you come in. However, you can also start a tab if you want to order additional beers or other items. While the ordering process differs from other traditional pubs, it gets you in and served very quickly.

The menu is posted on the wall and the ordering is straightforward. You are welcome to customize your order, which makes for totally unique pizzas and salads. In fact, the friendly staff always has lots of suggestions. You'll be given a table number and you select where you want to sit. Drinks are served almost immediately. Salads show up in just a few minutes. Pizzas arrive piping hot shortly thereafter.

For me, Amicas offers wonderful combinations of beer and food. Their wood-fired, thin crust pizzas and calzones are some of the best I've ever experienced. Couple that with a range of tasty panini sandwiches, Italian lasagnas, spaghetti al forno, innovative salads and homemade soups, and you've got a terrific restaurant.

Now add the beer! Mike LaCroix, Amica's head brewer, crafts some really top-notch beers including Bomber Blonde, Green Chile Ale, Rex's Amber Ale, Headwaters IPA, Big S Brown and Double Wide Oatmeal Stout. My wife is always keen on the Green Chile Beer. Mike usually offers unique seasonal beers, too. On our last visit, I really enjoyed national award-winning Weekender Imperial Red and the Smoked & Oaked Porter. I suggest their sampler tray as a good starting point.

From a technical perspective, it's really impressive that Mike can make such great beers in such a compact brewery. Let's put it this way, it's best to view the brewery through the sliding glass doors because you'd have to squeeze in sideways to take a tour!

If you're driving from Denver, Fort Collins, or Colorado Springs toward the Four Corners area of Southwest Colorado, I recommend making the slight detour to visit downtown Salida for great food and great beer.

Amicas Pizza Microbrew & More
136 East Second Street
Salida, CO 81201
amicassalida.typepad.com/

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