Photo by James Short.
When Imprint Pizza Co. ran out of dough, basil, cheese, and pepperoni during last weekend’s soft launch of its pizza shop inside Imprint Beer Co. in Hatfield, owner Ryan Diehl saw it as a good sign.
Sure, it meant visiting restaurant supply stores for more products and items with his wife Lisa, but it also meant the brewery’s new food venture is a hit.
“We sold 243 pizzas last weekend. I wanted to be in the low 200s,” Diehl said Wednesday during a sampling of the new pizzas, which go great when paired with a cold IPA on draft. “The response has been very, very good. Everyone is impressed.”
While most breweries in the area with a food menu focus on flatbreads, sandwiches and finger foods, Diehl said the new pizzas coming out of the kitchen area, complete with four new pizza ovens, is something unique for a brewery.
Where else can you get food, beer and play video games in one location?
“I wanted to do pizza coming out of Covid. I was going to do pizza by myself, and I had an employee at the time who worked at a pizza shop, and he said, ‘Ryan, I’ll teach you everything you need to know, but ... why mess around with pizza?’,” he said.
Fast forward to Diehl getting into pizza – like really getting into pizza. He was making all types at home, like Neapolitan, and then traveling everywhere to check out the best pizza places.
“I got into it. I read, I tried, I messed up, and then I got some good things going,” he said.
After all, research is key to introducing a new product, especially one that hits your nose as soon as you walk in to Suite R off 1500 Industry Road.
“I went out to Phoenix,” Diehl said, “and I had the best wood-fired pizza I’ve ever had out there at a place called Pizzeria Bianco.”
By James Short 
By James Short Once Diehl was ready to switch from making pizzas from a home setting to a work setting, he brought on Leo from Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza.
“We make everything – we make the sauce and the dough is handmade from scratch every day,” he said, adding that Leo likes to prep and proof dough balls at least two days ahead of time.
“This is not your standard pizza; it’s not what you get in town,” Diehl said. “It’s New York style, with a Neapolitan concept. Light seasoning, you can really taste the tomatoes, we use really high end cheese, sprinkle some pecorino and parmesan and oregano on top.”
The current top seller is the hot honey and pepperoni pizza, he said. Imprint Pizza Co. also offers Margherita, plain and pepperoni pizza options in 16-inch and 12-inch pies. Prices are $12 or $14 for a 12-inch pie and $20 to $22 for a 16-inch pie.
Furthermore, Imprint Pizza Co. will exclusively do Detroit-style pizza on Fridays only, offered as plain, pepperoni or hot honey and pepperoni, ranging from $24 to $26 for a pie.
“We pre-bake the crust, then when you order we put toppings on and make a whole pizza,” he said. “We had them at a party last week and they were incredible.”
Diehl said other pizzas are in the works, including white pizza and burrata pizza. Burrata is a soft, Italian cheese made from mozzarella, cream, cow’s milk and fresh cheese curds.
By James Short 
By James Short The burrata pizza sampled on Wednesday was not too thin and not too thick with a crispy crust and rich flavors, with a crunch that only strengthens the taste. It paired well with the Gang Green double dry-hopped hazy double IPA or the 6ix Haze double IPA with Mosaic, Vic Secret, Eclipse and Nelson hops.
The Detroit pizza was about 7/8 of an inch thick and similar to a Sicilian pizza in presentation. However, the Imprint Pizza Detroit style pizza is super light with an airy crust with a gourmet taste. One could certainly eat more than one slice and not feel as full as with a Sicilian style pizza.
Imprint Pizza Co. does not stop at pizza – desserts are also on the menu. At present, the pizza company offers hazelnut chocolate and Limoncello cake. For those who avoid beer, no problem – Imprint Pizza offers Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Brisk Iced Tea, and juice boxes.
“Pizza will bring people in, unlike normal brewery food,” Diehl said. “If you and your wife want pizza on a Friday night, take it out or eat here. If you don’t want beer, get Coke or iced tea.”
That is exactly what Hatfield resident Jayne Gerani Panetta and her boyfriend, Joe, did on Wednesday.
“We wanted to get something quick and easy,” she said. “We were here Saturday, and had the pizza, and came back tonight. I liked the honey hot and pepperoni. That was awesome.”
Panetta was looking forward to more options down the line.
“I really liked it,” she said.
Diehl said Imprint will average 200 to 300 customers a night. While it has seating for 110 people, the facility is roomy and expansive, with all its brewery operations in view and a Gnarcadium Retro Arcade in the back of the brewery, with free play all day.
“If you get 500 people here on a Saturday, and they’re here for just the beer, they stay for a little bit. If they are here for the arcade and food, they stay a lot longer, and maybe take some home because they like it so much,” he said. “It’s a domino effect.”
For six years, Imprint Beer has been hidden away in the industrial park off Schwab Road. There is no signage directing you to the location, but once found, people claim it as their hidden gem.
“I think people like our beer first and foremost – Schmoojees are less than half of our total sales and hazy IPAs are another third – and I think they like that it’s a bit of a hidden gem. It’s not on Main Street and I bet if you talk to five of your cousins, at least four never heard of us, or nine out of 10 co-workers won’t hear about it,” Diehl said. “However, if you find us, you know something others might not know.”
Imprint Beer Co. is closed Monday and Tuesday, but offers cornhole games on Wednesday, trivia and new beer releases on Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday are packed with families.
“We get a lot of people traveling and find us for a beer. The beer tourism is not like we used to have, but we get people from out of state and out of our area to come and have our beer,” Diehl said. “People still want to get out and have a good time. Eat, drink, come back.”
Imprint Beer Co. and Imprint Pizza Co. are open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. A phone number to place pizza orders will be in place next week.
