Italy is considered to be part of the wine belt of Europe. Nevertheless, beer, particularly mass-produced pale lagers, are common in the country. It is traditionally considered to be an ideal accompaniment to pizza; since the 1970s, beer has spread from pizzerias and has become much more popular for drinking in other situations.[1]
In the seventh century BC in Sicily, the Phoenicians traded and consumed beer. In Piedmont, Pombia, Province of Novara, an archaeological investigation found tombs from the Golasecca culture, including a tomb from 560 BC containing traces of beer.[2] Ancient Rome knew of beer and produced small amounts, but the systems of production were destroyed in various barbarian invasions.[3] The first medical school, the Schola Medica Salernitana, praised the substance stating that it "supports old age, flows through the veins, increases well-being, and strengthens the blood".[4]
On the occasion of his wedding, Ludovico Sforza distributed beer freely to the Milanese. At this time, it was referred to in Florence as "barley wine".[5] The first brewery in Italy, according to Hermes Zampollo, was "Spluga" in Chiavenna, which opened in 1840. However, the company Wührer stated that its brewing commenced in Brescia in 1829.[1] The first person in Italy to cultivate hops for beer brewing was Gaetano Pasqui in 1847.[6] In 1983, the country consumed 12 million hectolitres (260 million imperial gallons; 320 million US gallons) of beer.[7] As of 2010, Italy has a beer consumption of 30 litres (6.6 imp gal; 7.9 US gal) per capita per year.[8]
Breweries and brands
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One of the oldest and most widespread breweries in Italy is Peroni, today owned by the Asahi group, which also owns the popular brand Nastro Azzurro.[1] Other known breweries and beer brands are:[1]
- Beba
- Birra del Borgo (owned by InBev)
- Birra Raffo (owned by Asahi)
- Birrificio Baladin
- Birrificio Italiano
- Castello
- Dreher (owned by Heineken)
- Forst
- Ichnusa (owned by Heineken)
- Menabrea (owned by Forst)
- Birrificio Dr. Barbanera
- Birra Messina (owned by Heineken)
- Birrificio Lambrate
- Birra Morena
- Moretti (owned by Heineken)
- Opperbacco
- Birra Pedavena (owned by Castello)
- Peroni (owned by Asahi)
- Poretti (owned by Carlsberg)
- Birra Semedorato
- Toccalmatto
- Theresianer
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b c d Jackson 1998, p. 52.
- ^ Cattaneo, Marco (2013). La bionda venuta da lontano. Milan: ilmiolibro self publishing. ISBN 978-8891063175.
- ^ Jackson 1998, p. 47.
- ^ Jackson 1998, p. 48.
- ^ Jackson 1998, p. 49.
- ^ Pasqui, Umberto (2010). L'uomo della birra: l'incredibile storia della più antica 'bionda' di luppolo italiano (in Italian). Forlì: CartaCanta. ISBN 978-88-96629-15-4.
- ^ Jackson 1998, p. 55.
- ^ "Bierproduktion und Verbrauch Europa 2011" (PDF) (in German). Brauer-Bund. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
Bibliography
edit- Jackson, Michael (1998). Le birre: oltre 600 marche e produttori di tutto il mondo. Milan: Vallardi. ISBN 88-8211-207-1.
External links
edit- Romanutti, Fabiana (25 January 2019). "Birra artigianale friulana al Daniel di New York". qbquantobasta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- Swanson, Alex. "How to Choose the Healthiest Beer | TheHealthBeat.com". Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- "La Birra di Meni sbarca a New York con l'alta cucina". www.ilgazzettino.it. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 2019-07-17.