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2011 Italy / Trip Photos
The pivotal moment comes when the man with the broken leg says "let’s go for it." One third of way up the steep Cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, our lovely Italian guide gave us a choice between the "low path" directly to the old town by the sea or the "scenic" path over the cliff and thru the centuries old cemetery. How could the rest of us refuse?
And so the spirit of our adventure to Italy is set. Every group of travelers develops their own set of mores and catch phrases and along with "don’t worry, there is more coming," our band of fourteen merry travelers embraced the ethos of Beer Tripping with Vine Park Brewing Co. Eight of us from Minnesota, four beer trip veterans from Cincinnati (whom we met on our Belgium trip and were the keys to developing our Cuvee De’ Beertrips Belgian Pale Ale), and two new friends from Pennsylvania shared nine days of scrumptious meals, revelatory brewing, breath taking scenery, and loads of laughter with Mike, our trip coordinator from Montana.
To most, Italy means wine…and great food but not beer! Why would you go to Italy for great beer? My answer is paraphrased (or maybe just stolen) from Sir Edmund Hilary, "because it is there" and so we went. Is really that surprising that in a land spoiled by fine wine & food that fine beer would be brewed? Ours is a challenge of perception; all the great beer never leaves Italy, the locals keep it to themselves. For example there are many fine producers of beer in Minnesota that the average Italian would never be aware of; they might imagine we all drink Bud Light or be living the Miller High Life.
Decadent fun in the sun was the theme of our first major stop and we did mainly enjoy the local wines and not beer. As they say "when in Rome…" Cinque Terre are five villages along Italy’s NW coast that time forgot…until the railroads and tourists arrived. Tiny picturesque beads along a railroad string, we wandered with other travelers along seaside trails, sipped cold beers in cafes, enjoyed lunch literally under olive trees, wandered cobblestone streets, climbed too many stairs, and sweated profusely. One of the themes of this trip was the very hot and humid weather. Of course, one must constantly replenish fluids when perspiring. Darn!
 Cinque Terre was fun and a great place for all of us to start to get to know each other, but the beer was calling to us. It was time to start our travels. And so we were off on the train to Genoa, home to not only Christopher Columbus but fine beer bars, a very quirky city tour guide, a "red light" district, brew pubs along the harbor and maybe the most fun; a beer festival we stumbled upon. Not only were there excellent beers from around Europe available but so was Lady Jane; an Italian Rolling Stones tribute band. Imagine Start Me Up in Italian accented imitation English accented English. We drank, we danced, and we closed up the place.
The second great theme of this trip was hospitality. I was warned but didn’t understand until I was there. In each country we have explored, there is an underlying beer culture. In the Czech Republic we are welcomed in and shown everything. In Germany we are shown much but mostly behind glass walls. In Belgium we again welcomed into the back rooms but the brewers are used to be acclaimed by beer tourists. In Italy, American beer travelers are welcomed with shock and awe…that we traveled so far to try "their" beers.
Despite being on "glassware restriction" by my wife, I enjoy purchasing souvenirs from the breweries we visit just as I enjoy when my customers purchase items at Vine Park. On this trip I was unable to buy anything! Each time I tried to buy a glass or T-shirt, I was rejected and told I must accept it as a gift. Don’t get your hopes up, Vine Park glasses and T-shirts still sport a nominal price.
 During our short trip, three of our main meals were multi-course private meals in restaurants that closed down to the public just to serve us. Each of these staggeringly large and amazingly delicious meals was accompanied by beers paired to each course. In one day alone, we lunched in the seaside village of Diano Marina on pizzas created by a four time World Champion pizza maker with beers paired by his son, the brewmaster of Birrificio Cheviliar. As we waddled out to our bus, Mike assured us that dinner was a simple beer tasting with some snacks.
With a scenic ride up into the Maritime Alps, we checked into our historic hotel, and headed off to Birra Troll. Birra Troll is a brewpub located on the edge of one of Italy’s national parks and features beers produced with spices harvested in the local mountains. Having consumed five different specialty pizzas and at least eight beers at lunch, a nice quiet beer sampling with snacks would be perfect.
Well…maybe we can chalk it up to translation issues or I think it was more hospitality enthusiasm, but our evening sampling would turn out to be another eight (at least and I have to apologize on being inexact but even professionals are impacted by these numbers) beers. Having closed to the public, we were treated to not only small snacks but a smoked salmon course, a cacao caviar desert, and a recipe the cook decided to give a first ever try. Our tasting notes listed it as "side of cow". Served as plates of beef medallions, the chef explained he marinated an entire beef flank in beer for a day and then slow grilled it over wood coals for us. How do you not over eat?
For those who think all we do is drink beer and eat; I would point out the next morning we spent hiking in the Alps. And, I should remind you that one of us is a man with a broken leg making us feel frail & wimpy when he takes the lead. After a robust stroll in with a local naturalist we circled back to the bus parked by a cheese producer whose sheep graze the rugged mountain slopes. Once stocked up with cheese for the bus, we decided to have a brief glass of beer or local wine, chat, and enjoy the sun & mountain views before heading off to wine country for a tour of a Barolo wine estate.
At this moment of perfect relaxation, the third theme of our trip emerged. Serendipity or a pleasant version of Disney’s "It’s a Small World After All" reared its head. The brewer from Birra Troll arrived with his two dogs intending to refresh after a hike. One quick question about the type of beer crowns on his bottles later, he re-emerged from the pub with a multitude of beers from his pub, opened them all, and handed them to us. These were large bottles of strong delicious beer and it would have been a tremendous insult not to finish each and every one of them. We were a very polite group wishing to give no offense and so we enjoyed each and every drop.
The world of Italian craft brewing while growing strongly is still small and everyone knows everyone. At each stop we would be told of who we should find next despite having a full itinerary. The funny part was that we kept finding our new friends over again. In Genoa not only do we find an unknown beer festival but at the festival the brewer from Birra Busala and his fiancée. Hiking in the Alps we run into the brewer of Birra Trolla. On a drive to the next city, there is a cry for a bathroom stop and at the stop is an entire store full of high quality chocolates. With back packs full of chocolates, our next request was for cheese burgers. Hey you can take the Americans out of America but… And here Mike pulls a rabbit out of his hat and finds us not only an amazing beer bar but one that makes a mean cheeseburger but also lets the crazy Americans hook up their Ipad to start dancing to the B-52’s Love Shack.
At this point, we still have a centuries old Barolo wine estate to visit, tours of Turin the home of the famous Catholic relic the Shroud of Turin, and Milan fashion capital of Italy to visit. I’ll be honest and admit I could skip Turin, not because it was boring …. Wait, Deb insists that I tell you about the bull’s balls. Did I get your attention? Turin’s name comes from Tarus the Bull and the bull is the symbol of the city. Embedded in the sidewalk of the old city is a large brass bull. Local legend is that stepping on the bull brings good luck. And the best luck for women comes from standing on the bull’s balls and spinning. True or not, it seems that women love to step upon and spin on his….All of the bull is spun shiny but that part of its anatomy is a worn down at least a full inch more than the rest. From there we were off to Milan which is most famous for its amazing cathedral. Ok, I’m sure it really is but Deb and I ditched the group to go exploring.
One of the keys to successful Beer Tripping is remembering that you are there to have fun and especially to let your traveling companion have fun too. We’ve seen awe inspiring churches on this trip and others. So we took the road less traveled. One that wandered to gelato stands, historic forts, and left the main tourist areas. Our destination was the afterlife.
Despite a decent map, you just never know what you will find. As Deb and I wandered, we at one point realized that we couldn’t read the signs anymore. Now that wasn’t exactly unusual since neither of us know Italian. Here the problem was that the signs were all in Chinese. We didn’t walk to China but just Chinatown. So our next step was clear; stop and have a beer. Reassured by the map & beer, we continued on our way to the most amazing cemetery I’ve ever seen.
"Keeping up with the Jones" is not just American. In Milan of the 1800’s and 1900’s, the wealthy families were determined to outdo each other and in the Monument Cemetery enormous spending created a sprawling garden of stone artistry and giant family crypts. Row upon row of enormous structures that reach 30 or 40 feet in the air and each one carved or adorned by stone carvings, metal statures, and amazing architecture. Like a museum the juxtaposition of so much, so close together, soon overwhelmed us and we became jaded. Of course, the theme of hot and humid was having an impact too.
Knowing tonight was our last night as group and that we had a terrific brewpub restaurant to visit, Deb & I set off to find our hotel. After a dozen blocks, I decided we needed refreshment to avoid heat stroke or worse! Call it Beer-dar or fate but by chance we entered a cool beer haven with not only great food but serving on tap, as one of several choice beers, a Marzen from Bamberg’s Schlenkerla Braurie. Here was a bit of beer heaven on the path from the cemetery to home. By the way, the bartender sent us off with a bit of hospitality too; once he discover our beer tripping story he walked me over to the beer cooler and gifted me with "take any beer you want" as a souvenir.
The last night of trip is always bittersweet. New friends must soon part, yet home beckons to us too. Our farewell dinner is at Birrifico Lambrate, a popular brewpub in Milan. It is happy hour when we arrive and the young professionals have jammed the bar for the free snacks and overflowed into the street. As veteran beer trippers, we adapt. Buy beer, hang out and tell stories, and when the free food ends, swoop in and grab the booths. As the guide books had advised, if you order the stinko – you will love it. Many of us did and did. What is stinko? Find a beer tripper and ask.
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Vine Park Brewery | 1254 West 7th Street, St Paul, Minnesota 55102 | 651.228.1355
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