Just a few years ago, Italian craft beer seemed poised for a takeoff in the United States. Food media lauded pioneers such as Teo Musso of Baladin and Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birro del Borgo, noting the inventive brewing techniques and the use of Italian-grown hops. Then, just as suddenly, the hype subsided. Sure, you could find a bottle of Peroni or Moretti at a red sauce joint, but the notion that Italian craft beer would find a place in America’s burgeoning scene fizzled.
Why? Fred Avila, head brewer for Eataly in Manhattan, says that a number of factors were to blame. First of all, importing the beers became cost-prohibitive: a keg of Italian craft beer could approach four times the price of an American craft beer, and the unusual shaped bottles that many producers were using were a bane for distributors. Meanwhile, Italy’s brewers lost focus, Avila says, using American ingredients and making English – and Belgian-style ales rather than carving their identity.
But now, Avila and others note, Italy’s brew scene is back on track. Breweries such as Birra Antoniana are applying Italian culinary sensibilities to beer making, and increased competition is driving up the quality in a country that went from just a dozen breweries to more than 1,500 in the past decade. The attention to design helps too; Musso not only makes every bottle of Baladin a graphic design and illustration showcase, but he’s the co-creator of the TeKu glass favored by beer snobs such as Avila, who uses the glassware at Eataly’s dining and drinking establishments.
Always ready to ride a trend, New York City is becoming a great place to discover Italian craft beer. Here are five places to sample a bottle—or, in some cases, a draft.
SERRA ALPINA BY BIRRERIA AT EATALY
Avila’s thoughtful selection makes Eataly’s restaurants and its seasonally – changing Serra Alpina rooftop bar the best place to drink Italian craft beer in New York. Baladin’s Birra Nazionale, made using all Italian ingredients, and Baladin Nora, an ale brewed using ancient Egyptian grains, are available by the bottle. The retail selection, meanwhile, can turn up gems like LoverBeer from Marentino, Italy, whose brewer is one of many that are experimenting with a sort of beer-wine hybrid using Italian grape must during fermentation.
Serra Alpina also features Avila’s house-made beers, which are crafted in one of only two breweries on the island of Manhattan. At the moment, he’s pouring two non-Italian-style beers that have playful Italian names—the Va Bene IPA and Troppo Fresco Kolsch—but has plans to brew a porter made with Italian espresso called Barrista.
AINSLIE ENOTECA E BIRRERIA
Brooklyn’s latest beer garden has an Italian theme—and Italian beers! In fact, it’s one of the few places in New York City to score the Italian beer Forst on tap. It’s “light and refreshing—what you would expect from an Italian lager,” says beverage director Jessica Dure. The Ainslie also carries craft beers on the bottle list, including two from Birrificio Ducato (their Torrente Pale Ale and Nuovo Mattina Belgian Saison), Baladin’s Nora, and Almond ’22 Pink IPA pink peppercorn brew. Peroni’s Nastro Azzurro Italian Lager is also available in cans. Many American craft beers round out the menu, while the food, from noted chef John DeLucie, includes wood-fired pizzas, an array of pastas, heartier secondi and more.
BAR PISELLINO/VIA CAROTA
Rita Sodi and Jody Williams created the West Village’s Via Carota, which for many food world habitués is the ultimate Italian hangout spot. More recently, the duo opened Bar Pisellino, a place “dedicated to the Italian art of drinking.” While that means an overall concentration on wine and amari, Sodi notes that they always aim to keep quality Italian beers on hand. The list currently includes Birrificio del Ducato’s Torrente, and Birra Follina from Veneto.
SOMEDAY
One of New York City’s newest and most ambitious craft beer bars, Someday features a list with some of the best names in American brewing today. They did make sure that one Italian beer made the list: Birrificio Italiano’s Tipopils, which Someday’s owner describes as “a highly sought-after Italian Pilsner.”
CARDONCELLO DIVINO
This upscale restaurant reflects the Puglian chef’s background, and draws its name from a legendary Italian mushroom that’s also used in several dishes throughout the menu. While the emphasis here is clearly on food and wine, Cardoncello DiVino is also one of the few places in the city where you’ll find Forst’s Doppelbock, which the bar carries in addition to the Italian brand’s lager.