Italian Beer Series: San Gabriel "Birral della Scala" (Busco di Ponte di Piave)

Founded in 1997, San Gabriel is a brewery located near Treviso that is committed to the "purity" of the Reinheitsgebot and the greatness of the products of the Veneto.  Following the basic Bavarian recipe, the company sources much of their barley and hops from local producers, and they take great pride with their local source of water.  However, they also produce seasonal beers from local products that are definitely not kosher with the Bavarians:  figs, radicchio, and chestnuts from Treviso; yellow peppers from Zero Bianco; rice from Isola della Scala.  Despite their professed adherence to the Bavarian law, this brewery is, in the end, an Italian type through and through.

Italian Beer Series: Birrificio Artigianale Scaligero Mastino II "Beatrice" (Mezzane di Sotto)

Birrificio Artigianale Scaligero Mastino II (really long name! BASM in short...) is a Veronese brewery specializing in classic, traditional recipes from Britain, Germany, and Belgium.  Seemingly characteristic of the many breweries located in the Veneto and in opposition to the breweries of Lombardy and Piemonte, BASM does not try to fiddle around too much with the classics.  Whereas breweries in Milan and Torino may add grapes and fruits to their beer, BASM keeps it simple by adhering to the basic ingredients: malt, yeast, hops, and water.  This may or may not be as a result of the brewery's relative inexperience--it is just under three years old, previously specializing in providing the equipment fo commercial brewing--but their relatively simple approach nevertheless produces well-tasting brews.

Italian Beer Series: Birra Amarcord Gradisca (Apecchio)

Originating from Rimini, the makers of Birra Amarcord pays an homage to the city's most famous son, Federico Fellini.  Their beers are named after the enigmatic female characters of Fellini's "Amarcord," his extremely exaggerated story about growing up in Rimini.  In the film, Gradisca is the town's celebrity beauty queen, the classy seductress that all the young boys fawns over but reserves her beauty and charm for the town's powerful Fascist officers.  The beer I'm sure was likened to her "classiness" and classic beauty, but the fieriness of Gradisca's sexuality was lost on the brew's limp and almost watery taste.  The pleasant earthy and grainy aroma delivered by a white creamy head held promise, but it didn't necessarily translated into rich flavor.  Instead, the beer tasted like a light beer, with its 5.4% alcohol barely registering or making an impact.  Judging by the loftiness of claiming inspiration from one of the best movies ever made, this beer was quite a disappointment. 

Italian Beer Series: Acelum "Freya" (Castelucco)

Brewed by a company that made the switch from producing equipment for wine production to  producing equipment beer brewing, Acelum only started making beers as a way to demonstrate the capabilities of the machineries and parts that they produce.  A year later, the company decides to commercially manufacture and bottle their "sample batches" due to the overwhelmingly positive feedback they receive.  One of the four beers they produce is Freya, named after Freya Stark, the turn of the century British travel writer who wrote about exotic locales in the Middle East but called the hills of Asolo her home.  Freya is a 4.5% Belgian style ale perfect as a session beer, the lightness of which is made more pronounced by the fizziness reminiscent of the area's prosecco. The color is a deep and hazy gold that produces a god solid head.  The aroma is of citrus and hops with the sweetness of honey.  The flavor is nice and balanced, with the bitterness of hops and citrus peel coming in the middle.  A great beer--hopefully the company decides to make more than just a side project of their brewery!

Hop on the Italian Booze Cruise!

Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa, Rome's reputed best pub for Italian craft beer and considered one of the best pubs in the world, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary by sailing a very big boat from Rome to Barcelona and back carrying a lot of beer for a few lucky people.  The itinerary includes debates and discussions about beer, free supply of high-quality Italian craft beer, as well as a beer-centric tour of Barcelona, all for a not-so-bad price (starting at 275 euros).  Now, I've never heard of Spain in general and Barcelona in particular to be a great heaven for craft beer, but I think the free flow of craft beer on board is enough of a motivation to go.