cover image Italy: Beer Country

Italy: Beer Country

Bryan Jansing, illus. by Paul Vismara. Dog Ear, $24.99 paper (188p) ISBN 978-1-4575-2655-8

This enthusiastic and informative celebration of Italian craft beer profiles the principal brewers%E2%80%94and describes the clash between tradition and change%E2%80%94in a country where beer often takes a backseat to wine. Among the many key players covered by Jansing are Teo Musso, whose discovery and love of European beer led to his creation of Le Baladin, a bar famous for its beer in Italy; Agostino Arioli, who operates a brewery called Birrificio Italiano and creates "beer for beer lovers,"; and Birrificio Lambrate, whose brewpub prospers through local publicity in Milan. Illustrations, photography, and promotional materials add to this thorough examination of Italian craft beer, revealing the influence of culture, taste, and food as well as the aesthetic passions and business complexities in the art of brewing.