Beer Radar

Who doesn’t enjoy discovering new beer? This week, I feel like I just hit the jackpot with the trove of Italian beers that just showed up in town. Turns out I’m way behind the curve.

Stonch’s Beer Blog has been looking at Italian beer for the past year. There’s some good stuff here.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Dabove - who may be the world’s leading expert on the Italian beer scene - has lots at his web site, though most of it’s in Italian.

Here’s more of my email interview with Lorenzo:

   

 

Joe Sixpack: What’s the beer scene like in Italy? We see mainly Moretti and Peroni here; how big is the craft beer scene?

Lorenzo Dabove: The situation has radically changed. Of course powerful multinational companies producing mass market lagers are still dominating the market, but the slice of good Italian craft beer is increasing day by day. Ten years ago the only option to avoid crap was to find a good Belgian beer. Now our lucky consumers can add some of the most interesting and original brews of the world.

 

J6: To what do you attribute the growing craft scene? How did it start? How does it compare to American crafts?

LD: Everybody knows that Italian people love good life. That once mainly meant good food and good wine. Just after the birth of an exciting “made in Italy” [movement] in brewing, Italian drinkers got the opportunity to taste unfiltered and unpasteurized tasty beers. They never came back. They are eager to improve their tasting skills becoming more and more demanding pushing brewers to experiment and research new, original beers. Italian craft beer movement was born in the mid-nineties from a bunch of pioneers. Most of them were homebrewers who discovered brewpubs during their trip in UK, Belgium, Germany and USA.  Soon, in 1998, they created an association called Unionbirrai with the main goal to promote craft beer culture, being present in main events. Just one year later, Unionbirrai proudly became a member of EBCU (European Beer Consumers Union) along with countries of old tradition in brewing as UK, Belgium, The Netherlands and many others. Currently, after ten years, new brewers are taking inspiration from the pioneers. Although in smaller size, we can compare our craft beer scene to the incredible American Renaissance. In 1996, [there were] only six or seven; now we can count around 200 breweries, located all around Italy, not only in the Northern areas as before.   Craft beers are available in pubs, beer-shops, best restaurants and wine-bars. Media are more and more interested on craft beer scene. As in US, the secret of this success is the great quality and large variety of the beers, covering almost all classic styles, adding some additional new beer-styles.

 

J6: Are there any specific beer styles that are growing in Italy?

LD: Yes, along with original and bold extreme brewing, we can claim at least Italian beer-styles. Around thirty brewers make very nice chestnut beers using different chestnut fruit varieties employed in different ways as dried, smoked, roasted, flour, chestnut honey and so on.  Some of them are exported to US, such as strong lager Strada San Felice from Birrificio Grado Plato near Turin and the astonishing strong ale Palanfrina from Birrificio Troll in alpine upper Piedmont. Another beer style is spelt-beer from traditional spelt growing areas as Tuscany, Latium and Abruzzo. Tuscan guy Roberto Giannarelli of Birrificio Petrognola is at truck driver from Monday to Friday while he is a brewer in the week-end. He uses spelt grains in all his awarded beers.

 

J6: Who are the major players in the craft beer scene?

LD: The most known Italian brewer is without any doubt Teo Musso, genius-brewer of Le Baladin. His beers are well known in US. For his Nora, based on one old Egyptian recipe, he uses kamut grains and Ethiophian resins. His masterpiece Xyauyù is not far from a porto wine, with Solera wine oxidized flavors. Agostino Arioli of Birrificio Italiano brews a large range of great lagers and ales. His Tipopils is atop the list of pils beer-styles on ratebeer.com. For his light, refreshing Fleurette he uses rye, petals of rose and violets, elderberry juice, black pepper and citrus honey. His Scires, with Vignola black cherries, lactic bacteria and wooden chips, is highly appreciated by Charlie Papazian as one of his favorite beers of the world. Among new brewers, Giovanni Campari of Birrificio del Ducato brews a nice American Pale Ale called AFO (Ale for Obsessed) and the fresh and scented New Morning (Nuova Mattina), a great interpretation of a classic Belgian-style saison. Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birra del Borgo infuses Kentucky Tobacco leaves in his KeTo Re Porter. He uses oriental tea-leaves for his Tè and gentiane roots for his Genziana. These are only few examples. We have a lot of skillful young brewer, all to look at.
 

J6: Of course Italy is known for its wine – how do you think the beer compares with the wine? Is wine influencing the brewers?

 LD: Some of our brewers live and work in wine-growing areas, they love wine so it was natural for them to be inspired from winemakers technologies. Renzo Losi of Panil Brewery is son of a winemaker. He was the first in Italy to age a brown ale in French Bordeaux barrels, making his awarded Panil Barriquée Sour, which was the winner, in London, in a contest against the famous Rodenbach Grand Cru. His brand new Divina is the first spontaneous-fermented (as flat lambic) in Italy. Sardinian guy Nicola Perra of Birrificio Barley uses sapa (boiled wort) of local Cannonau wine for his wondeful BB 10. Last but not least, Riccardo Franzosi brews several beers blending blond or amber ales with local wines as Timorasso and Moscato di Amburgo. Furthermore he brews the magnificent Dolii Raptor (stolen for the barrel) matured six month in Barbera wine barrels.

 

J6: One of the things I’ve noticed in my travels to Europe is the number of Italian beer tourists. They seem to be extremely avid in their pursuit of good beer around the world. What is driving these beer fans?

 LD: Please do not call me immodest but most discovered Belgium, US above all and other countries as well, following my great passion for beer hunting. I think to have influenced the young generation, specially about Belgian and American beers. My love for lambic is now partaken by thousands of beer hunter. I agree with you, they are more avid in their pursuit. I am very proud of them.

  

J6: Finally, what is your relationship with the Italian beer industry – are you a member or founder of any beer organizations? I know you do a good bit of writing – are you a journalist?

LD: I am a professional beer taster with a free-spirit. I fight against industrial crap, I try to campaign and promote good craft beers of the world, Italian products first! I am the Cultural Director of Unionbirrai so I organize all taste workshops, tasting sessions, tasting courses and other cultural events. I am judge at WBC in US, European Beer Stars in Munich and in all Italian brewer and homebrewer competitions. I work with Slow Food organization, teaching in Master of Food project and leading taste workshops in their main events.  I am not strictly a journalist, but I write for Unionbirrai News magazine and free-lance for several magazines and web-magazines.  I wrote a book “Le Birre” published by Gribaudo, the chapter about Italy of last Michael Jackson’s book publised by KD. I am writing a book on craft breweries and the chapter about Italy of a new book for KD, London. I reveal you a little secret: I am an avant-garde poet and tale writer, playing my character Kuaska (an alien poet with Mr. Spock ears and nose flutes) in theaters. Nothing to do with beer, which takes up about 99% of my time!

This entry was posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 am and is filed under Weekly column. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.