Beer is a staple of the college-student diet. It often replaces such leisure-time activities at homework, studying, going to class, dinner, you know, the non-important stuff. So with a few of my own leisure items to blow off I decided to visit the Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, home of the delicious Pyramid beer.

The rich smell of Bratwurst, burgers and pizza wafted through the air and my waitress Olga soon found me a seat. I just happened to arrive on $2.50 pint night and quickly ordered a glass of the Thunderhead brew.

According to the menu this particular flavor boasts a, “floral aroma [that] strikes a harmonious blend between a sweet malt flavor and bold hop bitterness.” It was exactly as described, smooth and sweet at first taste with a bitter bite towards the end. I definitely enjoyed this brew though it wasn’t my favorite of the night.

That honor would fall to the Apricot Ale, a sweet fruit-flavored blend that is the perfect complement to the more decadent items of the menu, one being the pizza twists. It is hard for me to find the right words to impress upon the readers of this review of just how good these twists were. But I will try.

If these twists were a person, they would win the Nobel Peace Prize. If I had to choose between these twists and dating a super-model, I would choose the twists. If someone told me life on Mars was just discovered and that a fresh batch of these twists were ready, I would be more excited about the twist. So to sum up, these twists are delicious. House made Haywire Hefeweizen crust, stuffed with ranch, garlic, parmesan, and mozzarella and served with sides of ranch dressing and marinara sauce, basically the best appetizer known to man.

So after finishing the twists and ordering the seasonal ale, the Snow Cap, and dinner was served. In addition to the twists I ordered the Beer Braised Sausage, three different sausages served on a bed of mashed potatoes with sweet-mustard and barbecue dipping sauces. The first of the three, the Chicken-Apple sausage had a sweet and satisfying taste to it. I’d rank it as my second favorite of the three, with the Bratwurst coming in last and the Polish sausage coming in a resounding first.

At first I tried all three with the honey-mustard and quickly found the superiority of the barbecue sauce. The barbecue really complements the natural flavors of the sausages by bringing out their distinct tastes, especially with the Polish sausage. The Polish sausage had a great kind of smoky taste to it and with all the beer I was drinking I couldn’t eat them fast enough.

At $11.95 with the $2.50 pints I was in Heaven and my wallet wasn’t too much worse for the wear. Pyramid Alehouse offers discounts all throughout the week and of course, a delicious selection of beer.

If you’re looking for a way to get through midterms and finals I suggest the Apricot Ale or the seasonal brew, Snow Cap. Forget the library too, go downtown and spend your leisure-time at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery.

Your grades may not thank you, but your taste buds will.

Matt Rascher can be reached at [email protected]