Dinners organized among friends, especially those spontaneous ones, are among the most fun and carefree. The atmosphere pleasantly warms up with a unique, joyful, and festive allure. The home-made pizza, and then someone says, “let's bring a special little drink” and the game is on.
I find myself in front of some captivating little bottles just from the label, colorful ones that immediately arouse curiosity and especially a desire to taste. They arrive already cold! The friends know their stuff.
Beer made in Tuscany, or rather in Prato. The astonishment quickly gives way to pleasure after the first sip. Amber in color with a dense, almost creamy foam.
Intense aromas of exotic fruit, citrus, licorice, and multifloral honey
Full-bodied, flavorful aroma with a round aftertaste of ground coffee. A true delight for the taste buds and beyond. For a moment, I felt like I was in a beer capital.
In the following days, I was already chatting with the Master Brewer who created that enticing nectar. Like all special, unique things, it comes from the playfulness of two friends who, amidst one trial and another, faced understandable parental concerns about abandoning their studies to pursue a passion in a context that certainly doesn’t have a brewing history.
The La Foresta brewery is located in Prato inside an old craft warehouse in the area between San Martino and Coiano, completely renovated and adapted to the needs of a microbrewery.
Giulio Santanni is a young guy but with clear ideas: to contribute to the creation of a characteristic product within our country, in total respect for the environment and what nature has provided. He selects the best raw materials, choosing the hops based on the different areas of origin that characterize the authenticity of craft beer. The base material is used in various ways:
unmalted wheat, base malt, caramel malt, roasted malt
Hops, another raw material used, come from different places such as Germany, the Czech Republic, the United States, and England, for characteristics that will be reflected in the various aromas that will characterize the beer. Hops not only provide bitterness but also release their aromatic properties, which vary depending on the place of origin and the climate in which they developed. Lastly, but by no means least in importance, it has a preservative property.
It is precisely this last property that led to its introduction in the brewing process. Originally, hops were not used, but rather various types of spices and honey, which gave character to the fermented beverage made from grains, with an intense flavor that can be considered a forerunner of modern beers. In the Middle Ages, beer was the most consumed beverage within monasteries.
The use of hops is attributed to Sister Hildegard of Bingen
Also remembered as Doctor of the Church, he highlighted its preserving and stabilizing properties due to his medical research.
It should be noted that "beer" has very ancient origins and was already being produced in the times of the Assyrians and Sumerians. In Mesopotamia, it had a religious significance. A strong-tasting, flavored drink was considered both food and medicine. Such a drink can also be found in Egyptian, Greek, and Roman culture. In Italy, it was the Etruscans who produced both beer and wine. The very name "beer" seems to derive from the Latin bibere (to drink), a term that has evolved with the sound we know today as beer.
Thanks to the growth of Roman influence in Central Europe, beer began to establish itself among the cultures of the Germans and Celts, who showed a greater propensity for the culture of cereal fermentation due to the latitude region in which they were settled.
Another basic element that adds that unique touch is the water that comes from the hills of Montemurlo, which strongly influences the brewing style.
What can I say? The beer made in Prato is truly captivating. Lively and tasty like few others.
