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This bottom fermented beer is golden yellow in color with floral and herbaceous hop aromas (due to the use of Tettnang Tettnanger blooming hop variety personally selected during harvest time). The finish is sharp with a hoppy bitterness and hints of acacia honey.

Elegant, balanced and gratifying: there is always room for her!

La VIÆMILIA being my first creation, is considered by many our signature brew.

Although it may appear a simple lager, its brewing is the longest and most delicate. It is cellared for at least 6 weeks, out of which the first week is for primary fermentation and the remaining 4 to 5 for lagering at 3◦C to allow the young beer to refine. During this last phase hop flowers are added.

Every year, at the beginning of September, we travel to personally select hops from the farmers of Tettnang (a small village in the south of Germany renowned for cultivating high quality aroma hops).Tettnang hop from this town reaches the various breweries around the world safely in shipments but we would prefer to personally pick them out. The hop harvest blooms in front of us and right from the selection of the raw ingredient, we are confident of its quality and features to watch out for the classy beer flavor.  The hop imparts the level of versatility and bitter variation we would aim to achieve with the special brewing sessions. Always the hop makers guide us with their explanation on the noble blooms, and enriching our personal knowledge becomes an asset here. The slight differences in the genetic makeup of each type might bring about a marked difference in the flavor brewed and observing them at the time of harvest enables a check on that. VIÆMILIA unravels such extraordinary floral and herbaceous hop aromas due to the dry hopping process.

Manuel was inspired to call it VIÆMILIA since this beer is an anthem to our land, oppressed by thick fogs during the winter and withered by a merciless sun during the summer afternoons. The verses of a poet from Bologna helped me to put into words the mental image of a lazy day in June.

“Across wheat fields bent by the wind, between flat hills above the plane”

Suggested pairings: Parma ham, fried vegetables and chevre or on its own.

Lovers of VIÆMILIA suggest to drink it by the bucket!

ABV. 5,0 % 11,5 °P

Storing temperature: between +2 e +4°C

Serving temperature: : between +6 e +8°C

Top fermented beer which is subjected to a secondary fermentation in bottle. It is deep dark ebony in color with a cappuccino head. The nose has aromas of chocolate, licorice, coffee grounds and tobacco with alcohol nuances. Its full bodied, long lasting, smooth and dry mouth is followed by a surprisingly hot finish that breaks its initial fullness and makes you crave more!

It is suitable for aging.

Dedicating one of our beers to Giuseppe Verdi was a must since our microbrewery is located in Roncole Verdi, the composer’s birth place. When I returned from my first visit to New York City I decided to create a beer that would be superior in elegance, balance and drinkability to all those stout varieties I had overseas. Although the initial recipe has changed, the very first batch matched my vision.

Its uniqueness lays in the use of chili pepper which combines very well with the beer’s chocolate aroma. Chocolate needs no special mentioning on its worthwhile applications for edible products and for the countless flavoring purposes. Chili pepper, however, is not as widely known as a flavor provider. The experiments with the effect and flavors of beers are traveling to unique areas and the aim is to sneak a peek here for an unknown surprise in a known factor. It can be spicy, and this spicy aroma will make the beer special. The combination is going to be deadly with the slightly bitter, yet mesmerizing chocolate covers the hotness of chili. There is always a way to tackle the hotness of the pepper. You create the extract in the saucepan with the exact part that releases the capsaicin or the compound owning the flavor in the look-out. If seeds are too hot to handle with the chilled beer, ditch them for the fleshy part. Dilution is always the option and with dark chocolate the flavor richness will not be an issue. The hot finish also lightens its full bodied mouth by awakening the palate.

Verdi Imperial Stout is the first Italian craft beer to have ever been crowned with a gold medal in its category at an International beer contest. In 2008 it ranked first at The European Beer Star in the Imperial Stout category./span>

Chocolate desserts, fine pastries and soft cheese like Gorgonzola. It is a beer to meditate on.

ABV. 8,2% 20,0°P

Storing temperature: Between 4 and 18°C (it keeps best refrigerated)

Serving temperature: Between 10 and 18°C (depending on the room temperature)

Top fermented beer which undergoes a secondary fermentation in bottle. It draws inspirations from the Belgian Saisons. It is surprisingly spicy due to the use of wild flowers, chamomile, coriander, green peppercorn and ginger. Deep gold with orange highlights, it has exceptionally floral and spicy aromas. It finishes with a quenching dryness and an earthy bitterness. It is an ode to spring.

A journey through forests and dales, a hymn of hope for the day to come

This beer is particularly dear to me. I envisioned it while I was training at Birrificio Italiano (an Italian brewpub) during the spring of 2006. I was extremely excited, I could feel the dream that I had long held in my heart about to come true. Every morning I used to say “This is a new day” and since the first blossoms on the trees were enunciating the coming of spring, I decided to brew a beer to honor the season, rebirth and new beginnings.

To express my vision I decided on a Saison because it is a beer strongly connected to the land. (Saisons are traditionally brewed by the farmers of the Hainaut region in Belgium.)

Although choosing the beer was simple, selecting the herbs and spices was surprisingly difficult. There is no lack of the variety of fruits and grains with an immense aroma to create a special beer, but here I was particular about the aroma and representation too, evident for all who read this post here. Citrus beers are especially refreshing and complete their role with each hop and the grain beers relish us with the smoothness and rich taste. I have included Saison and it calls for mastery in the extraction of the correct proportional spicy, fruity and aromatic characters. I wanted both to recall the scent of a blooming field and create a fresh, intriguing and easy to drink beer. In order to achieve the right balance of herbs and spices, I remember drinking herbal infusions every day during that winter.

I had no doubt on the name. I called it “New Morning” after Bob Dylan’s song about the awe for life and nature’s marvels.

Suggested pairings: Fish and raw shellfish, herb risottos and some varieties of semi cured cheeses.

ABV. 5,8% 14,0 °P

Storing temperature:: Between 4 and 8°C (it keeps best refrigerated).

Serving temperature:: Between 8 and 12°C (depending on the room temperature).

This is a barley wine with great character. It undergoes 18 months of maturation in French oak barriques previously hosting an Amarone wine from the Valpollicella region. Intense copper with red highlights, the nose has an extraordinarily rich and complex aroma of morel cherry, red currant and vanilla with a hint of wild berries and Madeira wine. Its full bodied mouth is warm and un-carbonated.

A beer beyond assumptions, it is dedicated to the man of tomorrow.

A fermented drink with a unique blend of multiple flavors and tinctures of alcohol imparts a tag of the enriched source of beverage to the ale from grain. Since its inception in the nineteenth century, barley wine has transformed according to the modern developments in human nature. It is a drink that can meet the expectations of the present generation and at the same time, give hope to the growing male powers of the future generation. As mentioned in the page before, the aroma is also credited to the cherry and currant in perfect proportions with the fermented barley. The beer came into existence after careful rounds of oxidation and patient waiting beyond the pregnancy duration. Inside the bottle, a surprise awaits for the beverage lovers because of the preserved aroma of the blended ingredients, all rich in taste and quality. It doesn’t wither away when you open it each time for a drink, just stays there and feels better with each exposure to the air.

ABV. 13,0% 26°P

I created L’Ultima Luna to celebrate my first born, Matteo. During the pregnancy I remember dreaming up a deep, complex, evocative and well aged beer. Choosing from a wine I always loved, I decided on a 2/3 full Amarone cask to allow the beer to oxidize by exposing it to the air. It is also in honor of the oxidized wines of Andalusia and my deep love of the land there that gives them life. Although the minimum aging requirement for this so called “beer” is 9 months, after many trials I opted for 18.

Quoting Salvador Dali and Saint-Exupery, the surrealistic label depicts a painting of a child lifting the sea. This beer stands out for its exceptionally complex oxidized tertiary aromas of leather, cheese crust, Madeira, wood and roasted almonds.

Something I like to do is to leave the bottle open and drink it three months later for the greatest satisfaction.

Heavily hopped, it has aromas of grapefruit, white grape and tropical fruit. Warm and fairly bodied, bitter but balanced, complex and persistent, its palate shows its character. It finishes with balsamic and resinous notes.

7,8% ABV. 18°P

After watching the trailer of the movie “Machete” 4 years before its showing, I was sold on creating a beer to honor him. Not any beer, only one could bear the weight of such a name: a Double IPA. The ale hopping lovers are going to have a blast with this one, for it brews with the richness of its contents and multiplies the excitement of a hop. The succulence and juicy centers of grapefruit have gracefully found their way into the hop of the beer and function the role in the mix, building on its reputation of a loyal breakfast table item. For the summers, the scorching heat makes way for the refreshing coolness of grapefruit IPA. The addition of white grape aroma to the hybrid has resulted in a wine-like crispness to the whole drink. This is a beverage that is capable of making everyone think beyond white wines and fruit juices for living the fun of all the fruity seasons. White grapes come in different varieties, and you can go to this website to discover the most suitable type of white grape for the IPA strength you are looking for. IPA has got popular variations now as smoothies, citrusy flavors and juicy drinks. The addition of a bitter orange or lime improves on the citrusy flavor of the beer and the freshness arriving with each hop of the double IPA. The pale color is perfectly preserved and the aromas have build up in the careful mix of the juicy, bitter fruits in the bottle. The fruits are kept inside and oxygen does wonderful tricks on them to increase the fan base of the beer. I have always been fascinated by well brewed Double (or Imperial) IPAs.

These are far from easy beers to brew. Limiting the caramel amount, achieving a good dryness, making sure that the higher alcohols are not overpowering are some of the key elements to avoid an undrinkable “sludge”. Above all, hop has to emerge over everything else, powerful and imperious.

This is an extreme beer, either loved or hated. It has no middle ways, middle ways are not for Machete. Machete doesn’t come to compromises.

“Machete don’t text”.

A blend of different beers, some of which are barrel aged up to 2 years with morel and amarena cherries. Intense amber with ruby highlights, the nose is extraordinarily complex with fruity aromas of morel and amarena cherry perfectly blending with subtle ethereal notes, acetic and lactic flavors and hints of oxidized malts. It has a sapid, full mouthed lasting palate with a magnificently elevating sour finish.

A beer for strong emotions, it is an homage to all lovers beyond time and space.

ABV. 8,0% 18°P

The moment I blend La Luna Rossa represents a mile stone in my history as a brewer when I feel truly proud and satisfied with my work. This beer has the longest maturation and its brewing resembles wine making in that regard. It is always very emotional when Myself and Luca (a solid presence at the Brewery) find ourselves between sour splashes and leftover pieces of fruit that remind me the “visciole”(morello cherry) my grandfather used to eat while playing cards.

Beer and wine are two totally different drinks and are to be enjoyed in different ways. Beer is brewed and does not require maturing or aging like wine. Wine gets better with age. It gets smoother and more sophisticated as it matures. But there are some beers which also require long maturation periods. This particular beer undergoes a long process. The base itself is the result of long term fermentation and is quite sour. Then cherries are added for the additional flavors and this process is also time-consuming. I am always emotional at this stage as it reminds me of my grandfather. We loved having cherries while playing cards and now in between the processes I end up nibbling on the leftover fruit pieces. Spending time over here doing something I love and enjoy is probably the best way to spend my life.

The start is a sour base which has undergone at least 2 years of mixed fermentation with acetic and lactic bacteria as well as Brettanomyces strains. Amarena and morel cherries are then added for additional flavor for at least 6 months. The beer is then blended with part L’Ultima Luna and part young beer and poured into numbered bottles indicating the year of the curvee. 12 more months of maturation in bottle are required before entering the market.

La Luna Rossa resembles a Flemish red based kriek beer and is extraordinarily complex and elegant. Lovers of this blend find it hard to forget.

Drawing inspiration from Belgian beers, it features 9 different spices. Intense amber with balsamic and fruity aromas and a base of caramel, it is a Christmas beer. Its citrus nose and sour mouth are delivered by the use of wild yeasts (Brettanomyces) and lactic bacteria that during the beer’s 12 month aging, trigger a secondary fermentation. Surprisingly charming and rich, it is dedicated to all those moments that will never come back.

ABV. 9,0% 20°P

I created Strepponi Reserve a few years ago when I decided to use Brettanomyces, Bruxellensiis and Lactobacillus strains for the secondary fermentation in bottle. The first batch was far from encouraging; it smelled like prescription drugs, acid yogurt and salami mold. We stored it meaning to dispose of it and forgot all about it.

Whenever a new beer is brewed, the results are not always great. Sometimes the results are very far from what is expected. Sometimes the best beers are a result of the accident and not design. It has happened many times that the beer which is not liked initially and is condemned and kept aside for discarding can turn into a best seller. After some duration, some beers can turn into a very tasty and heady concoction and it seems like a good thing that it was not discarded. Aging can be really good for some brews but can turn some into totally distasteful drinks. Brewers can do everything possible to make a beer very palatable and tasty, but it is the unexpected things which can turn the beer into a pleasant surprise. Blind taste test can be a good way to find good beers. Without any outside influence or extra resources, one can concentrate on the true essence of the beer. The aroma, taste, balance, and textures all seem more potent when you are fully concentrating on one or two senses only. Really tiny amounts of adjustments made while brewing can become more pronounced during a blind taste test. The flavors which otherwise would be lost become easy to guess and make us enjoy the beer more.

Then, during a hot summer day, Maso (at the time assistant brewer) presented me with a blind taste test. I was taken by surprise: a well balanced mix of aromas of rust, lactic, leather, cherries, fruit candies, anise, citron, balsamic and cola with a sour finish! It painted a big smile on our faces for the remaining of the day!

We called it Strepponi Reserve to honor Giuseppe Verdi’s second wife….the “sour wife”!

It was a hop explosion, an experience heightening my senses. Imagining all I desired from my beer but never dared to ask for. Some people thought it wasn’t for everyone. Ultimately, most of those who tried it ended up falling in love with her.

6,5% ABV. 15°P

Hop is this beer’s undoubted star.

Being our reoccurring dream, our addiction, our cure, cause and resolution of many heartaches, we always come back to this beer, we want to fill ourselves with it. We want it to touch our hearts and souls while diving deep in its inebriant scents.

Sitting with friends and having a good time includes good food and some good beer to go with food. It is the beer which accompanies us on the journey of our lives. Our holidays, our travels and our good days and bad all somehow have beer in common. Our companion during happy and difficult times and letting us be the person we want to be is also some good beer. There are some beers which are available everywhere and do not require much thought or planning, both while being brewed and while being consumed. There are some beers which require you to actually savor them leisurely and get used to the taste and texture. These beers are unique in the way they are brewed and also in terms of flavors. Once you start drinking this beer, in no time it can become addictive and become your go-to drink for every season and every reason. It has such interesting flavors and helpful hints of aromas like mango, tropical fruit, grapefruit and makes it fruity and fun and fresh. Wines are generally fruity and full of flavor and can be great for accompanying different types of meals. Pairing up wine with a particular course of the meal is so common and people love to experiment with different wines. But with these wonderful beers, it is normal to find people trying out beers with different meal courses. These beers can add to the taste of any and every meal.

We want to merge with it. It has aromas of mango, tropical fruit, grapefruit and bitter orange with balsamic notes and subtle malty nuances. Light amber almost orange with a very persistent white head, rich in refined West Coast hop resins, it is liquid poetry, wisdom and satisfaction lasting till the last drop. Just like love awakens the heart making the longing for the beloved source of torment, so our hop craving will find redemption every time we will near our lips to this beer.

A blend of New Morning and 18 month aged 3 Fonteinen Lambic refined for at least 12 months in bottle. It has a surprisingly citrus nose of leather, cellar and animal with hints of dried flowers and honey.

The best part about lambic beers is the fact that there is not a lot of planning behind it. It is allowed to be spontaneous and that is exactly what turns it into a fun and funky beer. Unlike the usual beers, these blends have a unique flavor and gives unusual hints of smells and textures. Aging is very important and after spending at least twelve months in bottles it is just right to be consumed. The citrus flavor makes it seem both fresh and mature at the same time. This blend has a unique taste and it ends up lasting in your mouth for a long time. It leaves you with a nice aftertaste and leaves you happy. Beers are very different from wines and people generally are either wine lovers or beer lovers. But this is one blend which is popular with all kinds of drinkers and an afternoon lunch with this beer can be just perfect. If you are new to lambic beers and have never tasted one before, this could be your introduction to some really fantastic beers. Get the facts about this and more such tasty and addictive beers by reading about them online.

Lasting and sapid in the mouth with a sour finish that always makes the lovers of this blend smile.

This beer could very well make you develop an addiction for spontaneous fermentation and turn your entire world upside down!

ABV.6,2% 14°P

After a mechanical breakdown, 3 Fonteinen Brewery of Beersel (possibly the best Lambic blender in the world) had economic damage in the summer of 2009. The news caused such a stir in the International beer movement that I called Armand to know how things were. As he needed to sell his Lambic, I immediately got inspired to blend our New Morning with his beer. We selected three 18 month old Lambic barrels that we siphoned in a small tank on our truck. The journey back was long and hard, myself and Manuel took turns driving through Belgium, France and Italy only stopping for gas. After days hand bottling and months of maturation, the outcome has gone over and beyond our expectations and we can say with pride that it was worth it!

This top fermented beer is a free interpretation of a Pale Ale. It is deep copper in color, generously hopped (it contains more than ten different types of hops including the American Chinook, Cascade and Simcoe delivering its citrusy and exotic aromas) with a lightly toasted caramel flavor that perfectly balances its bitter finish.

Fermentation is a process in which the yeast converts the glucose to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. This happens in the wort. Because of fermentation, the beer gets the carbonation and alcoholic content. Discover this process more here.

For the fermentation process, the wort that is cooled is transferred into the fermentation vessel. The yeast has already been added to it. Depending on whether the beer is being made to an ale or to a lager, the temperature is maintained accordingly. This is done so for six weeks.

The process of fermentation produces an excess of heat. This means that you have to cool it continuously so that the proper temperature is maintained. The capacity of the brewery is also limited based on the number of tanks that they have.

The gravity is measured when the wort is added to the yeast first. Later the gravity is again measured to know how much of alcohol is there in the beer. This lets one know when the fermentation process should stop.

The fermenter is then sealed off from the air. The vent pipe that is long and narrow is not sealed because it lets the carbon dioxide to escape from it. Because of the constant carbon dioxide flow, the outside air does not enter the fermenter. This prevents any contamination.

A beer I have always craved. To all those obsessed by Ales like me.

A.F.O. is my second creation. It was launched on the market together with VIA EMILIA at the end of March 2007. The story behind this beer dates back to January 2006 when, for the first time, I came across the new and irresistible character of American hops. Despite the initial excitement, I soon realized that my dream pale ale aimed to express something different. Thus, I challenged myself to create a complex bouquet that would end up being unusual and enticing. The investigation in the field of hop aromas (which may never end) lead me to England and Germany. I also experimented with hop varieties from New Zealand. Despite this, A.F.O.’s unmistakable character will never change.

Suggested pairings  It wonderfully pairs with BBQed beef, lamb and pork as well as cured cheeses such as Parmesan. Its best pairing is the basic human craving for a hoppy beverage though!

ABV. 5,4% 13,0° P

Storing temperature:  between 4 and 18°C (it keeps best refrigerated)

Serving temperature: between 10 and 14°