Beer in Italy ? Not only wine ? this is always a surprise while Italy has a long tradition in beer .The Phoenicians produced beer in Sicily in the VII b.C., Romans drank it and in the Renaissance in Florence beer was called barley’s wine .In 1800 it was a high end drink ,then in the ‘70s it became a common drink, very much connected to pizza .
When do Italians drink wine and when beer?Apart from personal taste we have to consider that in Italy we can drink alcohol when we are 16 and buy when we are 18.So it’s probably easier to see younger ones drinking beer when eating out with friends than wine. In Summer a chill beer is a pleasure for everybody.Various reasons, anyway we cannot be considered heavy drinkers as only 27 liter per person are drunk per year.
We have 3% of the European production but we have 14 beer industrial companies and ca.1000 microbreweries and many brew pubs.The new trend leads to the creation of many small realities of beer.
When in Tuscany visit some of these realities to taste how good Italian beer is.
In the center of Siena go to the brewpub LaDiana to drink their beer,enjoy music,eat a special Chianina meat hamburger .
Otherwise out of Siena ,in the Zona artigianale di Isola d’Arbia you can visit their brewery.
One of these new realities is near us in Chianti and we see how successful they are with locals,in Radda do not forget the young producers at the brewery Chiantibrewfighters
You can learn about the production, taste and enjoy a Tuscan beer with locals.
Wine yes but also Italian beer !
Useful Italian words :
Birra = beer Birrificio =brewery Birreria=brewpub
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