Piemonte Rocking The Beer Scene: C'è Fermento Event

It’s finally hot hot hot and we’ve got lots of intense Euro2012 soccer games to watch. Naturally, the best match for this is ice cold beer! Last weekend, Saluzzo held it’s annual C’è Fermento Artisanal Beer Festival in the old barracks (and the courtyard of the high school where I work) ehemmm… worked. Of course we were there for the first night with our beer loving friends Jess and Fabri and their cute little lovable baby Giulio. They had already made the rounds by the time we got there but helped us choose the best stands.

This year we were impressed with how many microbreweries turned up! Many local ones we knew already like Baladin, Troll, Trunasse, and Pausa Cafè, and maybe even you do too. In fact, Piemonte is not only known world wide for its red wines, but now also for its craft beers. Could I live in a better place? They even gave us good pours in real glasses which we could take home with us! Blues and Rock bands took the stage and set the backdrop to a fantastic evening. I have a special place in my heart for this festival because it was going on the weekend of my wedding two years ago when all my American friends and family were in town.

Generally I love Pausà Cafe’s beer and think their cause is great. The inmates of the Saluzzo Prison focus their energy on making this beer and Pausa Cafè gives them an opportunity to learn new skills. I can’t choose my favorite from this event because I loved them all!

• I started off with a Grado Plato birrificio from Chieri near Torino and tried a Weizentea experimental beer which combines Chinese green tea, American hops and German malt. A nice Weiss style beer which was pleasurable to drink on a hot summer night. Claudio tried the Strada San Felice which was an amber made with local chestnuts! Good but a little heavy to start out the night.
• The second beer came from Birrificio B63 from Valle D’Aosta. This is still a nearby destination that I would love to visit and now I have another reason to go! The Swing European Lager was a lovable balanced blonde beer. This brewery gives all their beers musical names to go with the musical atmosphere of the brewpub.
• Jess and I went to go see the cute guy at the Birrificio Del Forte stand where he let us taste the Mancina Belgian Strong Golden Ale and the Gassa d’Amante a Belgian Pale Ale. They were good but a little too sweet for my likings. They make Belgian style and English style beers only.
• The last stand lured me in with its name: Have A Nice Trip. I tried their European Pale Lager called Piemonte which was cold and bubbly but not a stand out.