Category Archives: Local Beer

A Taste of Place

In 2009, Amy Trubek, published her book The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir“. Trubeks’ book is about food. In particular, it is about local food and its connection to place.

One of the concepts that Trubek discusses at some length in her book is that of terroir. You may be familiar with this concept, but if you are not, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines terroir as “the combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinctive character”. While it is a concept most commonly used within the wine industry, it is being increasingly used in discussions taking place around the craft beer. For example, a number of scientific studies show that the same hop varietal grown in two different places will exhibit different taste and aroma characteristics. A study conducted by scientists at Oregon State University showed that “Cascade hops grown in Oregon were characterized by strong citrus, floral, fruity, herbal and resinous aroma. Cascade hops from Washington displayed more tropical and sweaty aroma”. These findings have been replicated in numerous other studies, including one conducted in Italy. The reasons for these differences are quite simple, different soils and micro-climates impact hops differently. As noted by the Italian researchers, “the differences found in the hops were reflected in the beers, which were clearly recognized as distinct by a sensory panel.” In short, hops have terroir.

Approximately, 95% of all hops harvested in the United States are grown in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) states od Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The growth of craft breweries, however, has resulted in farmers outside of the PNW experimenting with hops as a crop. Their primary customers are local breweries. Hops are now grown in 30+ states outside the PNW. This provides beer drinkers in states such as California, Michigan, and Ohio to taste beer with locally grown hops. And, because of terroir, one can make the case that they are experiencing a s taste of place.

But hops are not the only local crop being used in the brewing of craft beer. Other locally sourced crops are also commonly used. Earlier this spring, I enjoyed a basil honey ale at one of my local breweries, Earnest Brew Works, whose ingredients included locally grown basil. Other examples from across the country abound. Island Brewing Company in Carpinteria, CA brew an avocado honey ale using locally sourced avocados, while Cape May Brewing Company of Cape May, NJ use local beach plums in the making of their Beach Plum IPA.

This basil honey ale from Earnest Brew Works in Toledo, OH included locally grown basil as one of its ingredients.

Some breweries also forage for local ingredients to include in their beer. Foraging simply means “searching for potable ingredients from one’s own property, nearby park or forest, or even neighbors’ backyards” and harvesting these ingredients by hand. For example, Matt Hofmann, the founder of Sahale Ale Works in Grafton, WI brewed a farmhouse ale that included dandelion heads from a nearby nature preserve. In 2015, Bob Kunz, the owner of Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles, CA produced a Saison using fruits and herbs (lemongrass, sour flower and a half-dozen varieties of lemons and limes) foraged from the back yards of both him and his neighbors. The Saison is appropriately called Yard Beer.

On a recent trip to Italy, I had an opportunity to enjoy another taste of place. I was attending a local food and beer festival in the small town of Lecce nei Marsi (population 1,694) in Italy’s Abruzzo region. One of the local beers available at the festival was an English Browm Ale whose ingredients included the faggiola – beech nuts from local beech trees. The beer, Moricento, is brewed by Beer Park Brewery. What makes Moricento special, at least in my eyes, is that the beech nuts come from ancient beech trees that are located in a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Beechnuts are an ingredient in Moricento English Brown Ale
Moricento – a beer whose ingredients include beech nuts

Lecce nei Marsi is located in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park. The park covers 50,000 hectares, 60% of which is covered by beech forests. As noted above, the beech forests in the park are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a somewhat an unusual World Heritage site, as it is part of a chain of beech forests that are spread across eighteen European countries. According to UNESCO, these “ancient beech forests are primeval beech forests that have changed very little over the centuries, because they are preserved in areas that are difficult to reach and because beech trees easily adapt to diverse climatic and geographical conditions. Among the various specimens, there are beech trees over 500 years old”. Thus, when you taste Moricento, you might argue that not only are you sampling a taste of place, but perhaps also a taste of the region’s natural history.

The ancient beech forests of Europe (Source: UNESCO)
Enjoying a taste of Moricento beer at the local food and beer festival in Lecce nei Marse

Further Reading

Carbone, Kayta, Giulia Bianchi, Maurizio Petrozziello, Federica Bonello, Valentina Macchioni, Barbara Parisse, Flora De Natale, Roberta Alila, and Maria Carla Cravero. 2021. Tasting terroir through craft beer: Quality and sensory assessment of cascade hops grown in central Italy and derived monovarietal beers. Foods, Volume 10, Issue 9.

Craft Beer: A Tourism Opportunity for an Italian Inner Area?

I just returned from a six-day trip to Italy. I was at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in L’Aquila where I participated in a workshop for PhD students and early career researchers in the fields of Economic Geography and Regional Science. This was my fourth visit to L’Aquila since 2017. Located a two-hour bus-ride east of Rome, L’Aquila is a city of just under 72,000 people. It made international news in 2009 when it was hit with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was just outside the city; an earthquake that was responsible for 308 deaths.

In addition to the workshop, I was also invited to participate in a local food and beer festival in Lecce nei Marsi. Located just over an hour drive southeast of L’Aquila, Lecce ne Marsi is a small community of just over 1,600 people. Lecce ne Marsi is located in what the Italian Government has designated as an Inner Area. Inner Areas are parts of Italy that, because of their geographic isolation, have limited access to essential public services such as health care, education, and transportation. They are areas that are suffering from the out migration of younger people, resulting in an ageing population. An estimated 22% of the Italian population live in Inner Areas. In response to the challenges facing Inner Areas, the Italian Government, in 2012, developed the National Strategy for Inner Areas (Strategia Nazionale per le Aree Interne). Known by the acronym SNAI, the goal is to “counteract marginalisation and demographic decline” of these areas. One of the ways in which the SNAI tries to do this is through the protection and promotion of the natural and cultural assets of Inner Areas.

Lecce nei MarsI (indicated by the B on the map) is just over an hour drive from L’Aquila (indictaed by the A on the map)
Welcome to Lecce nei Marsi

In an effort to promote its cultural assets, as well as those of twelve surrounding communities, Lecce nei Marsi decided to organize and host a festival promoting local food and local beer. Prior to its start, the Mayor of Lecce nei Marsi, Augusto Barile, held a short two-hour mini conference titled “Typical Products: The Strength of the Internal Area”. As the festival coincided with my visit to L’Aquila, Mayor Barile invited me to give a short presentation on craft beer. The mayor’s interest in craft beer was driven by the fact that a nearby micro-brewery, Beer Park Brewery, produced a beer whose ingredients include locally-harvested faggiola. Translated into English, faggiola are beechnuts (the fruit of the beech tree). The mayor was particularly interested to learn about beer tourism and how it could be used as part of a broader culinary tourism initiative to boost the local economy. Other presenters at the mini conference included Alessandra Faggian, my colleague from GSSI, the President of the national park within which Lecce ne Marsi is located, local elected officials, and even the local priest (who recognized the importance of economic development to the region). The audience were local residents and the mayors of the twelve surrounding communities. It was a standing-room only audience in the town’s small council chambers. The event was promoted as a Alogastronomia Festival. Alogastronomia was a neologism created in 2015 by the organizers of a local food and beer festival in the town of Appechio, Italy, from “merging of two words: ale, a kind of fermented beer, and gastronomy, . . . the art of regulating the stomach.” As such, it indicates a particular relationship between beer and food.

Promotional materials for the local food and beer festival in Lecce ne Marsi
It was a standing-room only crowd in the small council chambers of Lecce nei Marsi
Talking about the Italian craft beer revolution in Lecce ne Marsi (with the assistance of my wonderful translator Concetta)

Beer tourism is an increasingly popular activity. This is particularly the case in the United States, where the craft brewing industry is more developed than most other countries. However, the potential for beer tourism in Europe is, in my opinion, also significant. Indeed, there are already a number of travel companies who offer packaged vacations focused on visiting breweries and tasting beer in a variety of European countries, including Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and yes, Italy. These tours tend to focus on larger cities such as Prague, Brussels, and Rome. This leads to the question – can small, geographically isolated communities, such as Lecce nei Marsi capitalize on the growing interest in traveling to taste beer? I believe that they can. However, it will require significant coordination and collaboration on the part of local communities. Attracting people to visit geographically isolated places such as Lecce ne Marsi will also require that non-beer assets be promoted. This may include local food, sites of historical significance, and events and festivals like the one that I attended.

The good news is that there is already an existing organization, the National Association of Beer Cities (Città della Birra Associazione Nazionale), that can perhaps be a source of advice and also used for promotional and branding purposes. Established in 2015, and headquartered in the small town of Appechio (also located in an Italian Inner Area), the goal of the association is to promote beer tourism. As of now, most of the breweries participating in association activities are located in the Marche region of Italy. However, as it is a national association it should be open to assisting breweries in other regions of Italy. Beer and food tourism cannot solve all of the socio-economic challenges facing communities like Lecce nei Marsi. However, they do represent one opportunity that such communities should consider. Indeed, the aforementioned Appechio perhaps offers a model for what is possible for places like Lecce nei Marsi. Appechio has had an annual Alogastrnomia Festival since 2015, whivh has evolved into a three-day event that attracts over 4,000 visitors. Apecchio has also done an excellent job of promoting the region’s other assets such as outdoor activities (biking, hiking, horseback riding etc.). And they have a very impressive website which promotes the region’s assets.

The goal of the National Association of Beer Cities is to promote beer tourism

By the time the mini conference had wrapped up, the food and beer festival was well underway. Each of the thirteen communities had stands offering a food that was typical of their particular place. Baked lamb, frogs’ legs, olive oil, truffles, and ricotta cheese were some of the culinary delights on offer. When it comes to food, I am not particularly adventurous, but I did take the opportunity provided by the festival to taste frogs’ legs for the first time.

Lecce ne Marsi provided a beautiful setting for a local food and beer festival
I had the opportunity to sample local frogs’ legs
My colleague Alessandra sampling some locally produced olive oil
Gioia Dei Marsi was one of thirteen towns participating in the local food and beer festival

While the food was wonderful, I was most interested in sampling the local beer, especially the one made with the local faggiola (beech nuts). Moricento, is an English Brown Ale, and is named after the nearby beech forests from which the beech nuts were harvested. Not only did I get to taste the beer, but I also got to meet both the owner of the brewery, Marco D’Aurelio, and brewer, Luca Fusè. The opportunity to meet both brewery owners and brewers is one aspect of the craft brewing industry that I really enjoy and appreciate. To be able to shake the hand and chat with those responsible for producing the beer that you are drinking is a true privilege.

The ingredients of Moricento beer include beech nuts harvested from local beech trees
With Marco D’Aurelio, owner of Beer Park Brewery
Sampling Moricento beer with brewer Luca Fusè (far right)

This was the first local food and beer festival in Lecce nei Marsi. The plan is to make this an annual event. It will be interesting to see how this event evolves in future years, and what other initiatives Lecce nei Marsi and its neighboring communities develop in their efforts to improve the socio-economic environment of both them and their neighbors.

Further Reading:

Pezzi, Maria Giulia. 2017. From peripheral hamlet to craft beer capital: Apecchio and the ‘Alogastronomia. Italian Journal of Planning and Practice, Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 154-185.

Drinking Local Beer

This is the fourth blog entry I have written that has been inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic. For me and many Ohioans, we really started to feel the impact of Covid-19 on Sunday March 15. That was the first day that bars and restaurants in the state were closed (starting at 9.00pm) for regular business. They would be closed for a full two months, reopening for outdoor seating only on May 15 and capacity-restricted indoor dining on May 22. During that time most bars and restaurants (including craft breweries) survived by selling food and beer for delivery and/or curbside pick-up. Denied taproom sales, many breweries experienced a significant drop in their revenues; surviving Covid-19 quickly became the primary objective.

Once craft brewery taprooms in Ohio were closed for business, and I realized that they were going to face a significant drop in revenues, I made the decision to drink beer from local breweries only. Before going any further, I should note that I am not a “Buy Local” zealot. I understand Ricardo’s Theory of Comparative Advantage, and the reasons why we purchase and consume products that are made in other places (be they other cities in the United States or other countries). However, for a couple of months at least, I thought it would be fun and interesting to drink only beers made by local breweries. That, of course, begs the question as to what constitutes a local brewery? Does the brewery have to be located in the city of Toledo to be considered local? Or could that be broadened to include the entire county (Lucas County)? What about defining local as any beer produced in the state of Ohio? An alternative to using political jurisdictions (City, County, or State boundaries) to define local, is delimiting breweries within a certain radius of where I live. But what radius should I use – 10 miles, 20 miles, 50 miles?

The question of what constitutes “local” is one that has been debated by both academics and policy makers. According to the 2008 Farm Bill any food produced within a 400 mile radius is considered locally or regionally produced. In Canada, food is considered local if it is produced in the province or territory in which it is sold or (if sold across provincial borders) is purchased within is 50 km (31 miles) of its originating province or territory.

After giving it some thought I decided to restrict my beer drinking from breweries located in the states of Ohio and Michigan. I live in Ohio, of course, but am very close to Michigan. From my house I can be in Michigan in approximately twelve minutes. I have visited a good number of breweries in Ohio and Michigan and feel a strong affinity to the craft beer movement in both states. Of course, some of the breweries in both states are pretty far from my home. For example, Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens, OH is 219 miles from my home, while Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is 490 miles away – not exactly local.

Ore Dock Brewing Company in Marquette, MI is 490 miles from my home

Not surprisingly, I am not the first person to commit to consuming local food and drink. In 2005, Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon pledged to eat only dishes made from ingredients harvested within a 100 mile radius of their Vancouver, BC home. In 2007, Barbara Kingsolver moved her family from Tucson, AZ to rural Virginia, where they spent the year eating food grown/reared by themselves or by someone in their neighborhood.

Restricting myself to Ohio and Michigan beers has not exactly been a penance. According to the Brewers Association, there are 400 craft breweries in Michigan and 311 in Ohio. Of course, not all 711 sell their beer in the Toledo market, but enough do that I never lacked choice or got bored with the beers I was drinking. In fact, if I had to, I could probably drink Ohio and Michigan beers for an entire year and not feel hard done by. I did sneak in a few non Ohio and Michigan beers in over the last couple of months – but these were beers that were already sitting in my basement refrigerator and whose “consume by” date already here or rapidly approaching. Most of these beers were consumed on my back deck, while enjoying the warm rays of the spring sunshine. I have created a two galleries highlighting some of the Ohio and Michigan beers that I consumed.

Seeking Local Beer

I have just returned from twelve days in the Netherlands. While there, I spent time in three different places – Amsterdam, Groningen, and Dalfsen. In many respects these three places could not be more different. Amsterdam is the country’s vibrant and bustling capital
city (although not the seat of the Dutch government interestingly), Continue reading Seeking Local Beer