5 POINTS THAT SIGNAL THE CHANGE IN PUBS
THANKS TO THE SURGE IN CRAFT BEERWith the definitive explosion of the brewing movement, the “shape” of
pubs has gradually changed, finally detaching itself from ancient and
limiting clichés.
1 Decor
If a few decades ago pubs were in-
spired by foreign countries with a
strong brewing vocation, many of
today’s pubs have their own iden-
tity, refer to well-defined architec-
tural styles and are more comfort-
able
2 Food
As was to be expected, a level-
ing upwards of the beer was ac-
companied by one relating to the
food offer.
3 Publican
Those who work behind the
scenes today must be increas-
ingly technically prepared and
know how to dispense culture
to customers; furthermore, these
must be kept constantly updated.4 Selection
Beer menus, especially at the top,
have improved in terms of qual-
ity and quantity. The facility is in
many cases owned, no longer
loaned by the distributor5 Clientèle
The average customer has be-
come much more curious, reads
more and is more used to new
things.- Andrea Docimo, engineer and
brew critic
THE UNIVERSE OF CRAFT BEERwhose annual production does not exceed
200,000 hectoliters...”.
If the latter concept of a purely quantita-
tive order is simple to understand (and also
quite difficult to achieve for Italian craft
breweries: the largest, Armarcord di Apec-
chio, in the Marche, produces “just” 40,000
hectoliters), a little less understandable for
non-experts are the other two fundamental
points of this law; the first concerns inde-
pendence: if the brewery belongs to another
brewery, then the former will not be arti-
sanal (which is why Birra del Borgo can no
longer be considered artisanal). The second
concept concerns two production process-
es: if microfiltration and/or pasteurization
take place (actions aimed at giving greater
microbiological stability to beer, one physi-
cal, the other thermal), then the brewery
cannot be considered artisanal. «The law on
craft beer has clearly defined the prerequisites
necessary to be able to carry this denomina-
tion – explains Vittorio Ferraris, direc-tor of Unionbirrai, the trade association of
small independent breweries – To support
this, the Mipaaft-Icqrf (organ of the Minis-
try of Consumer Protection) has signed a col-
laboration agreement with our Association to
define the methods of control and intervention
in the event of improper use. There’s constant
supervision and also support by institutional
bodies. Unfortunately the law has not clearly
established a number of technical requirements
(for example “microfiltration”) that can leave
room for subjective interpretations». And he
continues: «We can’t deny that for us the most
important aspects concern the size of the com-
pany and its economic-legal independence from
the world of the beer industry. These being
unanimously recognized requirements also at
international level». Michele Cason, howev-
er, emphasizes an equally important aspect:
«The law on craft beer identifies a type of beer,
defining the producers who must be indepen-
dent and produce less than 200,000 hectoliters
a year, plus defining the product that cannot be
pasteurized or micro-filtered, whose vitality is
therefore preserved. However, this definition is
still little known today. From the research of
AstraRicerche institute - “Italians and Beer” -
what emerges is that only 40% of consumers
attribute the correct characteristics to craft
beer, while for the majority of the interviewed
subjects, craft beer is produced with local qual-
ity ingredients, characteristics that are often
true, but certainly not exclusive. It’s therefore
desirable to have more information so that con-
sumers can make more informed choices».
Why the need for a law that created this
clear distinction? To understand this, we
need to take a further step back.THE BEER INDUSTRY
Heineken, Carlsberg, Guinness, Corona; but
also Peroni, Poretti, Moretti, Ichnusa: these
are just some of the brands that you can find
in the beer section of any supermarket, or
in any bar, pizzeria or pub. All these brands,
which often market strong territorial iden-
tities, refer to gigantic multinationals that
developed over the last century, some