Dependent on whom you’re speaking to, when you think of Italy and ask what you’d expect to drink it usually would be one of a few options, Wine, Aperol Spritz or Beer.
We’re here to talk about the latter…
So carrying a further connection and continuing the storyline, the Birra Baladin story begins with Teo Musso. Despite growing up in a winemaking family in the Piedmonte region of Italy, Teo had ideas for a different direction when he set out his to open his own business – pioneering Italian Craft Beer.
What’s the story? – History of Baladin
Teo Musso founded Baladin in 1996 – defying the destined path of a vineyard, he opened the very first Italian brewery offering microbrew beers of Italy. Although this isn’t where to concept of Baladin was originated, as this was actually 10 years earlier in 1986 at the opening of a humble bar call Le Baladin, in Teo’s home town of Piozzo.
Situated in the tiny little village, which is in the Langhe area that lies just south of Turin, the pub featured interesting and unusual brews from around the world although at the time didn’t brew any beers of its own.
Inspired by the exotic beers he was serving, Teo started to experiment and created his own brews. He took some time out to study Belgian microbrewing techniques abroad and returned home where his regular customers were lucky enough to be part of the development process. One brew lead to another, and Baladin very quickly gained a loyal fan base!
Fast-forward to today and Baladin is still at the forefront of the Italian Craft Beer industry. Translated into French, Baladin means ‘wandering entertainer’ which encapsulates the brewery’s reputation for creating and producing unusual, interesting beers.
One of the core values of Baladin is to be a self-sustaining business and as such has established its very own farms. This then allows them to provide as many ingredients as possible for production of its beer, firmly placing them in the sector as a farmer brewery. Their mission is to constantly strive to conserve as much energy as possible, in as many areas of the brewery as possible whilst using the cleanest forms of energy available such as rooftop solar panels. Teo Musso is a constant advocate of this, with his message of ‘Because Beer is Earth!’ spoken everywhere he goes.
Furthermore, this self-sustained mission then connects through with the design of the Italian Craft Beers that Baladin produce – all of which are designed to be paired with food. Each individual brew demonstrates a strong sense of experimentation and creativity through the unique use of rare grains, herbs and spices. Baladin was also the very first microbrewery to create a beer made entirely of Italian ingredients.
The original Le Baladin pub in Teo Musso’s home town, Piozzo still remains open to this day, with the company expanding their reach and bar locations to other cities throughout Italy and over the world. In 2017 the brewery opened theBaladin Open Garden, which is the foundations of a new brewery, and a location designed to educate and allow discovery of the connection between natures, farming and craft beer. Guests can visit the brewery production area which is open to the public every Sunday serving fine beer and fine food. Alongside this Baladin has also seen large expansion into the craft beer market, with taprooms and beer shops distributing their unique beers and cider to retailers over the world.
Stable Ales is of course proud to be an independent stockist of Baladin here in the UK and our taproom The Brewhouse is proud to have a dedicated line to the delicious Sidro Italian Cider which is hugely popular!
So, What About The Brews?
The Baladin range of beers are complex, entirely fermented in the bottle, and never pasteurized.
Notable brews include Nazionale, Super, and Isaac. Nazionale was the first Italian beer made with 100% Italian ingredients, including two Italian spices: bergamot and coriander from Calabria. The water is sourced from the Alps, while the barley malt and hops used are from the brewery's own fields in Basilicata, Piemonte, and Marche. It’s a simple, highly drinkable craft brew that boasts notes of citrus, thanks to the addition of bergamot. Its versatility makes it a great beer for pairing at the table, too!
Their first Italian craft bottled beers were Super and Isaac. A pure malt, Super was inspired by the Abbey beers made by Belgian monks. At first, it smells of tropical fruit and banana, while the aftertaste is reminiscent of dried fruit and almonds. On the other hand, Isaac is a wheat and spiced beer, inspired to the “Blanche” Belgian style, offering a refreshing blend of coriander and peeled oranges notes.
If you’d love to delve into something even more unique, the aforementioned Sidro Italian Cider is a fantastic choice.
Baladin cider is made exclusively from Italian apples, Teo has selected a mix of apples grown in Italy to make a very well balanced, fresh, and fragrant cider. It has a straw-yellow, clear color and a fine perlage. The scents of apples and spring flowers are complemented by a fresh and delicate taste of apple.
The Baladin range doesn’t stop there, as they offer more than 30 different brews – true to its name translation ‘Wandering Entertainer’ the brewery strives to constantly evolve and invent new flavours and blends.
After reading all the information in this fantastic article you’d be daft not to give Baladin’s range a whirl! So if you're looking for Italian beer, then Baladin offer some of the best beers from Italy!
Browse the range here - https://www.stableales.co.uk/collections/baladin
and why not pick up a cheeky little offer whilst you’re there – buy 6 and get an extra free by using code baladin4free at checkout!