The past year has seen a huge rise in the amount of Italian craft beer arriving in Australia. Where once there was just a handful of the country’s better beers available, since the team at Birra Italiana have started importing the likes of Toccalmatto, BrewFist, Croce di Malto and more, Aussie beer lovers have been spoilt for choice. Italy, meanwhile, has been enjoying its own craft beer revolution over the past few years, with the number of breweries rising from around 60 in the middle of the last decade to approximately 450 today.
One of those brewers leading the charge is Leonardo di Vicenzo, the founder and head brewer at Birra Del Borgo. Since starting up his brewery in 2005, he has not only carved out a niche as one of his country’s best and most innovative brewers but has forged brewing partnerships with the likes of Teo Musso at Paladin and Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head. His beers, often presented in seriously stylish 750ml bottles, have wasted little time winning an appreciative audience Down Under. And now Leo is preparing to head to Australia with the team from Birra Italiana for a couple of tours in the coming months. First up is a series of events in Sydney and Perth – which you can view on our Events Diary – followed by a three-state tour to coincide with Good Beer Week in May.
“Australia is the second biggest export market for Birra del Borgo behind the US so he is super keen to support the work that we’ve done in Oz and come and share the love that Aussies obviously have for his beers,” says Kerrie Latta, one half of the Birra Italiana team.
“Time doesn’t permit a collaboration on this trip but we are talking to a number of brewers about a collaboration in May. That trip is already looking huge! We’ll head to Sydney first, then three days in Adelaide for a series of events including the Good Beer Wheaty and then we’ve got an event every day at Good Beer Week so poor Leo will be well and truly stuffed but hopefully happy with his work schedule.” [Please note the Good Beer Week program will be launched mid-March]
As for the growth of interest in Italian craft beers in Australia, Kerrie has noticed that it’s increasingly small bars and high end restaurants, not just craft beer bars, that are jumping on board.
“We are now working with sommeliers to offer people a great choice of beers and educating them about how beers, with their complexities of flavours and aromas, can be matched perfectly with all sorts of food,” she says. “We spend a lot of time with restaurants educating their staff, providing samples for staff training so that they understand them and can then recommend more than just a ‘thirst quencher’ to start.
“We are seeing a real change and this is reflected with Leonardo being invited by Giorgio from 121 BC to participate in Rootstock, a wine festival in Sydney, where Leonardo will be offering masterclasses and mixing it with the best in the wine industry.”
For anyone thinking of travelling the other way and sampling the Italian craft beer scene, it seems the time is ripe, with the growth of craft beer in Italy just as phenomenal as at home.
“It’s exploding like all other parts of the world,” says Kerrie. “More breweries are opening up every day and craft beer is getting easier to find. Whilst wine is still king in Italy, beer and those that appreciate it are definitely on the up!”
Photo at top courtesy of Othmar Seehauser
