Italian beers – basic commodity or luxury item?

I promised you some reflections from Italy, didn’t I? So, there I was, in Terracina, midway between Rome and Naples, a place not picked for any beery connection.

I had searched the web beforehand for Birra Artiginale and so on, without much success. I found a cafe/restaurant on Facebook which boasted of the ‘na birretta beers from Birradamare. They had three of them, as well as a few other Italian and Belgian craft beers. The ‘na biretta beers were quite all right, far better than Italian macros, they have a stylish packaging, but they would by no means stand out in a country where there is a consistently high quality in the market. They were moderately priced – 3 Euros per bottle if I remember correctly.

A pub next door had five of the Belgian Gordon’s beers on tap. This is a case of clever marketing. These beers tend to be sold very cheap nearer to their country of origin, but there are no laws saying the same product could not appeal to tramps in Brussels as well as bright young things in Southern Italy.

No sign of any interesting beers in any of the shops.

But in the upmarket restaurants, there were quite a few. I saw comprehensive beer lists in at least two of them, including the one who had excellent steaks and boldly called themselves the best restaurant in town. A page of the menu was set aside for craft beer, but the prices were high. A bottle of good local wine was from € 12 upwards, a bottle of craft beer started at €15. The problem is that does not only include sophisticated barrel aged wonders. The wheat beers, the brown ales and pilsners were also in the same price bracket.

Sure, I am prepared to pay extra for high quality. But, however much loving care you put into a bottle of Wit or Weiss, it is a humble drink, meant to quench the thirst and be used as an everyday tipple. We are talking about beers that would cost 50 cents a bottle in Germany.

Is this sustainable? I don’t think so. Sure, I get the point about high taxes and obstacles for Italian brewers. But it is absurd if Italian beers should cost twenty times the price of a similar bottle in Germany. If you want premium prices, you need to go for the premium end of the market, too. But, for a while, you might have a snobbish appeal.

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Sometimes the timing is the problem

Particularly when you realise that you miss a beer festival or a similar event by just a week or so.

 

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Italy again

Our vacation abroad this summer was once again in Italy – one week on the beach and three days in Rome. As I’ve told you, I don’t have much time for detailed analysis of  anything at the moment, this includes the developments on the Italian beer scene. Still – some thoughts:

We stayed in Terracina, a seaside resort midway between Rome and Naples. Five kilometers of beach, a Roman ruin, a Medieval ruin, a lovely old town clinging to the hillside of what was probably olive trees and vineyards some decades ago.  Good seafood.

The beer scene? Not up to much at first look. Only macro brews in the shops. But with breakfasts like this, life is good anyway…

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Villaggio della Birra 2010

The follwing description of the Villaggio della Birra 2010 beer festival sounds like just the thing if you are in the area:

It takes place on 11 and 12 September at Bibbiano, Buonconvento, Siena.

Amongst the sweet rolling hills of the Siennese countryside, rises the village of Bibbiano – not more than a couple of houses. It is in the direct neighbourhood of Buonconvento, in a valley that has been an ongoing inspiration for poets and painters.
This year, however, it will not only be the enchanting landscape that will astonish the traveller, fortunate enough to pass by, but as much its inhabitants: brewmasters from Belgium and Italy that proudly will display their knowledge and products for him. Beerexperts and artists alike will transform the little hamlet into a lively Village of the Beer.
The result will be an unforgettable trail, that will enable both the passionate as the curious, fortuitous amateur of beer to explore the traditional artisanal beers from Belgium, as well as from the vivacious Italian culture. The Village of the Beer will take place on September 11th and 12th 2010.
After purchasing a token, one will be able to taste artisanal beers, try out dishes, based on beer, and compare one’s own impressions with those of experts in sensory workshops….
Village of the Beer is an all-round, 360° experience – meaning space for homebrewers, for a beershop, for gastronomical stalls, live music and artistic exhibitions…

If that wasn’t enough, here are the breweries and brewmasters:

Belgium:

Boelens Huisbrouwerij (Kris Boelens)
‘tHofbrouwerijke (Jef Goetelen)
Den Hopperd (Bart Desaeger)
Brasserie de Cazeau (Laurent Agache)
Brouwerij De Ranke (Nino Bacelle)
Brouwerij De Leite (Luc Vermeesch)
Brasserie Artisanale de Rulles (Grégory Verhelst)
Brouwerij Sint Canarus (Piet Meirhaeghe)
Glazen Toren Brouwerij (Jef Van den Steen)
Hof ten Dormaal (Andre Janssens)
Schelde Brouwerij (Frans Ooms)

Italy:
Birrificio l’Olmaia (Moreno Ercolani) – St. Albino Montepulciano (Siena)
Birrificio Italiano (Agostino Airoli) – Lurago Marinone (Como)
Pausa Cafè (Andrea Bertola) – Torino
Birrificio Toccalmatto (Alessio Gatti) di Fidenza (Parma)

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It’s getting better all the time

Arriving in Norway next week:

Southern Tier   IPA, Gemini
Captain Lawrence  Captain’s Reserve Imperial IPA
Jolly Pumpkin  Bam Biere, Bam Noire, La Roja, Oro de Calabaza
The Bruery  Saison de Lente
Lost Abbey  Angels’ Share
Ale Smith  Horney Devil, Yule Smith

Shortly arriving from Italy:

Birrificio Italiano Bik Bok, Amber shok, Cassissona, Vudu

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The End

There is a distinct smell of sulphur in the air, so the end is probably approaching fast. I should probably drink the beers I have stashed away. Just in case.

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Open Baladin

Seems like the new place of pilgrimage in Rome is open. Tell them I sent you!

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Saffron beer

I have some friends that go to Iran once in a while to visit family. I’ve even asked them to bring me some non-alcoholic beer, which they did. I’ve not blogged about this, but I can reveal that it is not a beverage that will take the world by storm. 

But the last time they went they brought me some saffron. Which got me thinking. Why isn’t there any beers using this aromatic spice? When I looked around, there is at least one. From Italy, of course.

Birra Amiata  has a saffron beer named Crocus. Which is where the saffron comes from, of course. It’s the from a crocus grown in the Mediterranean and eastwards. If I remember correctly, Marco Polo used it as payment when travelling.

Strong saffon aroma, with associations to fish soup and rice, of course, but that’s just how I’m trained to percieve it.

A full bodied golden ale is used as a base.

Does it work?

 

No, not really. The saffron flavour is too strong for the beer. It overwhelms everytung, leaving nothing but a warm spicy saffron flavour. Some apricots and clementines in the background. I think there is some ginger, too, but it might be the saffron having the same warming effect.

But kudo for trying this. I still think it’s a potential. But maybe a bit less spice and a stronger beer base. Possibly together with other spices.

Keep trying!

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Three new Italians

I’ve told you about the box of beers I ordered from Birraland and which arrived the other week. Fees and taxes made the beers rather expensive, so I was hoping the beers were worth the expense.

I was especially looking forward to three beers from a new Italian micro brewery. It is run by the same people as the web shop Birraland, and they call the brewery Birrificio Civale.

The Alica pours hazy gold with a firm head. A light, refreshing ale, at 4.7% ABV this would be fine as a summer refreshment to be drunk in some quantity.

Citrus, grain and bubble gum aroma. Lemony finish, some pepper.

A little lightweight, perhaps, but all beers are not meant to be hop and alcohol bombs!

The Virtute has obvious Belgian inspiration, too. A fruity beer with peaches and oranges and a little lemon. Soft and round, the alcohol content of 7.5% is well camouflaged.

The Mervisia is dark gold with a snowy head. A complex nose with fruit, malt and alcohol. Firm malty body, sweet citrus. Belgian-like yeast, a little sweet and sour in the finish.

These beers may not be up there in the competition for the most extreme, punch-me-in-the-nose type of beers. But they are well crafted beers that are worth trying if you are able to find them. Mail order is probably the easiest for most of my readers.

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Arrival at last!

One box of beers shipped from Italy:

98 Euros including postage, about 875 Norwegian kroner.

Handling fee, presumably for the post office: 212 kroner

Value added tax: 153 kroner

Alcohol taxes: 95 kroner.

Slightly less than 40 kroner per bottle.

So, I have to pay 55% or so on top of the beer and postage from Italy. Or, to put it in another way, I pay twice the price of buying these beers over the counter in Italy.

I presume  they have used the flat tax for  beer below 4.7% alcohol.

It I double the order next time, this will squeeze down the price per bottle a bit. But it’s certainly not the way to get cheap booze!

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