Florence and Rome

Not a brewery, but one of the best beer bars I’ve ever visited worldwide, do not miss
Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fà

 

Cantillon on draft and in bottles too

 

I'd love to hear your trip report - my wife and I will be visiting both cities at the end of April.

 

Diorama in Florence is a must stop. It’s a beer bar with very solid food. Tons of awesome local options and always great Cantillon bottles in the fridge.

 

I'm only reading now, I'm from Rome.
I don't know if I made it in time, but I try to be useful at least in a minimal way.
Ma che siete venuti a fa (Via Benedetta 25) is definitely a must for several reasons.
It's a 19-year-old pub and was among the very first in Italy to have a constant supply of craft beers, when still no one really knew what they were facing.
Our movement is very young.
However, since you are in Italy, I would tend to advise you to try something valid local, as well as taste international delicacies and rarities.
In this sense, I advise you (and future Advocates who will pass through these shores) to go to Bottega Bir e Fud (Via Luca Valerio), a historic beershop of which you will keep an excellent memory of what you will drink from its shelves.
Another couple of pubs I'd take a beer-loving friend from the other side of the world to are Barley Wine (Via dei Consoli 115), Ninkasi (Via Acireale 22) and especially Luppolo12 (Via dei Marrucini 12), which celebrated its 10th birthday. last weekend and has a monstrous tap list these days,with many Italian pearls.
Breweries to visit with a very good tap list, in order: Jungle Juice Juice (Via del Mandrione 109), Rebel's (Via Ardeatina 931) and ECB (Via del Ponte Pisano 84, but for this you would need a car as it is practically on the ring road / a kind of internal highway).
Will be a pleasure someday to come and have a beer with some Advocates in some, or all, of these places!
Sláinte !
Cheers !

 

Cantina Errante near Florence is one of the few breweries doing spontaneous and mixed fermentation. Google says they're open from 2pm-5pm during the week, but also be on the lookout for their beers around Florence and Rome.

 

They are also winemakers.
So great IGAs.
You can taste something of theirs works also at the Bottega Bir & Fud here, in Rome.

 

Here's a link to my Rome review from 2017 ... I believe Brew Dog and Bir & Fud have closed since then, but others should still be relevent -> https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/rome-craft-beer-recap-july-2017.528080/

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Below is a “craft beer recap” (in my order of preference) of my week-long stay in Rome. Overall I was highly impressed with Rome in regards to craft beer … good quality brew is pretty much everywhere – it’s a huge scene in Rome and if you are settling for Peroni, you are doing Rome wrong

#1 = Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa’
Without a doubt, this is the best craft beer bar in Rome! I visited Ma Che every night during my recent week long stay in Rome and each time it was fantastic. Ma Che has this very cool "locals/homey" vibe ... a casual and friendly place to hang out and drink outstanding beers. Even though I was a tourist, I always felt welcomed at Ma Che.

The front bar area is a bit small ... but make sure you go to the back room as it's typically uncrowded with a decent amount of space to spread out a bit. Or better yet, stand outside and drink on the streets of Trastevere like the locals do.

The tap list here is world class ... between 15 to 20 beers on draft, mainly Italian selections - which are fantastic, Italy is producing high quality craft beers, do not miss! There's also a very good amount of bottled selections. I was particularly fond of the 750ml and 375ml bottle of Cantillon ... plenty of different Cantillon bottles available at very good prices (10 euro for 375ml & 20 euro for 750ml). Pricing at Ma Che is very reasonable ... you would pay more for the same in larger US cities like NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.

Crowd there is a mix ... I'd say 80% locals and 20% tourists. Everyone including the staff is super friendly. Atmosphere is just chill ... not a meat market or a douche hipster hangout. Ma Che is one of the best craft beer bars in the WORLD ... highly recommend - do not miss!!!

#2 = BeRe
Be.Re. is Rome's newest craft beer bar and it did not disappoint. Conveniently located right next to the Vatican ... Be.Re. makes an excellent pre or post Vatican stop (we did it post Vatican ... definitely needed a beer after dealing with the crowds at the Vatican ).

Be.Re. is a big space by Rome standards. In addition to the standard bar/inside seating, there is a large space upstairs with table and chairs ... as well as seating out in front of the place which makes for great people watching.

The tap selection here is excellent. Mainly Italian craft brews ... about 15 on tap. Prices were average for Rome and the bartenders were very knowledgeable about the beers they were pouring - they made great recommendations. Be.Re. will definitely satisfy even the biggest beer nerds.

Be.Re is attached to Trapizzino ... an Italian "street food" chain which serves triangular pizzas. These delicious "pizzas" are the perfect complement to beers served at Be.Re.

Be.Re is 100% legit and is a must stop in Rome ... not surprising about the high quality of this place because it is the same owner as my favorite craft beer bar in Rome, Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa.

#3 = Brew Dog
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from my visits to Brew Dog ... so I was pleasantly surprised of just how solid of a place this was. Located a block away from the Colosseum ... I highly recommend stopping by for both their beer and food either before or after your Colosseum visit.

Brew Dog Rome has about 15 beers on tap ... 10 of their own brews and 5 guest beers. Prices for beer are very fair for Rome and if you hit them up during happy hour, prices are an absolute steal. Tap list is well rounded and you can do full pours or order a tasting flight. Bartenders were knowledgeable and friendly ... they were spot on with their recommendations.

It's a fairly large space for Rome standards ... plus the air conditioning is welcomed on a hot summer Rome day. Good welcoming vibe and the crowd was very chill. Biggest surprise was their quality of food ... everything we ordered was delicious. The hamburgers, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, etc ... everything was top-notch and presented / plated in a very artistic way.

Of the 5 craft beer bars I visited in Rome, Brew Dog ranks right up there with the top dogs (see what I did there? )

#4 = Bir & Fud (right next to Ma Che - good "2 for 1" spot)
Bir & Fud is a quaint little craft beer bar / restaurant in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. We ate dinner there on a Wednesday around 6:30pm so it wasn't crowded at all. Main restaurant seating is in the back ... handful of tables outside, which seem always occupied (but for good reason - great people watching). Front of the restaurant is a long narrow space which is where the bar is located). Bir & Fud has a very solid tap selection ... definitely one of the better ones in Rome. Food was average ... wasn't really wow'd by anything we had. Service was solid ... prices were fair leaning to a bit high. There's wifi so that's always a plus for the kids. Mostly locals here, which is a good thing. Pro Tip - if you go to Bir & Fud, make sure you visit my favorite craft beer bar in Rome, Ma Che, which is located directly across the street.

#5 = Open Baladin
Open Baladin is a BIG space Plenty of tables for seating a large party and a long bar area with seats. Although they had a pretty decent tap list, I got the impression that Open Baladin was more focused on food than craft beer ... definitely more of a restaurant than a craft beer bar (the Teku glassware they use is excellent - so I'll give them that). For example, the bartender didn't seem to know exactly what was on tap and had trouble when I asked for a recommendation ... she just didn't know her beers. Because of the big space, the atmosphere was a bit sterile and cold ... certainly nothing wrong with Open Baladin, but it just didn't give me the warm and fuzzies. Prices were a bit on the high side, even for Rome ... service was cold / robotic. With the increased craft beer bar competition in Rome, Open Baladin left me wanting more and was my least favorite of the five craft beer bars I visited. I would definitely recommend it for families and such looking to grab a burger (no Italian food here) ... but for serious beer nerds, it's not a must visit in my opinion.

 

This is very helpful. Thanks for the detailed reviews! It looks like BrewDog is permanently closed now?

 

Yes unfortunately BrewDog is closed as well as Bir & Fud.

 

That is a bummer. Looks like my time will be spent at Ma Che but I am not mad about it.

 

yeah honestly, you could hang out at Ma Che every day and still be doing ROME right.

 

Yep. Do keep in mind that in the old Bir and Fud, there is another pizzeria with great beer, L'Elementare. You can still do the whole hang out at Macche wander across the street, ask when a table's available and then wander back to Macche, finish whatever splendid beer is in your hands and then go have pizza with more splendid beer.

Also don't sleep on the suppli and trapizzini at Trapizzino just down the via benedetta.

 

Great to hear about L'Elementare! Looking at pictures, it looks exactly the same as Bir & Fud, just with a new name ... good stuff!

 

My online research just came across a “new” one in Rome / Trastevere … Delirium Cafe Roma:

https://www.deliriumcaferoma.com/le-birre/

I’ve been to the one in Brussels which has a “fraternity party-like” feel, but nonetheless, some decent beer options available.

 

If you have a way to move from Trastevere I assure you that in the other places that I have reported to you, you will find yourself well (Luppolo 12, Ninkasi, Barley Wine) I also think that going directly to the source, to the Brewery, is definitely a good experience For example Jungle Juice or Rebel's As for the local Bir e Fud, this one has been closed for some time, always replaced by another one with the same ownership as "But what have you come to fa". The "Bottega Bir e Fud", on the other hand, is a historic beershop (with service), in the Viale Marconi area, where those who search well can find pearls. The way I am, I would choose to go around as different places as possible

 

We just got back from Rome a couple of days ago. Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa’ was such a fantastic visit! Cantillon bottle selection was great and they were also featuring some great local beers and beers from other neighboring countries.

As far as breweries are concerned, Brasseria Della Fonte was easily the best beer in Italy that I got to try. If you are visiting the Tuscany region, don't miss it. The brewery itself is beautiful, being located on a farm. We were the only people there for a time and it was extremely peaceful and so gorgeous to look at. Their barrel program is on point too!

 

Any other/new recommendations for Florence? Will be there in mid-October.

Cantillon?
Bottle shops where i can find Xyauyu?

Is there any bourbon game around?

Cheers!!!