In September/October, 2004 my wife, Joyce and I had a visit to Milan, where our host was Lorenzo. Following this visit, Joyce and I spent a few days in Florence. There is a Web page covering these visits, which is dedicated to Lorenzo; it can be reached by clicking here. In Milan, Lorenzo very kindly gave me a copy of Birre Italia Annuario Directory 2004-2005 (Beverfood Edizioni, ISBN 88-88152-05-9), an excellent information source on the beer scene in Italy. Amongst other things, this covers: large breweries and International brewing groups operating in Italy; and Italy's microbreweries and Brew Pubs, 113 in this category being listed.

Ignoring places, such as Heineken Italia, which produces beers that I do not like to mention on my Web pages, two Brew Pubs and the don't-miss Lambrate Brewery, in Milan, which is covered below, are the full complement of brewing establishments in Milan. We could have perhaps fitted one of the other Milan Brew Pubs in on this trip, but Lorenzo is gloriously truthful when it comes to saying whether he likes a beer or not or how it is served in a particular bar, to the point where one of these Brew Pubs has a sign saying "No dogs or Kuaska".

This Web page, therefore, does not cover all the brewing establishments listed in the book just mentioned, but a small selection that relate to this 2004 trip. In the future, as further visits are made to Italy, it will be expanded. In addition to the one in Milan, Lorenzo took us to a Brew Pub in Lurago Marinone, featured above, for which full details are given below. We also went to some superb Specialty Beer bars, these being covered on the already mentioned Italy Web page. In more than one of these places, we were exposed to top-class beers from Le Baladin, a Brew Pub in Piozzo, which is covered below. It was not possible to physically visit this brewery on this trip, but I feel that it was visited in spirit, or should I say, in beer! Hence the reason that it is covered in this Web page; the inevitable future visit is greatly anticipated.

The trip to Florence was largely to see its major tourist attractions, but we did manage to visit its Brew Pub, Il Bovare, this also being covered below. Whilst in Florence, Lorenzo also recommended that we visit a Brew pub, the Birrificio Artigiano, in Bientina, which is near Pisa, but there was not enough time to do this, but clearly, being a Lorenzo recommendation, it will be visited in the future. Click here for further details of it.

Lorenzo is a Taster and the Cultural Director (degustatore e Direttore Culturale) of Unionbirrai (www.unionbirrai.com), the Italian organisation that represents Italy in the European Beer Consumers' Union (EBCU) (www.ebcu.org). The longer title of Unionbirrai is Associazone Culturale Birra Artigianale (Cultural Association for Artisanal Beer). The Unionbirrai website provides links to the websites of all its member breweries.

A small Selection of Italian Brewing Establishments that Produce Speciality/Specialty/Artisanal/Craft Beer (Birra Artigianale)

Birrificio Lambrate
Via Adelchi 5, tel 02 70 63 86 78 (Pub), 02 23 61 719 (Lab),
www.birrificiolambrate.com, GPS: 45.485752^o N, 9.231422^o E

The photo above left, was taken by Joyce White, in September, 2004. The passageway labelled "BIRRIFICIO" (Brewery), above Lorenzo's head, leads to the courtyard featured in the photo on the right. which was taken by John White at the same time. On the right of this, near the kegs, is the entrance to the Lambrate Brewery itself. Above my head in the photo on the left is the entrance to the pub part of this don't-miss-when-in-Milan Brew Pub. The sign shows the year of opening to be 1996; the first beers were available to the general public in 1997. Prior to it becoming, what was at the time, Milan's first Brew Pub, Lambrate was a bar called Skunky, indeed, many locals still refer to it as such today.

Lambrate is run by two brothers, Danko and Giampaolo Sangiori, and Alessandra Brocca. Alessandra is the former wife of Danko. The brothers are featured in the photos, above, which were taken by Joyce White, in September, 2004. Danko, the chef, is featured in the photo, above left. In the one, above right, Lorenzo is holding open Giampaolo's shirt to reveal some of his tattoos: the wording below the beard on his chin is "Lambrate". As you can see, from these photos, and one below, all the men involved in the brewery have tattoos, some matching, and I understand that Alessandra has some too. Some of the customers also have impressive tattoos, but others have suits and ties; the place really is a magnet for people from all walks of life and persuasions, all attracted by the place's great beers, food and ambiance.

We sampled the following beers on our visit: Montesella (5.2%), a very nice well-hopped session Blond Beer (Birra Chiara); Porpora (6.1%), a lovely, malt-accented Red Beer (Birra Rosso Special); Lambrate (7%), a superb, amber, fruity beer (Birra Birra Ambrata Doppio Malto); St. Ambroeus (7%), a lovely, rich, Blond Beer (Birra Chiara Doppio Malto); Ghisa (5.4%), a most interesting, Dark Beer, 54% of the malt in the mash being smoked malt from Weyermann Malz (Malt), in Bamberg (www.weyermannmalt.com (English pages), www.weyermann.de (German pages, with links to pages in many other languages), White Beer Travels Web page); and Döm (Domm) (4.8%), a seasonal beer (Birra Stagionali), this being another great beer, with much fruit in evidence. The other seasonal beer is Brighella (9%), a "Birra di Natale" (Birth Beer), i.e. a Christmas Beer that is available from the 1st of December each year. Note that, as is the norm in Italy, Lambrate and St. Ambroeus are described as "Doppio Malto", as they have an original gravity of 14.5^o Plato or over, which is typically equivalent to an ABV (Alcohol By Volume) of 6.5% or more.

We tried all these beers just mentioned on draught, but the brewery bottles some of its beers, the bottling being done within the brewery; all beers will eventually be bottled. The photo on the left, which was taken by John White, in September, 2004, shows Lambrate beers undergoing bottle-conditioning in the brewery's warm room, where the bottled beers are stored at 25oC, before being put on sale. The Carbon Dioxide (CO2) produced during the secondary fermentation increases the carbonation of the beer, which, as can be seen, is monitored using pressure gauges; I have seen this done for Wheat Beers in Germany, but never for the type of beers produced by Lambrate, which is a clear sign of their commitment to quality.

Interestingly, we were told that Ghisa in bottle had a more pronounced smoke taste than its draught counterpart. It certainly did; what a superb beer this is. In the evening, from 8pm, all the beers cost €3.10 (33cl) and €4.40 (50cl) (September, 2004 prices). There is a happy hour from 6pm to 8pm; not only are the beers cheaper at this time (€3.10 (33cl) and €3.50 (50cl)), but there is also free food, such as Rice and Pasta! At lunchtime they cost €2.50 (33cl) and €3.50 (50cl). Opening times are detailed below.

Food included: Insalate (Salads), which are in the range €4-4.40 at lunchtime (giorno) and  €7-8 in the evening (sera); Piatti (Main Courses) in the range €4-6.50 (lunchtime), €7-8.50 (evening); Specialita Tedesche (German Specialities at €6.50 (lunchtime), €8.50 (evening), such as Piatto Wurst (Sausage Platter) and Piatto Bavarese (Bavarian Platter), which is a Pasta Dish); various Bruschette (Toasted and Garnished Bread) at €2.90 (lunchtime), €3.90 (evening); Panini at €3 (lunchtime), €4.50 (evening); and Taglieri at €6.50 (lunchtime), €8.50 (evening). Taglieri is derived from the word Tagliare, which means "to cut". Typically this is slices of Cheese (Formaggi), Salami, Ham (Prosciutto), etc served on a wooden plate or slab.

In the photo to the left, which as taken by Joyce White, in September, 2004, Lorenzo and I are with the Head Brewer, Fabio Brocca, and his sister, Alessandra, outside the entrance to the brewery. On their T-Shirts are the names of the brewery's excellent range of beers.The brew plant that can be seen was supplied by Jacob Carl (www.jacobcarl.de), from Göppingen, in Germany; there are some vessels from the Dutch firm Duotank (www.duotank.nl). Although this company supply whole breweries, they are mostly known for their system of tank delivery to draught beer fonts. However, the draught beer in Lambrate's bar is delivered from kegs. The beers were initially unfiltered, but filtering using Kieselguhr has been introduced because of a problem with dead yeast cells. However, the bottled beers are bottle-conditioned, i.e. the filtered beer is reseeded with yeast to provide a second fermentation in the bottle, bottling being done on site. Of course, the beers are unpasteurised.

Il Microbirrificio (The Microbrewery), as the place is called on its menu card, is five kilometres (three miles) to the NE of the city centre, in the suburb of Lambrate, hence its name and that of one of its excellent beers, their names, indeed, all having a connection with Milan.

Via Adelchi is sandwiched between Via Vallazze and Via Nicola Antonio Porpora. If you turn right out of the brewery and then left onto Via Porpora, the stop named "Porpora Teodosio" for the number 33 tram is soon reached, on the opposite side of the road. This goes very close to the hotel we stayed at in Milan, click here for more details. The brewery is also close to a local railway station: Lambrate F.S..

Birrificio Lambrate's bar is open every day, except Sunday, from Noon until 3pm, and from 6pm until 2am. Guided tours of the brewery are possible without booking between 11am and 1pm.

Birrificio Italiano®
Via Castello 51, Lurago Marinone (CO), tel 031 895 450,
www.birrificio.it, GPS: 45.706167^o N, 8.983435^o E

The "Italian Brewery" Brew Pub, note the Registered Trademark symbol (®) in its name in the title to this section, is to be found in the small town of Lurago Marinone, which is thirty-two kilometres (twenty miles) NW of Milan, near the Swiss border.

The brewers, two of Italy's very best, are, as stated above, Agostino Arioli and his brother Stefano. Stefano was not at the brewery during our visit, so on arrival, we were warmly greeted by Agostino, who features in the photo just above and the one at the top of the page, both of which were taken by Joyce White, in September, 2004. In the one just above we are sitting at a table on the place's attractive terrace; Agostino is pouring his brewery's magnificent Cassissona (6.5%), a bottle-aged (eighteen months at 8-10^oC) Blackcurrant Beer, made, as the label says, from Sciroppo di Ribes Nero (Blackcurrant Syrup). Interestingly, when we tasted Cassissona here, it was obviously a beer, which clearly had been produced using Blackcurrants, but when we tried it (two 75cl bottles) in the excellent Mulligans, in Milan, see below, it was a truly wonderful drinking experience, but, for me, it appeared not to be a beer at all, but rather a superbly refreshing, Sparkling Fruit Wine; there was a quite marked difference, which is the way of Artisanal Beers; I just loved both! This beer is expected to be soon available in the USA, the importer being B.United International, www.bunitedint.com, see below, who will carry out part of the bottle maturation for the imported beer. On the table is truly excellent Bread and Cheese (a hard one called Puzzone di Moena), the bread (Pane alle Trebbie di Birra Scura) having been made in-house from the brewery's spent grains from a Vúdú (6%) brew, Vúdú being short for Weizen Dunkel, i.e. it is a Dark, Wheat Beer, an excellent one at that, as we were to discover on the evening; my tasting notes mention a lovely blend of dark toffee and prunes!

As can be seen in the photo of Lorenzo on on the left, which was taken on Birrificio Italiano's terrace, by John White, in September, 2004, Vúdú comes in a most unusual, wide, squat glass. Indeed, as one would expect from such a classy brewery, there is a special glass for each of its beers; unusually, they all display the strength of the beer. The bottled versions of the beers all come in impressive looking bottles of various shapes. A couple of examples can be seen in a photo below. Most of the beers have nicknames, examples being given later.

Agostino, a genuine lover of good beer and beer culture, was a full-mash home brewer from 1986. He produced bottles that were too flat or too fizzy, but experimented until he came up with consistently good results, as he does in the brewery today. His love of home brewing spawned the idea of becoming a commercial brewer. However, Agostino augmented his home brew experience with some serious training and study before commissioning this magnificent brewery, in 1996, with his brother, Stefano, the joint brewer; the company was actually formed in December, 1994, but the Brew Pub actually opened to the public on the 3rd of April, 1996. He studied agriculture at University and has had spells with breweries in Germany, the USA and Canada. In the latter, he was particularly impressed with the Brew Pubs of Vancouver, particularly Granville Island Brewing (www.gib.ca), and resolved to set up something similar in Italy, his father, a Biologist, persuading him to finish his studies before embarking on this, which he duly did. This place is the magnificent result.

Initially a brew plant capable of producing 250 hectolitre of finished beer per year was installed, then a 700 hectolitre one, before the present 2,000 hectolitre per year brewery was installed. In 2003, 1,150 hectolitres of beer were produced, of which 850 hectolitres were consumed on the premises. The mash and the hop boil are done in the same vessel. There is a Lauter Tun (Wort Filter) alongside this vessel, both these being in the background in the photo above, with a Whirlpool for hop removal below. The mash is a decoction one, generally at three temperature levels; two thirds of the mash is left in the Malt Filter, whilst the temperature of the rest is raised in the vessel when it is a Mash Tun. The Malt Filter has a special plastic filter plate, this being very easy to remove for the phase when the Filter is being used as part of the decoction mash process, rather than for filtering the wort. The fermenters are open, with lids; Agostino likes to see what is going on. A specialised brewery supply company was not used to provide a brewery for Agostino and Stafano. Each piece of equipment was specified by the brewery and individually sourced.

The brewery is now sufficiently well established to run Beer Culture courses, which Lorenzo is involved in, tastings including beers not just from this brewery, but from others in Italy and elsewhere. These courses are very practical, with experimental brews being produced, for example, the same brew, with and without hops, brews with the same ingredients, but using top and bottom fermenting yeasts. Help is also given to home brewers.

Agostino is a great lover of German beers; he gets his hops from Germany. For most brewers, this means that someone delivers German hops to the brewery, but not in the case of Agostino; he is fanatically committed to quality; he goes to the famous hop regions of Germany, such as Spalt, Hallertau, and Tettnang, in Bavaria, personally inspects them and brings them home himself. This dedication manifests itself in the brewery's beers: they truly are world-class. The hops used are the "Luppolo" listed on the place's list of suppliers, see below, i.e. for example, from HVG Spalt (www.hvg-spalt.de). Beers from the hops brought back are typically brewed in mid-September; following this, in mid-November, the beer is available, there being a "New Hop Harvest Party" at this time. Another event is held each year, on the 3rd of April, the anniversary of its opening, see above. The first beer brewed then, Tipopils (5.2%) (nickname "Autoconscienza"), is the only one still brewed of its earliest brews. Its name alludes to the fact that "It is like a Pils". Of course, we sampled it on this visit; it proved to be a world-class Pils, with a serious hopping level that I just loved. It is in the Czech style of Pils, the brewery's Extra Hop (4.8%) being more in the German style, this not being available at the time of our visit; there is a useful leaflet available in the brewery giving information on the beers and their availability periods. Table settings give very detailed information on individual beers. The brewery's beers are all unpasteurised. They are also unfiltered, apart from Extra Hop; Agostino stated that the yeast would impact negatively on the hop aroma and taste that the beer should have.

Although it has just been stated that Agostino gets his hops from Germany, he could also possibly be going to use English hops in the future, if a September, 2006 visit to a Hop Farm in Herefordshire, is anything to go by. Click here to see a photo taken during this visit, which also features, Birrificio's Maurizio Folli, and, from the Birrificio del Ducato, in Parma, Giovanni Campari, and yours truly, John White.

The brewery's Amber Shock ("L'Impevedible" (The Unexpected)), which is based on one of Agostino's early home brew beers, has become a cult beer, to the extent that posters are put up stating its availability. The above photo is the poster denoting that none is available, but the bottle standing on the table in the photo to the right, is Amber Shock, which comes in one litre bottles, which we were allowed to sample a little earlier than it is normally released by the brewery. The tasting notes on the back label are by Lorenzo. The beer being poured by Alessandro Coira is an experimental beer, called Sciresona, this meaning Big Cherry, it, of course being a Cherry Beer, the cherries for it having been hand-pressed at the brewery; this beer, which has spent some time in Oak, was superb. The photos were taken by John White, in September, 2004, in the place's justifiably renowned restaurant.

Other beers sampled during the evening, all of which were wonderful or better, included: Bibock (BI-Bock) (5.2%) (La Prepotenza), a lovely, fruity beer, with apricot undertones; Fleurette (3.5%), a beer that is absolutely full of character, despite its low strength; and B.I. Weizen (5.2%) a German style, Pale Wheat Beer. Seasonal Beers, such as the brewery's Cinnamon Bitter Ale (4.5%), the brewery's "Real Ale", were not available at the time of our visit, which are good enough reasons, if an excuse be needed, to revisit this very special place; when available, Cinnamon Bitter Ale is delivered, as it would be in the UK, by handpump.

We had a wonderful meal here during our visit. The ever-changing dishes available are listed on a blackboard. Example dishes include: Crema di Patate Alla Birra con Dadolata di Formaggio e Sfoguatine al Prosciutto (Potato Soup cooked with Beer, with Cheese, and Ham in Puff Pastry) at €6.50; a Bacalla Frito (Fried Cod) dish at €10.20; Brusschetta al Pomodoro Fresco (Fresh Tomatoes on Toast) at €3.70; and Dolci (Desserts), such as Tiramisu, all at €3.60. Another interesting blackboard in the restaurant, which reflects the pride that the place takes in what it does, is headed "Nostri Fornitori" (Our Suppliers). This is divided into two sections, sub-headed "Per Le Birre" (For the Beer) and "Per La Cucina" (For the Food). From this, for example, one learns that the Malto for the beer is supplied by the Malterie Franco-Suisse and Weyermann Malt, in Bamberg, Germany, and one supplier of Formaggi (Cheese) is Guffanti (www.guffantiformaggi.com). The photo to the left of the Suppliers' Blackboard was taken by John White, in September, 2004.

On Sundays, there is live music, usually Jazz.

If you have a designated driver, i.e. one not partaking of alcohol, one can get to the Italiano Brewery by leaving the A9 Milan - Como - Chiasso (CH, Switzerland) Autostrade (Motorway) at its Lomazzo exit, and by taking rights at main junctions reached, including one in Lomazzo, one soon arrives in Lurago Marinone; there is a large public car park diagonally opposite the Brew Pub. Click here for more detailed instructions, in English, and a good map from the place's website. It is also possible to get to it by public transport. From Milan take a train to either Lomazzo or Mozzate, which are equidistant from Lurago Marinone. Until about 7pm, buses run to and from Lurago Marinone and these two towns. If the last bus has gone one can return to their stations by taxi, the return trains to Milan running until around 11pm.

Birrificio Italiano's bar is open on Monday to Friday, at lunchtime, from 11.30am to 2.30pm. On Monday to Thursday, it opens again from 5.30pm (7.30pm in Winter) to 1am. On Friday and Saturday it is open from 5.30pm to 2am, and on Sunday it is open from 4pm to 1am. The restaurant is open from 8pm to 10.30pm (11.30pm on Friday and Saturday).

Le Baladin
Piazza Cinque Luglio 1944, 15, Piozzo (CN), tel 0173 79 54 31, www.birreria.com

On the left is a selection of Le Baladin Beers in superb, specially embossed "Dom Pérignon"-shaped 75cl bottles They are on a shelf in a beer shop in Milan; for information on it, click here. From left to right, they are: Nora; Mama Kriek; Isaac; Wayan Vieille Cuvée; Wayan; Super; and Nöel. Many of these beers were sampled on the 2004 visit to Italy, see below, and also before it, i.e. click here. The photo was taken by John White, in September, 2004.

A feature of this trip to Milan was that the superb beers from this Brew Pub kept popping up, which has mentioned on the top of the Italy page and in a pub report in this page, which can be reached by clicking here. Therefore, I give it an entry now, although it was not visited on this trip; I will make every endeavour to remedy this ASAP!

Piozzo is in the Province of Cuneo, in the NW of Italy (GPS: 44.514869^o N, 7.891859^o E). An abbreviation of the Province name often following a town's name, in brackets, as per the (CN) following Piozzo in the title of this section and equivalent ones in others. Cuneo itself is in the Region called Piemonte (Foot of the Mountains - The Alps), which is a particularly renowned wine area, having towns such as Asti and Barolo within it; Piozzo, is in an area called Le Langhe, which has particularly good wines; it is only sixteen kilometres (ten miles) from Barolo, this town giving its name to world-class Red Wines. The classy nature of Le Baladin's beer bottles is a reflection that their beers are also world-class.

During the 2004 trip, one of a number of beers sampled was Isaac (4.8%), a Wheat Beer, which is named after the brewer, Matterino Musso's first son. Quite simply, this was the best "White Beer" that I have ever tasted, on my "Travels" around the beer world! It had a very obvious Pepper taste which presumably comes from the hops used. As per Belgian Wheat Beers, it is spiced with Coriander, but the other typical ingredient of such beers, Curaçao Peel is not used; Curaçao is a citrus fruit; for Isaac, Orange is used instead of Curaçao, but not just the peel, the whole fruit. This gave the beer a massive fruit character, superbly balanced by the Pepper. It is not the highest rated Wheat Beer in ratebeer (www.ratebeer.com), indeed there are some moderate ones rated higher, which does not, for me, make sense.

On the trip, other Le Baladin Birra sampled, all being excellent were: Baladin Super (8%), a Beer inspired by a Belgian Abbey Beer; Wayan (5.8%), Italy's first Organic Beer (Birra Biologica), which is brewed with nineteen ingredients, it being the brewery's take on a Belgian Saison; and Wayan Vieille Cuvée (5.8%), which is also an Organic Beer. Wayan is named after Teo's first daughter.

As stated elsewhere, the brewery also produces a beer with the designation "Metodo Solera" (Solera Method). The Solera system is an elaborate method of blending wine, in Jerez, in Spain, of different ages, which has been matured in a special way, to produce Sherry. I assumed that the Baladin "Metodo Solera" beer would merely be a beer produced by blending beers of different ages, which would not have any Sherry characteristics, but on tasting it on my return home, the impression I got was that I was, in fact, having a Sherry! I actually did my tasting with Jez (rauchbier, Smoke Beer) Blake, a White Beer Travels Beer Hunt regular and friend and prominent contributor to ratebeer, who is much more adept than I at producing tasting notes. He did not want to drink and drive, so after my tasting, and his little sip, I replaced the cork and Jez went home (alongside the Highwood Brewery, where he works, www.tom-wood.com), where he completed the rating, which is destined for the ratebeer site. This is what Jez e-mailed me later that night: "Weirdly the character of the beer had changed by the time I got it home. I let it settle about an hour then tried it. The Sherry notes had become less obvious with some trace maltiness in both the nose and mouth. There was definitely a sediment that contributed some interesting flavours, balancing out the woody Sherry notes initially present when you opened it. It ended up at the bottom of the bottle tasting like a flat old Artisanal Belgian Beer of undetermined age and style although Saison sprang to mind more than once. My [Jez's] actual notes were as follows.  Initial obvious aroma of Sherry and alcohol with some background woody tartness. The Sherry flavours disappear with time leaving some gentle oxidized malt notes and a big juicy berry aroma  that I couldn't quite place, but was quite appealing. Soft and thin in the mouth with more vague suggestions of diluted Sherry that disappears after a while leaving a gently oxidized and slightly fusty malt note. The juicy berries return once again along with a faint chalky dry tartness in the finish and a gentle yeastiness. Not obviously alcoholic except for the initial spirity aroma, but you soon start to get a little buzz from the well hidden strength. Extremely strange "Beer" that I scored 3.6 out of 5, although the lack of condition knocked a couple of points off." We await some further information, before its rating can be submitted: %ABV (8% as per Baladin Super?); confirmation of name (the bottle was unlabelled); production method (i.e. where has the Sherry flavour come from); etc; etc.

Matterino, or Teo for short, obtained advice from Jean-Louis Dits, of La Brasserie à Vapeur (The Steam Brewery, www.vapeur.com), in Pipaix, in Belgium, and from Christian Vanhaverbeke, Christian having worked in three breweries in Belgium: Chimay, (www.chimay.com, White Beer Travels Web page); Union (Grimbergen); and Achouffe (www.achouffe.be). Jean-Louis and Christian helped Teo set up his brewery, in 1996, the pub part having been open since 1986. The brew plant was supplied by ECO Brew Tech (www.ecobrewtech.com).

Le Baladin's beers are imported into the USA by B.United International, www.bunitedint.com. The tasting notes for Le Baladin beer on the B.United website are by Lorenzo.

Le Baladin is in the centre of Piozzo, opposite the Town Hall (Municipio). It is easily reached from the Carrú exit of the A6 Torino (Turin) - Savona Autostrade (Motorway). The nearest railway station is in Fossano.

Le Baladin's pub is open every day, except Monday, from 5pm (11am on Sunday) to 2am (3am on Saturday).

Il Bovaro
Via Pisana 1r/3r/5r, Firenze (Florence), tel 055 22 07 057, GPS: 43.770621^o N, 11.239895^o E

This Brew Pub is just outside the old city walls, very close to the Porta San Frediano (St Frediano Gate), one of the city's old gates, which still has huge wooden doors that can close. The gate can be seen in the photo above right, which was taken by John White, in October, 2004. Joyce is on the bottom left of this photo, between Il Bovaro's entrance and its outside, covered, heated terrace, which is surrounded by a hedge in pots. The photo above left, of John outside the entrance to Il Bovaro, was taken by Joyce White at the same time. This Birreria Artigianale (Artisanal Beer House), as it is badged, as can be seen in the photo on the left, is quite close to a bridge across the river Arno, Ponte Amerigo Vespucci, which is the third one downstream of Florence's particularly famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512) was an explorer, who was born in Florence, but took Spanish nationality; his claim to fame is that the word America is derived from his first name.

The beers available, all of which are unfiltered and unpasteurised, are: Riki (4.5%), a Blond (Birra Chiara); Axel (6.8%), a stronger Blond (Birra Chiara Doppio Malto); and Titan (7.5%) a very dark Red Beer (Birra Rossa), which I have seen described as a Stout, which is very dark red, but not black and has some Stout characteristics, but is not a full-blown one. Note that the menu card gives different strengths for Axel (6.3%) and Titan (5%); I quote the ones given to me by Daniele on my October, 2004 visit. This change reflects the experimental nature of the brewery. The beers are not available in bottle or keg, i.e. they are only available on draught in the Brew pub itself, their taps being fed directly from tanks in the brewery, which is an ECO Brew Tech (www.ecobrewtech.com) installation. On the October, 2004 visit, one of the taps was badged Ugo, a Pilsner-style beer that is no longer brewed. Malt is sourced from Weyermann Malt, in Bamberg, Germany.

Il Bovaro is run by two brothers, who are also the brewers: Daniele and Tiziano Venturi. In the photo to the left, which was taken by Joyce White, in October, 2004, John White is in the bar with Daniele. As can be seen, the brew plant is installed in the bar itself. In my hand, I have a glass of Titan, the dark Red Beer. The beers come in measures of 30cl (called a Piccola on the menu card); 40cl (Media); 50cl (Grande); Caraffa (1 litre); and Caraffa (2 litres). October, 2004 prices are: Axel and Riki at €3.50/4/4.50/8.50/15.50 for 30cl/40cl/50cl/1 litre/2 litres; and Titan at €4/5/4.50/9.50/18.50, for 30cl/40cl/1 litre/2 litres (Titan is not available in a 50cl measure, as they do not have the special glass for it shown in the photo to the left). All the beers are very pleasant, readily drinkable beers; I especially liked the Titan. If you are a beer lover and in Florence, you should definitely put this place on your agenda.

Food available includes: Panini at €5; Pizzas at €6; Bruschette at €5.50; Stinco di Maiale alla Birra (Pork Knuckle cooked in Beer) at €11.50; Carpaccio di Pesce (Uncooked thin slice of Fish), di Spada (Swordfish) at €9.50, di Baccala (Cod) at €8.50; and Dolci (Desserts such as Tiramisu) at €4. I was very happy with my Boscaiola Pizza (Pomodoro (Tomato), Mozzarella, Funghi (Mushrooms), Olive); alternatives include "Aggresiva", which is presumably very spicy, its ingredients being Pomodoro Fresco (Fresh Tomatoes). Aglio (Garlic), Tabasco. Note that the Pizza and the Bruschette all have the same names and hence toppings. Joyce was very pleased with her Stinco, which came with Frites (Chips). Without any Italian, she knew this, as there are photos of all the dishes in the menu card. Other drinks available are the House Wine (Rosso (Red) and Bianco (White) at €8 a bottle; Chianti Classico at €13 a bottle, (click here for more information on this; Sparkling Wines, including Champagne; and a good selection of Grappe (Italian Spirits), which are listed on a separate "Carta del Grappe", this stating that they are supplied by Marzadro (www.marzadro.com).

Il Bovaro, "Florence's First Brew Pub", is housed in a very old building, which has one main room; there is a mix of old and new, with modern ducting for the air conditioning system mixed with a ceiling that has a painting on it, etc. There is a nice separate, more intimate, plainly furnished room. The background music is reasonable Pop. A Bovaro is a Cattle Herder, but also a type of dog, one of these being the place's logo, and there appears to be a real one pulling a cart on the place's business card!

Il Bovaro is open each day from 7pm to 1am (2am on Friday and Saturday).

Close by, I spotted a mega smart Bar/Pizzeria, called Via Vai, at via Pisana 33r, tel 055 223132, which is probably worth checking out, although I don't know what Speciality Beers, if any, are available.

Il Birrificio Artigiano
Via Puccini, Bientina, tel  0587 755 238, www.ilbirrificioartigiano.it

Whilst in Florence, on our 2004 visit, Lorenzo recommended that we make the eighty kilometre (fifty mile) journey to Pisa to visit the nearby town of Bientina, since his dear friend Rosa Gravina, the former brewer at Birrificio Lambrate, see above, has opened this, her own microbrewery.

It has its own pub in the centre of Pisa, in the picturesque Piazza dei Miracoli (Miracles Square), near the famous Leaning Tower, called Orzobruno, which means Brown Barley, but it is somewhat of a joke since Orso Bruno means Brown Bear, one of these being the brewery's logo.

Being recommendations of Lorenzo, I am sure that the brewery and its pub will be excellent, but I knew that we would be pressured for time in Florence, so I asked Lorenzo not to arrange a visit for us on this occasion, but the brewery and its pub will certainly be on a future agenda.

John White (1945-), : October, 2004, updated in June, 2007.