Life has always been on the move, travelling and discovering. I have travelled north, south, east and west. It seems that fate has brought me to Switzerland , to the centre of the countries where I have travelled. The cross on the Swiss flag seems to be an omen that this is the country where I would settle.
My first stop was in Scotland, where I discovered my love for traditional beers. My journey continued to Japan, where I enjoyed great food, studied traditional karate, and received the most precious gift: my daughter Sara. My work then led me to travel often to the United States, where I was able to experience the Craft Beer Revolution . However, throughout this journey, I have never forgotten the wonderful Mediterranean country I come from, whose food has always been not only in my tummy but also in my heart: Italy.
I wanted to tell these stories of beer and life in the Fermento Beer Blog. Join me on this journey where the Swiss quest for beer perfection is combined with the Italian search for fun and great food.
Lager in English, but also Helles in German, Blonde in Italian, Pilsner in Czech…. quite a few names for what is considered the king of beers! Certainly, the worldwide best-selling, probably the most delicate in flavour and certainly the most refreshing of all beers. In this blog post, I highlight the commonalities and the main differences, so that you too can choose your favourite lager.
These days, ingredients of any kind are added to beers, and things are getting a bit confusing. For example, how comes that some beers taste so fruity and they don’t contain real fruits? And why that chocolate taste in the stouts? My aim with this blog post is to look into beer ingredients and share my experience on those that are traditional and those that can be classified as “creative”.
Beer VS wine is a great topic of conversation and dispute. What is superior, healthier, tastier, better with food? Rather than establishing which of the two, beer or wine, is better, in this blog article I would like to address in which situations beer should be preferred to wine. Finally, learning from wine, I would like to propose a very good reason for choosing craft beer.
In this blog post, I want to share my experiences on how to recognise the perfect beer in a bar, how to behave as a customer to avoid getting a badly prepared beer and how to react if the beer doesn’t meet your expectations.
Since my first craft beer, I have explored beer styles, found my favourite flavours and the beers I love the most. Since then, the journey has begun and I would like to share the experiences that led me to choose my craft beer.
Here are my 4 guiding principles to navigate the sea of beers and help you choose the craft beer you really love.
Amber ale, whether classic Scottish or modern American, is a versatile beer type. It varies from malty to hoppy. The best amber beers can be paired with excellent Apèro and Antipasti. Also great for marinating meat to make it more tender and healthier before grilling or BBQing.
It is true that there is no such thing as the honey beer style. However, honey can be skilfully added to classic beers (pilsners, amber ales, IPAs, etc.). However, craft beer brewers have created “experimental” honey beers that cannot simply be categorised into one beer style. Honey beers are only really enjoyable when honey is used in small doses.
I enjoy attending beer festivals, and organizing beer degustation, food and beer tasting. The first point is to choose desired artisanal beer style.. Then follows the question: bottle or glass? I always share some recommendations on how to best appreciate craft beer.
I love the tradition of brewing a special beer for the Christmas holidays.
Christmas beers are generally very alcoholic and intensely flavoured because they are brewed with ingredients that impart a warm character and a complex, rich aroma, such as honey, orange, cardamom, cinnamon, etc.
You never forget your first time. Mine was with my flatmate, an Irish student, during my University time in Italy. The first night he moved in the apartment, my buddy suddenly left home
a few minutes before our dinner was ready. He came back timely, dragging a bag containing a few cans of Irish stout.
Malz und Hopfen sind eine Art Novum beim Brauen. In ancient times, fermented beverages were made with all available herbs and types of grains. Erikakraut was one of the most commonly used herbs. And mead, made from honey, was one of the oldest honey beers that humanity ever knew
Water, malt, yeast, and hops. These are the main ingredients that we use to make beer Hops were not always used in brewing beer. In
How often have we read articles and news stories touting the health benefits of beer, but also those claiming the opposite? There is no doubt
Christmas is a magical time. For many of us, however, it was quite different than in previous years. We gathered more in front of computer
Tempura is a popular Japanese dish in which the ingredients (usually vegetables and seafood) are lightly battered and deep fried. Replace ice-cold water with Fermento beer “Weizen Mistral” instead. It makes the crust exactly right texture. Light and crispy! A cold Mistral wheat is the perfect accompaniment to the warm tempura
The beef stew is always very well received, because it has all the 5 flavours- salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami in it. The beer makes the meat even more tender and also the sweetness of the honey coming from the beer goes very well with the Läckerli. A Fermento Ventuno beer alongside the stew is of course a must.
The fine beer-flavoured “Deconstructed stout cannoli” (Cannolo scomposto alla Birra) is a delicious variation of the iconic Sicilian Cannolo, a fried rolled bubbly wafer filled with sweet ricotta cheese. In this dessert recipe, the waffle is deconstructed (broken down) and sprinkled over the ricotta cream, enriched with a touch of Fermento Liberica stout-based sauce, which imparts a refined chocolate and coffee flavour.
Since my first craft beer, I have explored beer styles, found my favourite flavours and the beers I love the most. Since then, the journey has begun and I would like to share the experiences that led me to choose my craft beer.
Here are my 4 guiding principles to navigate the sea of beers and help you choose the craft beer you really love.
Beer is simply unbeatable with pizza. And wine loses its battle against beer in this combination. Beer gives a refreshing sensation, especially when the pizza has a rich and tasty topping. I paired 5 beers with Roman pizza, choosing both traditional and creative pizza toppings. Here is my recommendation for the best pizza and beer combination.
Cooking with beer is fun and can yield great results if you choose the right beer for the right food. With the most suitable cooking technique, you can not only make food taste better but also improve it: crispier batter-fried food, softer bread and cakes, flavored risotto and innovative desserts. Beer makes meat more tender, baked chicken juicier and crispier, mussels meatier and beer sauces more balanced.
Cheese and beer is a unique, delicious way to enjoy beer and get the most flavour out of cheese. Follow some basic steps and tricks to get the best possible experience. From Switzerland with love.
Drinking a fine artisanal beer with a dessert is an extraordinary experience and a real treat for the senses. I really enjoy drinking a stout and appreciating its chocolate and coffee flavours.
Stouts with chocolate cake are highly recommended!
The Italians have developed a long aperitif tradition, whereby the dishes differ from region to region. Beer or wine, the apericena is basically the perfect middle ground between aperitivo and cena (which means “dinner” in Italian) or to completely replace dinner with a light meal in the evening.
Wheat beer (or white beer) is refreshing and has a mild bitterness. This beer style originally comes from Germany (Wheat) and Belgium (Witbier). They contain
Summer is fast approaching in Switzerland and the heatwave is unstoppable. Refreshing, thirst-quenching drinks are soon needed to accompany light dishes, cheese and aperitifs. The
Valentine’s Day: a tribute to love, friendship… apart from a very commercial undertone of this day, it is a day of good feelings… and good
