Update: Milano and Munich, back-to-back?

I've been itching for a pint of good beer. One thing I have realized since being here in Italy for a month: you need a car. There is certainly good, high quality and original beers to be found in Italy, but if you come here looking to make a good brewery tour (at least in Umbria) you should definitely rent a car. I've been trying for a few weeks now to find beer from a microbrewery in Citta della Pieve (a city 40 km south of here) with no success. I apologize for my lack of updates, I just simply don't have anything to update with. I've been drinking beer, but mostly German Weissbier (readily available here in local supermarkets) and Pale Lagers. A bit of news to update you with: I will be going to Milano in northern Italy for 3 days or so. This city is supposed to be the major driving force behind the resurgence of the Italian beer industry. I will make it a point to find out all there is to know. I am planning on attempting to tour one brewery, visit a few great pubs, and pick up a few bottles of Italian beer at one of the bottleshops. So I can tell you: look out in the next few weeks as I should be updating you with a few Italian beers.

Now, from Italy I'll be heading into the deep south of Germany into Bavaria. I'll be visiting the great beer city of Munich for a week and you can be sure to expect lots of good things from there. I'll be looking to answer several questions: are there many non-traditional styles being brewed in Germany? And how do Germans view the American beer scene? These are two questions that I am really interested in seeking out the answers to. I know Germany can brew amazing traditional style beers, but what about the current scene? In a land steeped with tradition and overshadowed by brands that have been around for hundreds of years, how much of the market is non-traditional? During my visit to Munich I will like to drink from a 2-liter stein, tour a brewery, and perhaps tour a hop farm. I do not know if this last idea will be possible but I am hoping so. I think it will be very interesting to hear about the process of growing hops. I'd love to learn more about the one thing that I can't get enough of in my beer :]

And so with that, I will sign off for now, but rest assured, the lack of updates, and silence of the beer blog will not be lasting for much longer. I am visiting two (very different) but two very well-known cities synonymous with good beer. I will soon be able to scratch the itch for good beer by drinking delicious pint after delicious pint. Until the next post, stay sharp, and drink some good beers for me :] Ciao!


Thanks for reading,
Zach