When Rome native Manuele Colonna first tasted the classic German strong beer, Andechs Doppelbock, in the late 1990s, it wasn’t just an awakening for him. It was a turning point for his birthplace, the Eternal City. For Colonna, already a beer-lover, that sip revealed the possibilities of this drink; for Rome, where he chose to open the seminal beer bar Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa in 2001, it sounded the starting gun on a remarkable beer revolution.
Rome is now an undisputed beer capital in southern Europe. Over the past two decades, the Italian capital has added birra artigianale (craft beer) alongside other local staples, like cacio e pepe pasta and frascati wine in its food-and-drink crown.
Rome’s beer journey has picked up pace of late, with a number of significant openings in the city. Here are some key places to savor Roman beer culture and get a taste for how things have evolved.
As always, check for travel guidelines and closures before planning your trip.
Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa
Manuele Colonna has an Italian father and a German mother, so it’s no surprise that his passion for beer is German-focused. There’s one part of Germany he particularly loves, though: Franconia, where farmhouse breweries and old-fashioned styles are still the norm.
At Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa, a tiny, hole-in-the-wall bar in Via Benedetta, you’ll generally find beers from one of Franconia’s finest breweries, Gänstaller Bräu, on tap, alongside other brews from Italy and Germany.
And the bar’s name? It’s a football insult, roughly translated as “What are you doing here?” Drinking great beer, presumably.
BE.RE
If Colonna’s first venture is down to earth, BE.RE is out of this world. Situated a stone’s throw from The Vatican, the bar boasts dozens of different beers, a copper bar, and stoneware mugs.
This place is a shrine to Europe’s three priceless beer cultures: English cask ale (poured from handpumps), Belgian Lambic ale (look into the bottle selection for these), and the rustic lagers of Franconia, Colonna’s own speciality. The food is great too, serving grub from Trapizzino, which dishes up a pizza sandwich that has taken Rome by storm.
Open Baladin Roma
Baladin is generally regarded as the first Italian craft brewery, having opened in 1996 in northern Italy. Founder Teo Musso subsequently launched a beer, Open, and published the recipe to generate interest in the idea of Italian craft beer.
The concept continues with the Roman outpost, Open Baladin, which opened in 2009, and is devoted to Italian beer. The bank of bottles behind the bar contains some of the country’s finest products, but it’s the draught Italian beers that generate most interest.
Related Articles
