Birradamare: Brewing Italian Craft Beer and Making Italian Grape Ale Famous

Birradamare, a craft brewery in Rome, Italy, has beers in the U.S. you should try!

Did you know there’s a type of craft beer that originated in Italy?

You heard me correctly. Italy, the world’s largest wine producer and one of the oldest wine regions in the world, not only makes craft beer but created a beer type called Italian Grape Ale. It comes as no surprise that the beer’s secret ingredient is wine!

Birradamare: Italian Craft Brewery

Birradamare can mean two different things in Italian, “beer to love” or “beer of the sea,” and is fitting for a brewery born in Rome. Since 2004, co-founders Massimo Salvatori and Elio Miceli have brewed over 20 beers at Birradamare.

I was lucky to meet Massimo during his first trip to Texas from Rome. With tastings and events in multiple cities, his whirlwind trip was all about connecting with beer lovers, making stops at restaurants, stores, and events.

Yes, when you visit Italy, you’re not only limited to wine. There are over 400 craft breweries in the country! Lucky for us, we can taste Italian craft beer in the U.S.

Birradamare’s Craft Beers

Here are some notes from GlobalLux, Birradamare’s importer, about the eight beers available in Austin and the U.S.

Onda Bionda: Blonda Lager. German-inspired Hellbock beer with the perfect balance between malt, hops, and alcohol. Though it’s full-bodied, it’s fruity and fresh, making it easy to drink.
‘Na Biretta Rossa: Red Lager. Double-malt, deep amber-colored beer, clearly inspired by a German Bock. It shows a clear, soft, and enveloping body, with a strong toasted malt flavor.
Raaf: Smoked Lager. Inspired by a Rauch beer, is characterized by a slightly smoked flavor due to the use of malts dried on beechwood. With a defined and copper-colored body, not particularly hopped, and a fine foam.
Bifuel: Italian Grape Ale. A one-of-a-kind beer created from the combination of Vermentino wine and moderately hopped wort. The result is a sparkling blonde beer with a rich bouquet that is fruity and delicate to the nose and mouth.
Birra Roma: Amber Lager. Intense golden-colored beer of medium bitterness inspired by a German Marzen. Its malted scent is immediately clear. Soft and bitter, it’s toasted with a smokey aftertaste.
LaZiaAle: Flavored ale. This beer is a light and delicate ale where artichokes and rosemary, typical products of the Latium coast, give aromatic and balsamic notes that strongly characterize the beer.
Nera: Black Lager. This German Schwartz-inspired beer has a dark and impenetrable color. Its intense nose hits you with an aroma of toasted malt with hints of chocolate, licorice, and coffee.
Shock: Red Ale. A highly-fermented amber inspired by Belgian ales. Our version is rich in malt and soft and powerful. It lingers pleasantly in the mouth, is well-balanced and slightly spicy.

While all the beers are pretty good, I think the Bifuel and LaZiaAle are the unique Birradamare beers you should try. Bifuel, the Italian Grape Ale, is light yet flavorful. It’s so interesting that artichokes and rosemary are used to make the LaZiaAle, and it’s very drinkable. As with any beer, which you should drink depends on what you’re eating or doing.

Where to Find Birradamare?

Not only is Birradamare growing through more varieties of beer, but in addition to Texas and the United States, they distribute their beer in Europe, Australia, Japan, and Thailand, with sights on more countries. Their distribution plans focus on importers they know around the world. They currently bottle and distribute eight of their beers. You can find them in specialty food and beverage shops.

In Austin, you can find the beers at:

Conclusion

Massimo and I bonded over beer and the weather, which at the time had been a cool “faux fall” in Austin (it became too hot to be classified as fall after that) and very similar to Italian fall. “September to October is a great time to visit Italy,” he said, so I’m holding you to it, Massimo! I’m hoping to come drink beer at your brewery soon enough. Until then, I’ll be finding Birradamare in restaurants and grocery stores, dreaming about my trip to Italy.