Italian Homebrewing
As we homebrewers know, brewing your own beer has enjoyed a huge growth of interest over the past few decades. Homebrewing clubs have formed in every corner of America, and home-brewing supplies are available from coast to coast and all over the Internet. Though this hobby was traditionally practiced a half century ago as an inexpensive way for one to produce simple ales and lagers at home, it has since evolved into a hobby of brewing world-class beer styles. Many homebrewers have also branched off to go pro and open their own breweries and brewpubs. The exponential numbers of American craft breweries has grown to more than four thousand. Taprooms and growler filling operations with eye popping numbers of taps are also popping up everywhere, not to mention beer bars with amazing beer menus. But this craft beer boom is not just an American phenomenon. We are only a part of a worldwide renaissance for all things beer and homebrewing, which I learned from a group of passionate Italian homebrewers I recently met while traveling in Italy at a great bar in Rome. My new friends introduced me to the burgeoning world of Italian craft beer, and even shared a few homebrew recipes with me!
Craft Beer in Italy
Just across the Tiber River in Rome is a small neighborhood called Trastevere. It’s in an old part of Rome with cobble stone streets, ancient buildings, and amazing medieval churches. This neighborhood has dozens of small trattorias and pubs that attract an eclectic population of discerning diners and beer drinkers. Two pubs that stand out as benchmark classic beer bars are Bir & Fud and Ma Cha Siete Venuti a Fa (Italian for “So, what are you doing here?”). The two pubs are about two hundred feet from each other and both owned by Emanuele Colonna, a true beer connoisseur. In 2010, Ma Cha was chosen by Ratebeer.com as the “Best beer bar in the world,” with Bir & Fud capturing the number five spot that very same year. Impressive ratings, especially when you consider that these are beer bars located in Italy, once thought of as strictly wine country — but not anymore. In recent decades Italy has seen a growth of breweries that mirrors the American renaissance of craft beer and homebrewing. These days the number of breweries operating in the country has grown to number almost a thousand at the time of this writing.
A few weeks before I arrived in Italy, I arranged a meeting with some Italian homebrewers. I had many questions to ask; if there were difficulties getting homebrewing equipment and ingredients and specifically if there were groups or clubs that meet together as we do in America. With a little time
and digging on the web, and one chance meeting at Ma Cha, I found four homebrewers who lived in the Rome area, and were agreeable to a casual meeting. Francesco Antonelli (known as “Professor”), Andrea Romani (locally known as the “Beer Baron”), Francesco Ferrari (the general manager of Bir & Fud), and John Sears (an English homebrewer who lived just a few doors down from Ma Cha). I met John at Ma Cha on my first night in town while having a beer at the pub. All four men are avid and passionate homebrewers.
The five of us met at Bir & Fud on an early Sunday morning, shared homebrews, and talked at length about yeast strains, mash temperatures, and fermentation techniques, as is typical with homebrewing conversations back home. I shared my own doppelbock, wee heavy, and Baltic porter I carried over from home. Professor Antonelli poured his Bohemian Pils, showing the typical floral aromas of the style. Our group also enjoyed Professor’s dry Irish stout. Andrea the “Beer Baron” impressed us with his blackberry saison while Bir & Fud bar manager Francesco Ferrari poured a few samples of his favorite Italian craft sour ales. The unusual beer styles like Andrea’s saison and other craft sours are commonly seen in Italy. Though there are indeed IPAs, stouts, pale ales, and other classical style beers in the Italian portfolio of craft and homebrews, I found a very high percentage of unusual flavored examples, from spiced versions to chestnut based, to various herbal infusions. Individualism in flavor is a driving factor in Italian homebrewing as well as in the country’s craft beers. Italy defines itself with its flavor; from the morning cappuccino to lunches and dinners of fresh vegetables and pasta. It continues with a plethora of wines, cheeses, and breads found nowhere else.
I don’t speak much Italian other than names of food, so I was lucky that all four of my new homebrewing friends spoke English. Though our recipes varied from pounds to grams and from Fahrenheit to Centigrade, with a calculator in hand, we were able to get on same page. My discussions about the developing homebrew scene in Italy revealed that the hobby is emerging, but not as rapidly as we’ve seen in the states this past 20 years. There are much fewer homebrewing supply shops, and the ones that exist often carry more beginner-type extract kits than all-grain supplies.
A few details are in order to understand the history and recent growth in the Italian homebrew nation. I will quote veteran homebrewer Massimo Faraggi, known by many in that country to be the Grandfather of Italian homebrewing: “Homebrewing became legal in Italy in 1995, though I was illegally brewing from extract from 1984.” Massimo mentioned that the homebrew movement started to kick into gear around the end of the 1990s, thanks to the many American websites that allowed the first Italian homebrewers to learn from US forums and to connect to discuss brewing and share experiences. In 1998, Massimo worked toward the creation of a newsgroup named it.hobby.birra (www.hobbybirra.info). This site was crucial in the development of the Italian homebrew movement. That same year saw the startup of many microbreweries in Italy; a fact showing that the two aspects of home and craft brewing are tightly connected, as it still is in America. Homebrewers met at the first brewpubs, and later moved on to develop their own craft breweries.
Italian Homebrewing
While malt extract kits are the basic startup method to make homebrew in Italy, and most commonly found in
the few homebrew shops there, many homebrewers are also experimenting with all-grain brewing. Around 2000, homebrewing clubs and beer-related gatherings started to form. Starting in 2010, MOBI (movimento birra) association, of which Massimo is a founding member, organized their first national homebrewed beer competition series. There are now 10 of these MOBI competitions around Italy, each incor-porating different styles; the winners and finalists collect points and at the end of the year an overall winner is named and has a chance to brew his or her beer in a famous Italian craft brewery like Baladin. In 2014 there were 220 contenders in the Italian national championship series. There are also many smaller homebrew competitions around Italy, but that are not connected to the National Championship.
Throughout the year MOBI also organizes many homebrew tasting courses and they have published multiple books about beer styles and tasting, including a few translated from US publications.
There are currently 1,000 members of MOBI and that number is growing; an educated guess as to how many homebrewers are in Italy would be thousands. Kit extract homebrewers are in the majority, and partial mash and all-grain brewing are both gaining in popularity.
Another Italian homebrewing veteran, Roberto Orano, says, “We here in Italy don’t have homebrewing shops as is common in the US. We have some beershops that sometimes sell yeasts, malts, and hops. We also have three or four websites that sell equipment and ingredients and they ship to your home. We also have some homebrewing clubs and associations of homebrewers. The homebrewing scene is rich. I was once a homebrewer. Now, I own White Pony Microbrewery. My beer will soon be imported to America by C2 Imports. I hope that you enjoy it if you can find it in the States.” The story mirrors many American brewers during their startup days. Panil Artissanal Microbrewery in Torrenchiara, near Parma, Italy is a small brewery that doubles as a winery, but the wine end is slowly being phased out to make it strictly a brewery. Andrea Lui, the Head Brewer of Panil Brewing, was once (and always) a homebrewer. In our interview at the brewery, he told me he homebrewed more than 5,000 batches of homebrew over the past 15 years. When I asked what he did with all of that beer, his immediate response was, “I have many friends.”
As far as popularity of styles, IPAs are, according to Orano, on top. “Well, the middle Italian (middle agers) don’t know the styles; he just asks for a ‘blond beer.’ People think blond equals light and brown equals strong. In Rome, there is more consumption of beer, especially IPAs, APAs and styles like them. Italians have a fear of high ABVs, but of course passionate people are open to drink them, also strong Belgian beers. One popular style brewed in Italy is a chestnut beer ‘Birra alla castagna.’ It also is common in Italy to brew with spices, herbs and fruits.”
Orano said that while there are many similarities between the US and Italian craft beer movements, the two cultures also have their differences.
“I think the differences between the Italian craft movement and the US craft movement is that in Italy a lot of Italian brewers see you (another Italian brewer) as a competitor, so as an enemy, because there are too many breweries. A lot of breweries are new, and a lot will close soon. In the US brewers are more open and they help you.”
There are many new Italian breweries coming on board as time goes on, and many of them are shipping to the United States, or are planning to make their way into the States. Check online at known European beer importers, or talk to the beer contacts at your local distributors or liquor store. They will assist you in obtaining Italian craft beer. Treat each beer as it is; a special brew made with the heart and soul of an Italian brewer. Use a wine glass or a vessel that will enhance the drinking experience. And even better, get on the Web and find some Italian homebrewing friends to chat with.
Ciao, and salute!
Tripel IPA
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.078 FG = 1.012
IBU = 45 SRM = 5 ABV = 9.2%
Andrea Lui, head brewer of Panil Brewing in Torrenchiara, near Parma, Italy, shared this recipe for a citrusy Belgian golden ale.
Ingredients
13 lbs. (5.9 kg) Pilsner malt
1 lb. (0.45 kg) wheat malt
1.2 lb. (0.54 g) candy sugar (15 min.)
10.4 AAU Chinook hops (60 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g at 13.9% alpha acids)
2 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 3.9% alpha acids)
5.6 AAU Cascade hops (5 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale) or White Labs WLP570 (Belgian Golden Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two days before brew day, make a 1.5-qt. (1.5-L) yeast starter with the liquid yeast. Crush the malt and add to 5 gallons (19 L) of strike water to achieve a stable mash temperature at 150 °F (66 °C). After 60 minutes, begin to lauter. Collect about 7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort in your brew kettle. Boil for 90 minutes, adding the first hop addition 30 minutes after the wort comes to a boil, the second hop addition and sugar with 15 minutes remaining and the final hop addition with 5 minutes left in the boil. After the boil is finished, stir the wort and let it settle for 10 minutes before cooling to yeast pitching temperature.
Start fermentation at 68 °F (20 °C) for 2 days or until fermentation has reached a peak. Slowly ramp up the temperature until you reach 75 °F (24 °C) and hold here for 3–4 days. Rack off the yeast and check the gravity. Condition for 1 week. Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.7 volumes CO2.
Tripel IPA
(5 gallons/19 L, extract only)
OG = 1.078 FG = 1.012
IBU = 45 SRM = 5 ABV = 9.2%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) Pilsen liquid malt extract
2.5 lbs. (1.1 kg) wheat dried malt extract
1.2 lb. (0.54 g) candy sugar (15 min.)
10.4 AAU Chinook hops (60 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g at 13.9% alpha acids)
2 AAU Willamette hops (15 min.)
(0.5 oz./14 g at 3.9% alpha acids)
5.6 AAU Cascade hops (5 min.)
(0.75 oz./21 g at 7.5% alpha acids)
Wyeast 1388 (Belgian Strong Ale) or White Labs WLP570 (Belgian Golden Ale) yeast
1 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Two days before brew day, make a 1.5-qt. (1.5-L) yeast starter with the liquid yeast. Fill your brew kettle to 5 gallons (19 L) and heat up to boil. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in the liquid and dried malt extracts. Stir until all the extract is dissolved then return the wort to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes, adding the first hop addition 30 minutes after the wort comes to a boil, the second hop addition and sugar with 15 minutes remaining and the final hop addition with 5 minutes left in the boil. After the boil is finished, stir the wort and let it settle for 10 minutes before cooling to yeast pitching temperature.
Start fermentation at 68 °F (20 °C) for two days or until fermentation has reached a peak. Slowly ramp up the temperature until you reach 75 °F (24 °C) and hold here for 3–4 days. Rack off the yeast and check the gravity. Condition for 1 week. Bottle with priming sugar or keg and force carbonate to 2.7 volumes CO2.
Chestnut Beer
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.015
IBU = 30 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.2%
This recipe is also courtesy from Andrea Lui, the brewer at Panil Brewery in Italy.
Ingredients
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Pilsner malt
5.5 lbs. (2.5 kg) Vienna malt
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) ground chestnuts (smoked or unsmoked — brewer’s choice)
6.5 AAU Czech Saaz pellet hops
(60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 4.3% alpha acids)
4.3 AAU Czech Saaz pellet hops
(10 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4.3% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Czech Saaz pellet hops (optional dry hop)
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
This is a single step infusion mash. Heat 5 gallons (19 L) of strike water up to 167 °F (75 °C) then mix with crushed grains and ground chestnuts. Hold at 152 °F (67 °C) for 1 hour. Sparge with enough water to collect
7 gallons (26.5 L) of wort in the brew kettle. Boil for 90 minutes adding hops at the times indicated.
After the boil is complete, turn off the heat and let the wort settle for 10 minutes. Chill to yeast pitch temperature and oxygenate well. You may opt to ferment this beer with a clean fermenting ale yeast strain if temperature control is a problem. Clean ale strains such as White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) or Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) yeast would be our recommended substitutes. Ferment at the temperature recommended for the particular strain you choose. Be sure to give a thorough diacetyl rest if you choose a lager strain. If you decide to add the dry hops, add them prior to lagering. Let the dry hops sit on the beer for 5–7 days. Transfer to a secondary vessel and lager for 2–4 weeks. Add your priming sugar, or force carbonate and bottle or keg
as normal.
Chestnut Beer
(5 gallons/19 L, partial mash)
OG = 1.060 FG = 1.015
IBU = 30 SRM = 6 ABV = 6.2%
Ingredients
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) Pilsen dried malt extract
3.3 lbs. (1.5 kg) Briess Goldpils® Vienna liquid malt extract
2 lbs. (0.91 kg) ground chestnuts (smoked or unsmoked – brewer’s choice)
1 tsp. amylase enzyme
6.5 AAU Czech Saaz pellet hops
(60 min.) (1.5 oz./43 g at 4.3% alpha acids)
4.3 AAU Czech Saaz pellet hops
(10 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 4.3% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Czech Saaz pellet hops (optional dry hop)
Wyeast 2308 (Munich Lager) or White Labs WLP838 (Southern German Lager) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Heat 3 qts. (3 L) water in a small pot until the temperature reaches 165 °F (74 °C). Mix the ground chestnuts and amylase into the water. Hold at 152 °F (67 °C) for 1 hour. Filter the mixture through a large coffee strainer. Wash the ground chestnuts with an additional 1 qt. (1 L) hot water. Add enough water to make 6 gallons (23 L) of wort and bring to a boil. Add the liquid and dried extracts, but be sure to add them off heat to avoid scorching. Boil for 60 minutes adding hops at the times indicated. Turn off the heat and let the wort settle for 10 minutes. Chill to yeast pitching temperature and oxygenate well. You may opt to ferment this beer with a clean fermenting ale yeast strain if temperature control is a problem. Clean ale strains such as White Labs WLP029 (German Ale/Kölsch) or Wyeast 2565 (Kölsch) yeast would be our recommended substitutes. Ferment at the temperature recommended for the particular strain you choose. Be sure to give a thorough diacetyl rest if you choose a lager strain.
The remainder of this recipe is the same as the all-grain version.
The author (fourth from left), sits in front of Bir & Fud in Rome, Italy with homebrewers Francesco Antonelli, Andrea Romani, Francesco Ferrari, and John Sears.
