Lesster Brewery on the podium at Cibus 2022

On May 3rd, the beer “Ventinovedodici – Barrel Aged Bourbon” from Birrificio Lesster won a silver medal at the Birra dell’Anno 2022 competition, which featured nearly two thousand different craft preparations: the numbers for this edition were remarkable, as was the quality of the products presented.

The live return, organized thanks to Unionbirrai and Birra Nostra, saw 45 different beer styles competing, selected from 244 producers and evaluated by a large jury of experts both Italian and foreign, gathered in Bologna at the end of March. Category number 35 is where we find wood-aged beers, competing regardless of color, fermentation type, and alcohol content: in second place in the selection, awarded by Roberta Careddu, is the Ventinovedodici, aged in barrels that previously held the aromatic liquor from Kentucky.

Fosco, how did the idea for this beer develop?

The Ventinovedodici is named after the date when we started the first test production of the Lesster brewery, December 29, 2011: it is an experiment that began three or four years ago, with relatively small production volumes, waiting to see how valid it would be. The award received at Cibus and the feedback from the judges can only drive us to carry it forward and improve it, increasing the quantity of product as well: immediately after the award, we completely ran out of the reserve of this barrel-aged Imperial Stout, but fortunately, it will be available again in about a month!

Of course, before thinking about aging, we worked a lot on the base beers, since at that time we didn't have beers with a high enough alcohol content. The Ventinovedodici, in fact, are actually three different beers: the "sisters" of the award-winning one are our Strong Scotch Ale “Angiolina,” which is aged for four months in barrels that held rum, and the “Contrabbandiera,” which is rested for the same amount of time in Amarone barrels.

The award comes after a forced break from participating in competitions. How was it to return to the stage?

Due to the pandemic, we were forced to suspend sending beers for tastings, but this year we decided to try to get back into the game on this front as well: it was difficult to face COVID, but the satisfaction received at Cibus rewards us for the struggles of the past, particularly related to the crisis in the restaurant sector.

With Unionbirrai, we participated in the Beer&Food Attraction in Rimini, won awards in Riva del Garda and more. In the “Awarded Beers” section of our website, you can find all the classified beers as Gold, Silver, or Bronze Hops at the FederBirra competition, but returning to win on such an important stage after the period marked by coronavirus was a pride for us with extra significance, as a resurgence and recognition of our work.

Let’s remind readers that the jury tastes without knowing which brewery the candidates come from, ensuring impartiality. You participated in Cibus with a total of six beers, correct?

Exactly, three of which made it to the finals: among the top ten, the Contrabbandiera and the Angiolina were selected, base beers for the barrel-aged versions. And right now we are already thinking about which ones to nominate for the next competitions.

To be fair, however, it is also essential to receive less positive feedback to modify our preparations and understand how to innovate our products: we grow precisely thanks to constructive criticism that suggests the direction to aim for.

And aiming for quality is always an excellent goal.