Lee Ving from the band FEAR put it best:
“More beer, more beer
All I want is more beer
More beer, more beer
All I want is more beer, more beer”
What do you do when you have been around the proverbial beer block? You join in with a group of friends and enjoy some fine crafted beer from a fledgling brewing community. This particular community has been enveloped in the wine culture for centuries, and now just coming out of the grapevine to try and find their way into the hop vine.
The Italians have been known for there love of fine wine and incredible cuisine.
Beer has been apart of Italian life since the Roman Empire, but with the mystique of drinking wine in the high society, beer was in the back seat for the peasants.
Anche i miei amici, times are changing. The Italians are now following in the footsteps of the American craft brewers. Feeding off of the culture and creativity making their own versions of craft beer, the Italian way! For the past 10 years the scene has been picking up momentum, with more education and people willing to brew and even willing to trade away their wine for some fine beer. Importers are also playing a roll by importing craft beers from Belgium and the States. This is changing how beer is being tasted in Italy.
With the introduction of the first Italian beer event to the west coast, Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach put a collection of great Italian craft beers. Though most of them are rare or not event available on the continent, Italian beers are becoming easier to find in the specialty beer shops. Lorenzo Dabove was on hand with his Italian contingent to give a little history and insight to the craft beer movement in Italy.
17 Italian beers were on tap for tasting in 5oz and 10oz pours. With my wife at my side we ordered 2-3 samples at a time; this is the best way to taste everything at one time. We quickly came to realize the similarities to the Belgian beers we already love. The american influence was present as well as their own. Most of the selections had nice sweet malt profiles with characteristics of nuts, fruit, caramel and spices. Pales, Lagers and Stouts seem to be the popular styles to produce. They like their beer on the strong side too, not so much the body but the alcohol. More than half of the draft selections were at 7% or higher with a few well over 10%. The flavors did a great job at hiding the heat. The beers were served on the colder side, but cupping the glass in your hand would warm it up a bit to bring out the maximum of flavor.
Just when we thought we had exhausted the list of Italian beers, Celebrator’s Tomm Carroll was generous enough to open three Italian beers not available stateside (he picked them up during his 2009 trip to Italy). Renior Bitter, Burton Bierre Chirara and Chiostro (Chiostro was available on tap, so it was nice to do a side-by-side comparison. A few highlights from the evening (aside from beer royalty) was My Antonia, a collaboration between Birra del Borgo and Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head), Birrifico del Ducato, Yerdi Imperial Stout (winner of BRAU Beviale 2008), and Birrificio Italiano Tipopils. Dogfish Head will be brewing My Antonia in the coming weeks and should be available in states soon enough. Beachwood still has a handful of these delicious beers on tap, but hurry, the kegs are blowing hourly.
