I haven’t seen an actual copy of this month’s Ale Street News, but the greatest debate since Nixon/Kennedy is now posted on line.
Well, let’s just say that Stephen Beaumont and I have different pints of view. Bottom line: He’ll be here for Philly Beer Week, too.
I spent the last two days straightening out the calendar at Philly Beer Week, so it should be a bit easier to read. It’s now up to 129 separate events over 10 days, plus a half-dozen nightly dinners and specials.
This being Philly, the negativity has commenced. Too much beer? What a lightweight. The writer should hang out with this crew.
Local Breweries Self-Guided Tour
7 Breweries and 8 Bars
6 p.m.-Midnight
$4 Pints until the sixtel runs dry.Â
Locations:
1. Jose Pistolas - Iron Hill - Vienna Lager
2. Good Dog - Dock Street - Satellite Espresso Porter
3. Misconduct - Flying Fish - Bourbon Abbey Dubbel
4. Black Sheep - Yards - Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale
5. Devil’s Alley - Sly Fox - Seamus Red Ale
6. Nodding Head - Nodding Head - BPA
7. Fergie’s - Tröeg’s - Nugget Nectar
8. Mcgillin’s - Everyone
The event starts at Jose Pistolas and we will move from bar to bar. After we finish the sixtel at each bar we will progress to the next location. The locations are numbered in the order we will progress. This is a going to be a great night with local brewers leading a tour through some of their favorite watering holes in Center City.
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.
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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.
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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!
Remember the Book & the Cook? That was the week-long restaurant event that brought in cookbook authors and paired them for special dinners at area restaurants. The event basically collapsed, then made a meager comeback last year.
Anyway, in 2006, the Book & the Cook boasted of presenting 67 separate restaurant events.
In its first year, Philly Beer Week - which is basically the same idea as B&C, only with beer - has already organized 114 separate events, nearly all of them pairing brewers, writers, importers and other beer experts.
Twenty-five days till the first keg is tapped, and the calendar now lists more events than I can count. Here’s a cool one:
Beer and gourmet meatball slider tasting with Garrett Oliver at London Grill, 2301 Fairmount Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19130 www.londongrill.com 215-978-4545. 5-8 p.m., Monday March 10. Pay as you go
Join Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and author of The Brewmaster’s Table, for a special beer and gourmet meatball slider tasting at London Grill. Chef Michael McNally will prepare the special dishes, including meatball sliders of venizon, wild boar, duck and foie gras, and shrimp and lobster. Other plates will feature London’s house-made charcuterie and artisanal cheeses.
Now that’s a dish you don’t associate with Garrett Oliver: meatballs. Garrett, of course, is one of the nation’s top authorities on pairing beer and food. That’s food, as in the fine dishes served on china with white linens. But I’ve had McNally’s meatballs and they can hold their own against any gourmet dish (y’know, I’ve written that sentence 10 different ways, and it just sounds dirty every time). Anyway, I’m guessing the sliders will pair nicely with Brooklyn Local 1.
Brewing has commenced at Philadelphia Brewing Co. in Kensington, and they’re saying they’ll have beer in kegs by the end of the month. That’s excellent news (especially since I’m planning on pouring their new Rowhouse Red at Joe Sixpack’s Philly Favorites fest during Philly Beer Week).
And, yes, there has been a keg or two of the brewery’s products floating around already, but they were brewed up at the Porterhouse brewpub in Lahaska where brewer Dean Browne also brews.
Well, if you’ve visited the Sansom Street German tavern in the past 2 months, this will come as no surprise. Ludwig’s finally called it quits following the sale of the property. (Nice report from Kirsten Henri at FooBooz.) Though the barstaff insisted to me on at least 3 occasions since Dec. 1st that it wasn’t closing, it was pretty obvious the end was near. For one thing, you could hardly find a German beer on tap.
It’s doubtful the new joint will be German, which means there are absolutely no authentic Bavarian restaurants in Philly any longer. Look, I don’t expect lederhosen on the bartenders, but some smart tavern owner better start pouring Schneider Aventinus and Spaten Optmator or I’m going to go postal.
The calendar continues to grow, including new events out in the suburbs. For city dwellers too lazy to cross City Avenue, though, here’s a good way to get a foreign taste:
Beer and Cheese pairing with Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant at DiBruno Brothers, 1730 Chestnut St., 2nd floor. 215-665-1659.
6-8 p.m., Friday, March 14. $45
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, the East Coast’s fastest growing brewery/restaurant group with seven locations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, will host a beer and cheese pairing event at DiBruno’s. Chris LaPierre, Head Brewer of Iron Hill’s West Chester location will select six handcrafted beers, including his Cannibal, Saison and Quadruppel, to perfectly match with DiBruno’s cheeses. LaPierre and a DiBruno cheese specialist will lead the informative tasting.
Iron Hill has locations throughout the region, but none inside the city. If you’ve never had a chance to taste the brewpub’s best, get your tix now. LaPierre’s Quadruppel and Saison can stand with any Belgian-style ales you’ve ever tasted.
Chocolate beer for Valentine’s Day is the theme of the week. I got in touch with Sam Calagione and Dr. Pat McGovern to talk about their latest archeological treasure, Theobroma, a cacao-based beer - just the sort of thing Aztec warriors would’ve gulped after one of those bloody scenes from “Apocalypto.” The beer will debut at the upcoming tutored tasting at the Penn Museum during Philly Beer Week.
But if you’ve been gulping Viagra and can’t wait that long, head over to Nodding Head (1516 Sansom St., Center City) where brewer Gordon Grubb is serving stout flavored with French chocolates.
And let’s not forget Flying Fish Love Fish, the cherry-infused version of its beautiful Abbey Dubbel. It’s hard to find, but I’m told The Grey Lodge (6235 Frankford Ave., Mayfair) will be pouring it side-by-side with Rogue Chocolate Stout.
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