Italy, land of many beers

Few foods and drinks have a history as ancient and varied as beer . Millennia before the birth of Christ, the peoples of Mesopotamia and the ancient Egyptians were already producing it in large quantities. Beer was even considered a gift from the gods and an indispensable food - given the amount of calories it provided - especially for the poorer classes. Then this blonde or dark drink became a symbol of the food culture of Germany, England and all the Nordic countries. Without forgetting the great traditions of the monastic breweries ... and also the many beers of our house.

Today the world of beer is experiencing a moment of great ferment and a word could never be more appropriate when talking about this drink. Breweries were born like mushrooms together with new labels and places where you can taste the most diverse beers. Not to mention those who push themselves to try their hand at home production, perhaps after consulting one of the many manuals on the market.

If, on the other hand, you want to go to breweries, breweries and taste without limiting your desire to explore, here is the Guide to Italian Beers 2023 (Slow Food Editore 2022, pp. 704), edited by Luca Giaccone and Eugenio Signoroni . First of all, the volume is striking for the numbers: 456 are the breweries reviewed throughout the peninsula, with Sardinia very well represented by 24 production companies spread throughout the Sardinian territory. The beers described are 2346, a figure that alone gives an idea of the vitality and inventiveness of the Italian brewing sector. In addition, a section of the guide is dedicated to producers of apple and pear fermented products: 34 companies have been reviewed and 86 ciders listed. In addition, the volume presents a selection of 700 places to buy beers and craft beer. In short, we have enough to organize real tours all over Italy to discover the beer universe.

However, the Slow Food Guide is not a mere list of companies and labels. Also in this edition the stories of brewers and breweries are told, described the characteristics of the production plants and the most interesting beers among the thousands produced in our country. The idea that we want to convey, in fact, is that behind every label there is a history , a tradition, a culture. Often a direct contact with the territory and its products. Furthermore, the 2023 Guide aims, above all, to reach an increasingly wider audience that involves not only sector experts, but also enthusiasts and the curious who are taking their first steps in recognizing a quality beer. To complete the story of each beer, in fact, simple and immediate descriptors have been introduced, to make tasting easier and understandable: therefore we read of a sweet beer, easy to drink and malty, or even bitter, complex, dry, fruity , spicy, herbaceous, floral, toasted or hopped. A new method that allows the reading and consequent appreciation of beer in a language within everyone's reach, therefore not reserved for insiders. So all that remains is to read and above all… taste!