The Bergamot Frontier: Calabria's Citrus-Infused Beer

Published by Leonardo Calcagno

x Le Mondial de la Bière June 20–22 in Montréal

At Italy’s southernmost tip, where the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas converge, a bold generation of brewers is transforming the region’s legendary citrus heritage into liquid gold

The morning mist clings to the terraced slopes of Reggio Calabria’s bergamot groves as Salvatore Morabito tends to his latest fermentation—a lambic-style ale that has been aging for eighteen months in chestnut barrels previously used for Greco di Bianco wine. The beer, infused with fresh bergamot oils from trees whose roots trace back to the original Saracen plantings, represents something unprecedented: a beverage that captures the essence of Calabria’s most precious agricultural treasure in fermented form.

“Bergamot is our liquid heritage,” Morabito explains, his weathered hands cradling a glass of the golden ale that sparkles like captured sunlight. “For centuries, we’ve exported this scent to the world’s finest perfumers. Now we’re discovering its potential as a brewing ingredient—complex, sophisticated, irreplaceable.”

This philosophy drives Calabria’s emerging craft beer movement, a renaissance that transforms the region’s reputation from Italy’s forgotten toe into a destination for serious beer enthusiasts. In a landscape where ancient Greek temples overlook modern citrus groves, where the Aspromonte mountains plunge directly into azure seas, brewers are creating liquid poetry that could exist nowhere else on earth.

The Citrus Advantage

Calabria’s dominance in citrus cultivation—the region produces 95% of the world’s bergamot, along with exceptional cedro, chinotto, and blood oranges—provides craft brewers with ingredients that command premium prices in international markets. At Birrificio Calabrese, housed in a converted olive oil mill near Cosenza, master brewer Francesca Aiello has developed proprietary techniques for incorporating citrus oils without the bitter compounds that typically overwhelm beer’s delicate balance.

“Citrus in beer is like salt in cooking—transformative in small amounts, destructive in excess,” Aiello observes, adjusting the precise dosage of bergamot essential oil into a wheat beer that will be served at Milan’s Identità Golose festival. “We’ve spent three years perfecting extraction methods that capture aroma and flavor while avoiding the harsh notes that make most citrus beers undrinkable.”

Her Bergamotto Wit, brewed with organic wheat from the Pollino plateau and finished with bergamot oil from centenarian trees, has become a cult favorite among Italian sommeliers. The beer opens with Earl Grey tea aromatics, develops into honeyed citrus complexity, and finishes with a mineral salinity that mirrors the Calabrian coast.

Mountain Terroir

The Sila plateau, often called “Little Switzerland” for its unexpected alpine character, provides Calabria’s craft brewers with ingredients and conditions that defy southern Italian stereotypes. At Birra Sila, located at 1,200 meters elevation near Camigliatello Silano, the Paradiso family has constructed the south’s highest-altitude brewery, utilizing pristine mountain springs and cultivating hop varieties adapted to Mediterranean highland conditions.

“Everyone assumes you cannot grow hops in southern Italy,” explains brewmaster Roberto Paradiso, gesturing toward terraced hop gardens that cascade down slopes traditionally used for grazing. “But the Sila’s elevation creates a microclimate similar to Bavaria—cool nights, abundant rainfall, perfect drainage. Our hops develop oil profiles you simply cannot achieve at sea level.”

The brewery’s flagship Sila IPA, dry-hopped with estate-grown Cascade and Centennial varieties, challenges preconceptions about southern Italian terroir. The beer offers resinous pine and citrus notes layered with herbal complexity from wild thyme and oregano that grows wild between the hop rows.

Ancient Grains, Modern Expression

Calabria’s mountainous interior has preserved grain varieties that disappeared from flatter, more industrialized regions. At Grano Nero, a farmhouse brewery near Crotone, agricultural scientist turned brewer Dr. Giulia Mancuso has revived cultivation of ancient varieties including Senatore Cappelli wheat and Jervicella corn, creating beers that express terroir through genetic heritage.

“Industrial agriculture selected for yield and uniformity,” Mancuso explains, examining kernels of heritage corn whose purple-black color gives the brewery its name. “Our ancestors selected for flavor, nutrition, and adaptation to local conditions. These grains carry 2,000 years of genetic memory specific to Calabrian soil.”

Her Jervicella Corn Ale, brewed with purple corn native to the Crotone area, offers a complex flavor profile that includes notes of chocolate and vanilla—compounds naturally present in the ancient variety but absent from modern hybrid corns. The beer has attracted attention from international craft brewers fascinated by its unique terroir expression.

The ‘Ndrangheta Challenge

Calabria’s craft beer movement operates within a complex social landscape where traditional power structures sometimes clash with contemporary entrepreneurship. Several breweries have emerged from families making conscious decisions to build legitimate businesses in regions where alternative economic models have historically prevailed.

At Birra Onesta (“Honest Beer”) in Gioia Tauro, founder Antonio Bellocco—who shares a surname with notorious ‘ndrangheta families but claims no relation—has created a brewery explicitly committed to transparent, legal business practices. His taproom displays certifications, tax payments, and employee contracts as proudly as beer awards.

“We’re proving that honest business can succeed in Calabria,” Bellocco states, pouring his flagship Legalità Lager. “Every bottle sold legally, every employee paid fairly, every tax obligation met. This is our revolution—boring paperwork instead of dramatic gestures.”

The brewery’s success, particularly its export contracts with German and Austrian distributors who value its commitment to transparency, demonstrates how craft brewing can provide legitimate economic opportunities in challenging environments.

The Pepper Renaissance

Nowhere is Calabria’s agricultural heritage more evident than in its pepper cultivation. At Birra Piccante, located in the heart of the Calabrian pepper-growing region near Diamante, the Peperoncino family (their actual surname) has elevated the region’s spicy heritage to sophisticated brewing art.

Third-generation pepper cultivator Maria Peperoncino, working with Roman-trained brewmaster Luca Santoro, has developed techniques for incorporating over twenty varieties of Calabrian peppers into beer without creating novelty products. Their Diavolo Rosso series showcases individual pepper varieties with the same attention to terroir typically reserved for wine.

“Each pepper variety has distinct flavor compounds beyond just heat,” Santoro explains, examining dried specimens that range from sweet and fruity to intensely fiery. “The challenge is extracting complexity—smokiness, fruitiness, floral notes—while managing capsaicin levels. We’re creating pepper flights like wine tastings.”

Their limited-edition releases, including a imperial stout aged with ‘nduja and a saison featuring cherry peppers, have developed cult followings among chili enthusiasts and craft beer collectors. The brewery’s tasting room offers “heat progression” flights that educate visitors about Calabrian pepper diversity while showcasing sophisticated brewing techniques.

Coastal Influence

The region’s extensive coastline provides both inspiration and ingredients for innovative brewers. At Birra Marina, housed in a former tuna processing facility overlooking the Strait of Messina, brewmaster Giuseppe Falcone incorporates sea salt, seaweed, and even filtered seawater into beers that capture the essence of Calabrian coastal life.

“The sea shapes everything here—our food, our culture, our character,” Falcone reflects, drawing samples from tanks that overlook waters where Scylla and Charybdis supposedly terrorized ancient mariners. “Our beers should reflect that influence. We’re not just brewing with local ingredients—we’re brewing with local identity.”

His Gose del Stretto, brewed with sea salt harvested from ancient salt pans near Reggio Calabria, offers mineral complexity that perfectly complements the region’s seafood cuisine. The beer has become essential pairing for Calabrian specialties like swordfish and sea urchin at high-end restaurants throughout southern Italy.

Cultural Bridge-Building

Perhaps most significantly, Calabria’s craft beer movement has begun bridging cultural divides that have long separated the region from mainstream Italian culture. The annual Calabria Craft Beer Festival, held in Cosenza’s historic center, attracts visitors from throughout Italy and beyond, creating economic opportunities while showcasing regional culture in positive contexts.

“Beer becomes a cultural ambassador,” observes festival organizer Carla Brunetti. “Visitors arrive curious about unusual flavors, but leave with deeper appreciation for Calabrian history, agriculture, and creativity. We’re changing perceptions one glass at a time.”

The festival’s success has inspired similar events throughout the region, from mountain villages to coastal towns, each celebrating local ingredients and traditions through contemporary brewing techniques.

Export Ambitions

International recognition of Calabrian craft beer quality has led to significant export opportunities. At Eataly’s international locations, buyers report consistent demand for southern Italian craft beers, with Calabrian producers leading growth in premium citrus-infused categories.

“The global market has tremendous appetite for authentic Italian flavors,” notes export manager Stefano Rossi. “Calabrian brewers offer ingredients and techniques that cannot be replicated elsewhere. Bergamot, in particular, has cache in international markets that far exceeds its domestic recognition.”

Export statistics support this enthusiasm. Calabrian craft beer exports increased 420% between 2020 and 2024, with particularly strong growth in Japan, where citrus-infused beers complement traditional brewing culture, and Scandinavia, where spicy beers provide warming comfort during long winters.

The Future Harvest

As evening approaches and the setting sun paints the Aspromonte peaks in shades of gold and crimson, Calabria’s craft brewers prepare for service in tasting rooms from Tropea to Amendolara. Each glass represents not just skillful brewing, but cultural transformation—the evolution of a region too long defined by its challenges rather than its tremendous potential.

The success of Calabrian craft beer lies in its practitioners’ understanding that authenticity emerges from embracing rather than escaping local character. By celebrating ingredients that make Calabria unique—bergamot that grows nowhere else, peppers shaped by centuries of Mediterranean cultivation, grains adapted to harsh but beautiful landscapes—they’ve created beverages that tell stories of place and possibility.

“We’re not trying to make Bavarian lagers or English ales,” reflects Salvatore Morabito, now preparing his evening service overlooking the Strait of Messina. “We’re discovering what Italian beer becomes when it truly embraces its southern soul.”

In a region where Greek philosophers once debated the nature of beauty, where Saracen traders introduced exotic spices, where Norman knights built castles on ancient foundations, this approach feels both inevitable and revolutionary. The craft beer movement in Calabria represents cultural renaissance expressed through liquid poetry—complex, sophisticated, and unmistakably rooted in the soil from which it springs.

The frontier, it seems, has finally found its voice.