thE BREWERY

Water has always been the most important ingredient in beer production. I remember that beer is made from 90/95% water. Historically, water has decided the course of the history of beer by creating the main styles. In Pilzen in the Czech Republic, water came out of the taps at 2 French degrees and made possible the birth of the Pillsner style which today, in its various declinations, is the most popular beer in the world. In the United Kingdom and more precisely in Burton upon Trent, water at 270 French degrees favored the birth of the English styles Bitter, English Ipa, Mild, etc.

At Birrone we have installed a reverse osmosis water treatment system that allows us to bring the water to 5 French degrees and modify it according to the needs of the Brewer.

Each beer recipe corresponds to a water recipe.

Since 2020, we have been an Agricultural Brewery and cultivate most of the cereals we use in production—some as they are, others processed. Our largest crop is barley. We have it malted partly in Germany and partly in Italy at a new malting facility in Puglia. Different types of malted barley are obtained depending on the drying times and temperatures. It is used in about 90% of our beers. The main purpose of malt is to provide the starches that the yeast will then convert into beer during fermentation. We use twenty different types to create our recipes, ranging from pale to dark, caramelized, or even smoked.

The second most used cereal by quantity is wheat. In this case, part of it is malted wheat for our Weizen beers, and part is unmalted for our Blanche beers. Wheat adds a slight haze to the beers and a fresher taste compared to barley malt.

Last but not least is Marano corn. This particular ear produces very small kernels. Once stripped of the pericarp and germ (the fatty part, which is the enemy of beer), only a small amount of starch remains, but with great nutritional value that gives the beer a unique flavor. Being naturally gluten-free, it is perfect for use in gluten-free beer production.

Hops have been used in brewing since the late Middle Ages, thanks to their bittering and antiseptic properties. They are added during the first part of the boil to extract the characteristic bitter taste of beer. Adding hops at the end of the boil releases the aromatic qualities, which can vary widely: herbal, floral, citrusy, fruity, etc. These different aromas come from the various hop varieties used. We categorize aromas into broad groups based on their region of origin. To simplify, we group European hops as herbal and floral, English hops as earthy, American hops as citrusy, and New Zealand hops as fruity.

The English, during the colonial period, discovered the natural antiseptic function of hops: a heavily hopped (and alcoholic) beer would keep longer than others. This allowed English sailors to stay healthy during long voyages to the Indies. Water would spoil in the barrels, while beer was not only safe to drink but also provided plenty of vitamins and nutrients.

At Birrone, we use over 50 types of hops—from traditional European varieties like Magnum and Perle, to English Nudget and Golding, American Cascade, Amarillo, and Citra, and New Zealand Nelson Sauvin and Sorachi Ace, to name just a few. Every September, we produce our Harvest beer made with fresh hops just picked from our own hop yard. The varieties are Cascade and Comet.

In 2023, we will acquire a sizable hop yard that will produce about 500 to 700 kg of hops per year.

To simplify, we divide fermentations into three categories: Top, Bottom, and Spontaneous. Top fermentation is carried out by yeasts that ferment at temperatures around 20°C. Bottom fermentation uses yeasts with an optimal temperature range between 9 and 12°C. Spontaneous fermentations arise from wild yeasts present in the environment.

The yeast we use at Birrone for bottom fermentation (Lager) is a fresh yeast that we collect every month from Bavaria, from a laboratory specialized in propagating yeast for local breweries. We selected it from among 30 available strains because it is perfect for our beers. With this strain, we achieve excellent results on Helles, Pils, Keller, as well as American Lager and low-fermentation IPAs. Proper attenuation and balanced dryness make these beers incredibly easy to drink.

From the same laboratory, we get the yeast for our Cibus (Heller Weizen Bock), which is top-fermented. Again, it was selected from among a myriad of strains for its wonderful balance between banana aroma and a hint of clove.

For our top-fermented beers (Ales), we select a specific yeast for each beer type. Our top-fermenting beers include Heaven Blanche, Maranella (Corn Ale), Birrettipa (IPA), and Fuckin (Porter).

The brewmaster really enjoys experimenting with spontaneous fermentations, especially fruit beers. Over the years, he has produced many varieties, but his favorite is the cherry beer he makes every June. The wild yeasts present on the cherry skins start a spontaneous fermentation that is then added to the clean wort of Punto G, fermenting it very quickly. The result is a tart but fragrant and elegant beer. Nature gives us this magic: the wild yeasts on a small quantity of cherries are able to impart a cherry flavor to nearly 800 liters of wort.