Meet the New Microbrew Masters of Italy
In Naples and around, craft beer is fast becoming the best way to wash down a pizza
On a sweltering summer evening, the pedestrian lungomare that winds along the Naples waterfront becomes a kind of alternative living room for what seems like half the city’s population. The multi-generational parade embraces every variety of non-motorized locomotion and encourages eye-poppingly skimpy outfits—from shirtless club kids gyrating on rollerblades to Speedo-clad septuagenarians cruising the strip on racing bikes. The music blaring from boom boxes struggles to hold its own against the cacophony of conversation, being carried out live or into one of the countless cellphones that glow in the dusk like fireflies.
Along the Via Partenope—one of the city’s most spectacular seafront streets, with dreamy, sprawling views of the Mergellina waterfront, the Castel dell’Ovo, and Capri out in the bay—tourists hop from underwhelming restaurant to overpriced bar to mediocre gelato stand. Most are tragically unaware of the fact, not just that there’s a great dining option right in their midst, but also that it’s part of a quiet revolution in Southern Italian culture.
Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare, an offshoot of the prestigious Pizzeria Sorbillo on Via dei Tribunali, is run by celebrity pizzaiolo Gino Sorbillo, whose father was just one of 21 pizza-making Sorbillo siblings. The Via Partenope outpost distinguishes itself from the family’s other pizzerias on several fronts, including its modern layout and a concise menu that revolves around the number seven. But here’s what’s most remarkable: alongside the seven types of pizza and wine on offer are seven rotating beers, many artisanal and sourced from the area.
It may not seem that big a deal, but a top pizza-maker’s interest in craft beer marks the first dent in the centuries-old monopoly enjoyed by wine as the only accompaniment to serious food. In the past decade, birrificios have sprouted throughout Campania; and prestigious Neopolitan restaurants, enotecas, and specialty drink shops have begun to offer micro-brews alongside the best Falanghinas and Fianos. It’s an exciting, eclectic movement that could only have happened here: Free from any institutionalized traditions, brewers are setting their own rules, dabbling in new techniques and creating amazing new flavors.
Now is the perfect time to start thinking about an Italian beer tour in the spring; below are three top spots for tasting brews, buying bottles, and washing down some of the best pizza in the world.
Birrificio: Saint John’s Bier
“Old people in this town used to think beer was made from hay,” says Dolly Petrillo, pulling on the tap as a blond lager froths up the glass. She hands me a Kolsch, the first draft made by Saint John’s Bier, the first birrificio in Campania. Fifteen years ago, when the brewery where she now works opened, “No one here knew anything about beer. Niente.”
Nestled between mountains in the rural Benevento village of Faicchio, Saint John’s can only be found with a detailed map and a profound sense of patience. The modest building, set in a wooded copse along a winding country road, is the only sign of industry for kilometers. Mario Di Lunardo, one of the two founding brothers, is on a personal mission to develop an Italian tradition that will put an end to Peroni and Nastro Azzuro—typically, the only Italian beers at the bar. Once you start sipping the good stuff, Mario insists, it’s impossible to drink that filtered, mass-produced, “beer-like” liquid. “It’s like being born,” he says. “You can’t go back.”
Saint John’s produces five unpasteurized craft beers — two blondes, one red, one golden ale, one dark ale — drawing from recipes developed by Mario and his brother, Gianni, when they were still living with their parents. Now, Saint John’s ships their product all over the country and has become a destination in its own right, holding regular tastings and tours.
One eyebrow-raising detail: According to Mario, the best time to visit is in the morning. “That’s when you taste most of the flavors,” he says. “The beer comes alive on your tongue.” Don’t plan too much for the rest of the day.
Saint John’s Bier
Loc. Selva 82030, Faicchio BN, Italia
Tel +39 0824815402
To visit: Monday to Friday. 8:30 am to 12:20 pm, 2:30 pm to 6:30. Call ahead first.
Birrificio-Shop: Karma
Even the sleepiest Italian towns often harbor architectural treasures easily missed by tourists and taken for granted by residents. In Alvignano, 30 miles north of Naples, that would be the Basilica of Santa Maria di Cubulteria, an unusually well-preserved example of 8th century Lombard architecture. Now the village has a new attraction: Karma, a progressive beer shop producing some of the weirdest new brews around.
Karma’s beers meld traditional Belgian technique with quintessentially Southern Italian flavors. Drawn to the traditionally “poor” ingredients of Campania, founder Mario Cipriano works with wine must, orange skins, melannurca (a local apple), red pepper, rose buds, and chamomile flowers. From the dense, bitter Na’Tazzulella ‘E Cafè (local dialect for ‘a cup of coffee’) to the light, coriander-spiced Roxy, the flavors are bizarre, and never boring. His creations have had crossover success at a few of Naples’ storied pizza institutions, as well as nearby pubs, like L’Historia Birreria, where his deep red Belgian-style IPA, De’ Rinaldi, is a regular on tap.
Of all his beers, Cipriano tells me, Roxy is the one favored by his son (age: three). His best-seller, though, is Lemonale, inspired by his passion for Sorrento lemons; it has the look of a standard Belgian white, yet bursts with bright lemon aromas. (Cipriano’s mother cooks them at home in her oven). It’s the kind of beer you can drink all day, and one that will save your life during a dry, endless southern summer.
Karma
Corso Umberto I°, 255, Alvignano CE, Italia Tel +39 0823 869117
To visit: 9:00 am to 1 pm; 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Call ahead first.
Historia Birreria
Largo Castello, 10, 82030 Puglianello BN, Italia Tel +39 0824 946072
To visit: 7:00 pm until late. Closed Tuesday.
Pizzeria: Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare
Like the master pizzaioli who came before him, Gino Sorbillo may experiment with doughs, or baking techniques, or business models, but he never strays from an only-the-best ethos—not even when it comes to beverages (traditionally an afterthought). Each of the seven brews he serves was chosen with the utmost care, specifically with pizza-pairing in mind.
On a visit last summer, I settled down at a blue table and inhaled the thick fragrance of charred crust and salty sea, protected from the pedestrian chaos by a foot-high wall of pink flowers enclosing the al fresco dining room. I sampled a range of bottles from Birra del Borgo, in the Lazio region, just north of Campania. The Reale, an American Pale Ale with bright peppery notes and low carbonation, came alive with Sorbillo’s Ciccioli e Ricotta, a lush pizza topped with two types of bufala cheese and ciccioli, rendered pieces of lard. For my second glass, I escalated to the Reale Extra, a dry and bitter blend that reminded me, after a few sips, that beer is indeed alcoholic. Del Borgo’s golden Duchessa, brewed with barley, is floral and delicate, so I sipped it alongside the Torzelle e Conciato Romano, a pie sprinkled with seasonal vegetables, fior de latte, and Conciato Romano (“the oldest cheese in Italy,” according to the menu).
I heartily suggest you follow my example. And when you just can’t bring yourself to eat one more slice of pizza, make your way to La Spilleria, a tiny birreria in Piazza Bellini that’s a favorite among art students, and pick up a smoky Scotch Ale, from the La Nina e La Pinta brewery. This one has enough bitter chocolate fragrance to count as dessert. Drink it on a bench on the promenade or, if you’re feeling daring, make like a local: Find a big rock below the sea wall, lie back in the sun, and listen to the sound of the waves come crashing in.
Sorbillo Lievito Madre al Mare
Via Partenope, 1, 80100, Napoli, Italia Tel: +39 08119331280
To visit: 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm, 7:00 pm to 12:00 am.
La Spilleria
Via Costantinopoli, 95, Napoli, Italia Tel: +39 3391232894
To visit: 10:00 am to 2:00 am.
