Publisher:
Details Magazine
Date Published:
05/11/2012
Description / Excerpt:
They're bubbly like fine Champagnes, cheaper than Cabs, and, best of all, designed to be consumed immediately. Say hello to the new beverage of choice at quality restaurants across the country: high-end Italian brews.
Jeff Benjamin and his business partner, James Beard Award-winning chef Marc Vetri, are so convinced that these artisan-driven Italian bottles deserve a prime place at the table that in February they opened Alla Spina, a restaurant in Philly devoted entirely to the trend. The menu lists at least 20 Italian beers—the selection changes seasonally—including Piccolo Birrificio Seson from Liguria (brewed with Chinotto oranges and juniper), Baladin Nora from Piedmont (Egyptian-inspired ale brewed with kamut wheat, ginger, orange peel and myrrh), and Bruton Lilith from Tuscany (inspired by English bitter and brewed with American Cascade hops)...."
Credits:
Andy Clurfeld
URL:
http://www.details.com/blogs/daily-details/2012/05/is-high-end-italian-beer-the-next-barolo.html
Publisher:
La Cucina Italiana
Date Published:
05/10/2012
Description / Excerpt:
"Perched at 1,000 feet above sea level, Bricco di Neive, population 60, overlooks some of the most prized vineyards in Barbaresco. In Piedmontese dialect, bricco or bric refers to the highest peak of a group of hills in the region. For generations, locals, including famed winemaker Bruno Giacosa, have spent their days crafting some of Italy’s finest wines here. While many climb these remote hills to taste the fruits of their labor, this small province also has become a destination for another prize, one that draws crowds of up to 300 on any given Saturday. They come from around the world to drink the beer at the brewery, bar and restaurant CitaBiunda.
This craft beer outpost is responsible for elegant brews like BiancaNeive, a rich wheat beer with pronounced aromas of banana, orange peel and coriander, and SensuAle, a corpulent amber ale with surprisingly complex aromas. They, among others, are the handcrafted products of Marco Marengo, a 32-year-old brewer from nearby Alba, who started CitaBiunda with his childhood friend, Stefano Lombardi, in the center of Neive five years ago.
Today, Marengo produces 35,000 liters per year, and he’s not alone. There are currently more than 430 microbreweries operating in Italy, and this number is expected to reach 500 by the end of the year. Fifteen years ago, annual consumption of artisanal beer was about 4,200 U.S. barrels—today it is 383,475 U.S. barrels, says Teo Musso, owner of the Le Baladin brewery, bar and restaurant empire. Quite a wave, considering the first bottles of craft Italian beer appeared on the market in the mid-1990s.
From Torino to Taormina, “birra artigianale”—unpasteurized and unfiltered beer made on a small scale from quality ingredients—has won the hearts of the food savvy. It is a trend that few saw coming in a notoriously wine-centric culture. But a combination of creative, bold brewers, regulatory freedom and a fan base with a receptive palate has catapulted it into the spotlight of the contemporary Italian food scene..."
Credits:
Marisa Huff
URL:
http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/article/the-new-birra-italiana
Publisher:
Philadelphia Inquirer
Date Published:
05/10/2012
Description / Excerpt:
"The word birrificio may not yet quite roll off the tongue.
But if Philadelphians continue to plunge into the exotic new beers that have recently begun appearing here from Tuscany, Piedmont, and Emiglia-Romagna, brewed with everything from chestnuts to barbera grapes, chinotto peel and myrrh, the Italian word for brewery should become a familiar one, indeed.
The unfamiliarity is understandable. In a country better known for vino like Chianti and Barolo, the craft-beer industry is still in its infancy, dating only to 1996, when Teo Musso and Agostino Arioli opened their pioneering breweries in Piedmont, Birreria Le Baladin and Birrificio Italiano, respectively. Since then, however, there has been an explosion of growth from about 20 breweries in 2002 to more than 450 today, according to Matthias Neidhart of importer B. United International. It is in many ways a movement inspired by America’s own beer renaissance, but has taken on a distinctive Italian spin, rooted in bold, inventive styles and in a concerted effort to make beers that pair with food..."
Credits:
Craig LaBan, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
URL:
http://articles.philly.com/2012-05-10/news/31656211_1_beer-renaissance-german-beers-matthias-neidhart
Publisher:
Tasting Table San Francisco
Date Published:
12/15/2010
Description / Excerpt:
"Step aside, Belgium.
San Francisco's beer geeks have found a new obsession from an unlikely country: Italy.
Italian beer has long been an afterthought--a large bottle of Peroni cracked open to wash down a pizza at a Roman-style trattoria.
But thanks to a new generation of Italian brewmasters, many of whom were inspired by Teo Musso's trailblazing work at Le Baladin brewery in Piedmont, there is an ever-growing variety of distinctive Italian beers from which to choose. Lucky for us, local beverage directors are catching the refreshing wave..."
Credits:
Tasting Table
URL:
http://tastingtable.com/entry_detail/sf/2487/San_Franciscos_infatuation_with_new_Italian_beers.htm
Publisher:
Beer Chronicles
Date Published:
06/11/2010
Description / Excerpt:
"Yesterday afternoon in Rome the 2011 Italian beer Guide by Slow Food was officially presented. As you may know, this is one of the most important issue on Italian craft beer, which offers a detailed survey on Italian brewers and their beers, with descriptions, specifications and evaluations. The event was hosted by Vinòforum, a long standing Capitoline wine event. Certainly not a “friendly environment”, but this suggests the important status achieved by beer among wine lovers..."
Credits:
Andrea Turco, Beer Chronicles
URL:
http://www.beer-chronicles.com/articles-books-media/565/introducing-the-slow-food-guida-alle-birre-ditalia-2011/
Publisher:
Bon Apetit
Date Published:
06/01/2010
Description / Excerpt:
The country known for Pinot Grigio and Super Tuscans has recently become a creative frontier for beer.
Credits:
Justin Philips
URL:
http://www.bonappetit.com/
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| Picture: Piccolo Birrificio's Seson & Chiostro |
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