Discovering the craft beer world of Florence, or Italy in general is an adventure. With not many places nearby, I decided to check out the Beer House Club for some ideas. They have four Italian beers on tap. Two of the beers are from a brewery called Ducato, one from Olmaia and the last I can't recall. I excitedly wrote them down then started asking the bartender questions. After a bit, they realized I was trying to go to these breweries and gave me a wakeup call. “Without a car…impossible” “So where can I go nearby?” After thinking for a bit, they pulled out a beer with the label “Birrificio Fiorentino.” He had me take picture of it. When I got home I looked it up. While I saw a website and a Facebook page, I didn’t see a location or hours. So I messaged the Facebook account. The person in contact with me was very nice and helpful! Franco, offered to meet with me in the city center to sample the beer! I had never had an experience like this! On Friday, we met at a coffee shop in Santa Croce and I had the pleasure of learning all about Birrificio Fiorentino, from how it started, to the event at Hard Rock, to their future. Franco first noted that this is not his primary job. He handles more of the marketing side of things. His partner had a background in wine, which isn’t too surprising in Italy. He started to dabble in beer in his free time and eventually passion turned to reality. Currently, they are distribution only. They are considering a future pub but discussed with me the difficulties of opening up a spot in the city center. I did learn that Hard Rock is launching their commitment to serving at least one local beer. Of 40 beers sampled to them, they chose beer from Birrificio Fiorentino. In terms of their product, Franco explained to me that passion is key; from the taste to the bottle to the name. They want to cater to those that don’t know much about beer. “Those that know beer will want us for the taste, they’ll sample beers and know ours is good because it tastes good” he told me (paraphrased quote) But, what about those that don’t know beer? How do they decide? He concluded; the appearance of the bottle. Immediately I contrasted U.S. and Italian beer in my mind. Back home it is all about the color, vibrant can art. In Italy, most beers are in glass bottles with more classic designs. Birrificio Fiorentino wanted theirs to be classy but unique as well, from label, to shape to size. They wanted it to appear like an upscale, expensive beer--- a fancy beer. Their overall goal? To be the point of reference, for beer, in Florence. Samples came next! I had assumed he was going to bring a couple of bottles and pour me a couple sips worth of each. I was truly in for a treat! He had provided me four glass bottles to take with me. He did this for several reasons. First, so I could truly enjoy and taste them on my own time. But, also, so that they would be in the right “state.” Some needed to be served very cold! And all the beers had been shaken up a little on his motor bike ride to meet me. In the box/bag there were three shorter bottles, long necks with big bottoms-- the lager, the strong ale and the IPA. The only different bottle was the taller, thinner, experimental beer called “The Zenzero”. This was the one I was recommended to drink fresh out of the fridge! He described the Lager as similar to a blonde, and slightly like a weise, the Strong similar to a red, the Zenzero, an easy drinking summer beer with rice, lemon, and fresh ginger, and the IPA an IPA! The president of the beer union said it was the best IPA he had ever tasted! So it was time to taste. Four full beers is a bit much at a time. I took two beers out with me and sipped them on Piazza della Repubblica. The first I opened was the Zenzero because…I remembered I was supposed to drink it cold! It was fruity but mildly citrus fruit. I definitely tasted some mango and peach. There was a light ginger hint and a wheaty after taste. Next was the IPA! It had balanced hoppy notes and was less bitter than the one I’d had at Archae. No lingering aftertaste. I tried the Strong Ale later that night and took it out with me. It was sweet, high in malt, low in hop. Last but not least I had the Lager to try. I was surprised I liked it a lot! It was heavier than usual, malty, and lightly hoppy.
My only critique of the experience was by not tasting all the beers side by side the way I am used to, it was harder to truly note the differences in them. Tasting one, then retasting it after I’ve tried the others in my flight, usually brings out different flavors I don’t notice before. But the experience was a positive one. I am incredibly thankful for Franco for going out of his way to meet me! I was also excited when he asked me if I had any advice for him! Next time you see Birrificio Fiorentino on a menu or in a store, definitely give it a try! My favorites: the IPA and the Zenzero.
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