Italian sours/lambics

sour stuff's up north.

 

Hope someone can help you, as I'm going to be in Venice/Veneto Region for 10 days in July as well.

 

There are a lot of threads about places in Rome for good beer and sours. Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa' is one. Birr and Fud is another. Open Baladin is another. Brasserie 4:20 is another.
Not sure about Naples.
Venice probably has a couple good spots, but if you're out at night in Venice you're better off looking up some of the more interesting "bacari" and bouncing around between them.
Good beer can be found just about anywhere these days but it's really not a part of the culture so especially in fun drinking towns like Venice you'll likely enjoy your experience more if you stick to the traditional watering holes and pick up whatever craft beer they may or may not have there.
People drink a little more beer in the north than in the south I suppose but the only parts of Italy I'm aware of where beer is really appreciated are Trentino/Alto Adige and some of the very northern areas of the Veneto(in the Alps.)
Have fun!

 

In May, I'm heading to Italy for 2.5 weeks. spending time in Rome, Naples, Ischia, the area around Turin, and Lake Como.

Naples: i have little to no hope to find a beer bar.
Rome: there are some (as said above) but I'm tempted to stick to vino.
Ischia: vino.

now, up north, it's different. staying in Varenna. i expect nothing beer-wise.
in Turin, I'm eating here. http://www.ristoranteconsorzio.it/home_en.html Their beer list is horrible. some crap called Cantillon on the menu. Vignerone at 19 euros a bottle. blech.
Agliano - staying for 3 nights. will go to Loverbeer.

 

any comment on the beer at that at Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa'? i know nothing about the italian beer.

 

It's one of the best beer bars in the world. Nice selection of Italian craft on tap, sometimes Cantillon on tap. Go during a calcio match and watch on TV with a fun crowd. Bir e Fud, an excellent restaurant, is across the street and has awesome Italian beers as well.

 

In Rome right now and have hit up almost all of the craft beer bars, except Brew Dogs (no desire with what Italy is making). Ma Che is the only one that consistently has actual sours...the sours listed on many menus at other places have little to no pucker and tend to be more farmhouse beers. I have had several quality Italian sours at Ma Che and they sell Cantillon for there or to go (packing 3 home with me) in bottle and on draft. Bir and Fud is right across the alley and has a great selection of Italian and European beers as well (Ma Che and Bir and Fud have the same owner). These 2 also have the highest prices for beer out of all of the craft bars in Rome, but the selection is usually worth it. I'm staying a block away from Luppulo Station (€4,5 happy hour beers with a good selection and some great burgers) and a few blocks from Brassiere 4:20, and both are worth a visit. I liked Open Baladin, but not as much as the other spots...they cater a little too much to Americans and the selection is not as good IMO. If you get a chance and are in the neighborhood, Malto Misto is a nice little spot that mainly sees locals, they don't have as much on draft (6, but €3,5 happy hour on Thursdays!) but they have a nice small collection of bottles for there or to go, including some Black Barrels sours that are spectacular! If you get a chance to try any Black Barrels beers (all are sours to my knowledge) you really should take it...amazing brews that make Russian River and Cascade look like they have no clue what a sour is IMO! I was lucky enough to try several at the Beer Park Festival last weekend and it made the festival really worth it for me! I've had 75 or so Italian craft beers in the 3 weeks I've been here and can say they stack up very well against American craft beers...you won't be disappointed!!! Cheers and ciao!

 

We got a portable WiFi unit that works very well...maybe a little pricey at a little over €100 for a month for unlimited use (you can "rent" them for however long you want and they are fast enough for Netflix) but definitely invaluable for navigating and rating beers on the go If you are on the bottom floor of a tall building though, which seems to be most buildings within Rome, you don't get the best reception and need to be close to a door or window. I have no clue about getting a SIM card over here though.

 

Here is the site for our portable WiFi...
http://www.witourist.com/

 

Hey guys. If either of you are going to Bologna or Genoa then shoot me a private message and I'll get you the name and details on two places there (I especially recommend the one in Bologna... It was unfreaking believable). I agree that the Italian sours have nothing on American or Belgian sours. Ma Che was super low key at 5 pm on a Tuesday night and they had several variety of Cantillon bottles available for in-house consumption. I could see the bottles they had in the fridge behind the bar but never actually looked at a bottle list. Something tells me if you bring a bottle or two for them to share they may let you take one home. I brought them a bottle of parabola and pliny… Which I found hilarious because one of the bartenders rolled in 20 minutes later wearing a Pliny the elder jacket They have no food there though. Bir & Fud had a decent bottle list, good food and a nice variety of beers on tap.

I brought an old iPhone, had it unlocked at home( it may take several days for it to actually get unlocked so do it early) and bought a 4 GB SIM card for €30 at a phone sore called TIM (like a AT&T store). They seem to be all over the place in Rome. It doesn't include texting though so download what's app before you go and use that

 

An unbelievable place in Bologna? That's my town. Hmm... unbelievable in what way?