Craft beer, what it is and why it is called that

A craft beer is not just any beer. Let's start from this point and clarify this product which in the last 10 years has experienced unstoppable commercial growth both in Italy and abroad.

To explain what a craft beer is, we quote a clause that was added by the Senate on July 6, 2016, to the second article of law 1354 of August 16, 1962: “A craft beer is defined as beer produced by small independent breweries and not subjected, during the production phase, to pasteurization and microfiltration processes. For the purposes of this clause, a small independent brewery is defined as a brewery that is legally and economically independent from any other brewery, that uses facilities physically distinct from those of any other brewery, that does not operate under license and whose annual production does not exceed 200,000 hectoliters, including in this quantity the amounts of product produced on behalf of third parties.”

Within this world, in addition to microbreweries like Birrificio Magis, there is a multitude of brewfirms that are nothing more than “commercial” entities of small or medium size that are currently very trendy.

How to pair craft beer with a meat grill

In this varied world, we strive to delve deeper into their taste properties and, above all, pairing them with a nice meat grill.

Let's start with pork meat and in particular, the succulent ribs. For these, a Rauchbier is worth it, while for the sausages, a good Bok or a Berliner Weisse will cleanse the palate with a good level of acidity. Bacon needs a Tripel or a Hopped Belgian Blonde, while with porchetta a good American Brown Ale is excellent. Pork tenderloin pairs very well with a light craft beer like a English Pale Ale or a Special Bitter.

For veal meat, for example the chops, a classic Vienna or a Maerzen. For a Florentine steak or a rib steak, it’s better to have an English Bitter or a classic IPA.

For chicken legs, the American Pale Ale is excellent. For crispy wings, you can opt for an English Bitter. For a marinated chicken breast fillet, let’s approach a Pils, or a Weizen.

During the Easter period, for a nice grill of lamb ribs, we can pair a Tripel or a Belgian Strong Ale.

The future of craft beer

The pleasure of a craft beer with grilled meat is one of the emerging phenomena of this last decade. In Italy, there is a new generation of millennials seeking these types of tasting experiences, combining simplicity and goodness. A desire for sharing and lightheartedness. Craft beer, like that from Birrificio Lesster, is becoming increasingly modern and contemporary precisely because it reduces the barriers between those who produce and those who drink.

Craft beer, as Teo Musso of Baladin says, is the new frontier of real socialization. For this reason, it cannot be missing alongside a nice grill, which is also definitely real socialization.

Bernardo Pasquali

S&M