May 12, 2021
Italy is definitely not what anyone would consider part of
Europe’s traditional brewing heartland: In terms of beverages, the
Southern European country is mostly known for its amazing wines,
which complement its world-class cuisine. But since the mid-90s,
Italy has developed a relatively small but dynamic brewing scene,
which originally started in the country’s north, before spreading
throughout the Italian peninsula. Brewers like Agostino Arioli at
Birrificio Italiano—not far from Lake Como, north of Milan—have
inspired beer makers in the U.S. and the U.K. to make their own
Italian-style Pilsners, after Birrificio Italiano’s Tipopils. Other
Italian brewers have experimented with the country’s native wine
grapes, resulting in Italian Grape Ale, one of Italy’s first
“native” beer styles to gain international attention.
In this episode, I talk to Maurizio Maestrelli, one of Italy’s
leading drinks writers and the author of a recent article, “Grape
News — How a New Generation of Italian Brewers Created Italian
Grape Ale,” that ran in our Mother of Invention series, created in
partnership with Guinness. We discuss the history of Italian Grape
Ale and the origins of the Italian craft beer boom, including some
of the leading figures of Italy’s beer renaissance, like Teo Musso
at Birra Baladin and Nicola Perra at Birrificio Barley. We also
talk about Italy’s other “indigenous” beer style, Chestnut Ale, and
the rich relationship Italians have with food of all kinds. As
Maurizio notes, Italians don’t just think of “citrus” as a flavor.
Instead, they’ll say they’re identifying the aroma of lemon or
chinotto, citron or bergamot. Italian brewers who make Italian
Grape Ales will say that beers using the same type of grape can
have very different grape flavors, if those grapes were merely
grown on different parts of the same island.
While recording this podcast, we did experience some technical
difficulties with a bit of noise that comes in and out—we apologize
for that. If you’re interested in how Italy has embraced good
beer—and created several good beer styles of its own—I think you’ll
find the discussion worth your while.