Heading to Italy.. What should I seek out/ bring back?

Italy is a “wine country”. Beer on tap at C grade. In the stores a lot of standard UHT brew varieties. Nothing special to be found, particularly for “big ipa guy”. Tascana cigars or bottle of grappa will be the better variant, maybe .

 

Absolute rubbish - Italy has some fantastic breweries although concentrated in the north. Whereabouts is your friend going?

 

Completely inaccurate. Tons of great beers being made in Italy - for me personally, the best in Europe.

OP - you can find some nice pubs in the major cities, particularly Rome and Milan. Not sure about shops, but I know there are some good ones (look at BA's 'places' directory). If you like IPAs, make sure to get some stuff from Brewfist, particularly Spaceman.

 

Wrong. Italy was the hkghlight of my last European beer trip. You just have to know where to seek the good beer out. There are specialized shops and bars, and craft beer there is very regionalized. Which cities will your friend be in?

 

The question is not about “good beer” absence\ or not absence, but about “availability” of craft beer for the tourist. It seems, tourist in Italy is not must wasting all his time to seek out "beer places", agree?

 

Depends on the city. If he's in Rome or Milan then there are tons of amazing bars and bottle shops. If he's in pretty much any decently sized Northern Italian city then he can probably find something. In the south, unless he's in Naples, he's probanly out of luck.

 

Look for anything from Baladin in Rome. There's spots I found in Florence and Venice with craft beer--a burger place in Florence of all places, and several bottle shops tucked in Venice's alleyways. I keep meaning to post a more detailed trip report and this is just one more reason to do so. Regardless your friend will have an amazing time I'm sure!

 

You don't have to go far to find good beer in Rome...Open Baladin (38 taps including Cantillon, some casks) is a 10-15 minute walk from the Forum, and Bir e Fud and Ma Che Sieta is another 5 minutes from there, or about 20 minutes south from The Vatican. These places are available to anyone, including tourists, and will not take up all of one's time; in fact it really wouldn't take much time at all, considering you'd have to find somewhere to eat and drink anyways.

 

Great advice- I'll definitely have to hit these places up while I'm there. We will be staying not too far from the Vatican, and closer to the Tiber, so they seem to be within walking distance. I'm definitely looking for a draught experience, so thanks a lot. Would it be acceptable to pay via credit card, or do I need cash?

We will also be staying in Minori for part of the trip. I wasn't counting on hunting for any beer on that leg, and I am perfectly happy with wine, but you never know. If there is any place not to be missed I'd appreciate it.

 

I used cash everywhere, so I'm not certain, but I'd be really surprised if they didn't take cards.

Don't really know about Minori. You'll be close to Naples and there's a couple bars there, but you'd be better off finding a bottle shop in Rome and bringing some down with you. Or like you said - enjoy the wine.

 

miamichael2, I'll be in Milan next week. Could you recommend some bars/shops to me? Many thanks!

 

I only spent one night in Milan, went to a place called Pazzeria. It's about a 20 minute walk south from the San Siro stadium, west of the city central. They had a nice tap selection, mostly Italian craft, couple of cask beers. Friendly bartender, cheap tasty food. I know there are other places, both shops and bars, but I don't have any first hand experience. Check the city directory both here on BA and at ratebeer. Northern Italy has a bunch of breweries - there's gotta be a great shop in Milan.

 

Excellent; thanks!

 

Are Cantillons available in Italy? Ill be in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Conegliano in July.

 

Yes - had Cantillon on tap in Rome (Open Baladin). Also have heard that the bottle shop Johnny's Off License stocks Cantillon.

 

We are flying into Naples and heading right to Positano on Amalfi coast ..... any suggestion on bottle shop to stock up on as I assume craft very hard to find in Amalfi coast?

 

Both Ma Che and Open Baladin in Rome almost always have Cantillon on tap. Brasserie 4:20 might as well.

 

I got married in Positano still the most beautiful city I have ever been to