Published by Leonardo Calcagno
x Le Mondial de la Bière June 20–22 in Montréal
In Italy’s mystical center, where medieval hilltop towns pierce morning mists, craft brewers are creating liquid poetry that captures the essence of la dolce vita
Umbria has always been Italy’s best-kept secret. While tourists flock to neighboring Tuscany and Romans weekend in nearby Lazio, this landlocked region—Il Cuore Verde d’Italia, the Green Heart of Italy—has cultivated a more contemplative relationship with beauty. Here, in valleys where Saint Francis once walked and hilltop towns seem suspended between earth and sky, a craft beer renaissance is unfolding with characteristic Umbrian discretion.
The region’s approach to brewing mirrors its broader cultural philosophy: unhurried, thoughtful, and deeply connected to the landscape. Unlike the bold declarations of Tuscan vintners or the gastronomic theatricality of Emilian chefs, Umbrian brewers work quietly, creating beers that whisper rather than shout, yet leave indelible impressions on those fortunate enough to discover them.
Mystical Terroir
Umbria’s craft beer scene draws from the same mystical well that has inspired artists, saints, and pilgrims for centuries. The region’s unique microclimate—protected by the Apennines and blessed with mineral-rich soils—creates growing conditions that produce ingredients with distinctive character. Local barley varieties, cultivated in fields that have been farmed since Etruscan times, develop complex flavor profiles that reflect the region’s limestone-rich terroir.
At Birrificio Flea in Gubbio, master brewer Stefano Mancini has spent nearly a decade perfecting what he calls “monastic brewing”—a patient, contemplative approach that mirrors the region’s medieval monastery traditions. His barrel-aged ales spend months in caves carved from Monte Ingino, developing flavors that seem to capture the very essence of Umbrian stone and sky.
The brewery’s “San Francesco Tripel,” aged in chestnut barrels sourced from the forests around Assisi, represents this philosophy perfectly. Each bottle carries notes of wild herbs that grow along the pilgrimage routes, honey from apiaries tended by local monasteries, and a subtle minerality that speaks of ancient limestone foundations.
The Perugia School
Perugia, Umbria’s cosmopolitan capital and home to one of Europe’s oldest universities, has naturally become the intellectual center of the region’s brewing movement. The city’s medieval streets now harbor a sophisticated craft beer culture that reflects both its academic heritage and its position as a crossroads of Italian culture.
At Birroteca Perugia, housed in a 13th-century palazzo near the Duomo, owner and certified cicerone Elena Rossi has created what amounts to a university of beer appreciation. Her establishment offers guided tastings that treat craft beer with the same academic rigor typically reserved for wine or art history. Monthly lectures pair beer with Umbrian literature, while seasonal dinners match specific brews with dishes mentioned in medieval texts.
The city’s student population has embraced craft beer with characteristic intellectual enthusiasm, supporting a network of small brewpubs that serve as informal cultural salons. At Malto Gradimento, philosophy students debate Heidegger over locally brewed IPAs, while art history majors sketch Renaissance frescoes between sips of monastery-inspired ales.
Agricultural Artistry
Perhaps more than any other Italian region, Umbria has maintained its connection to agricultural traditions that date back millennia. This agricultural heritage profoundly influences the region’s approach to brewing, with many beer makers operating as part of larger farming operations that view brewing as a natural extension of their relationship with the land.
In the Val di Chiana, the Benedetti family has been farming the same land for seven generations. Five years ago, they added a small brewery to their operation, which also produces olive oil, wine, and Chianina beef. Their “Quattro Stagioni” series of beers reflects the agricultural calendar—spring ales brewed with foraged wild herbs, summer wheat beers enhanced with estate-grown lavender, autumn beers that incorporate chestnuts from their own groves, and winter stouts aged with their own olive oil.
This integration of brewing with broader agricultural practices creates beers that are literally rooted in Umbrian soil. The Benedetti family’s “Olivo” saison, brewed with young olive leaves, produces a beer of unprecedented complexity—herbal, earthy, and unmistakably Umbrian.
The Truffle Connection
No discussion of Umbrian craft beer would be complete without acknowledging the region’s most famous culinary treasure: truffles. Several breweries have experimented with incorporating these precious fungi into their brewing process, with mixed but occasionally spectacular results.
Birrificio Terre di Norcia, based in the heart of truffle country, has developed a relationship with local tartufai (truffle hunters) that allows them access to lesser-grade specimens unsuitable for culinary use but perfect for brewing. Their “Tartufo Nero Imperial Stout,” brewed with black truffle shavings, creates an almost surreal drinking experience—earthy, funky, and intensely savory in ways that challenge conventional beer categories.
The beer has attracted attention from food writers and molecular gastronomists worldwide, yet remains deeply rooted in Umbrian tradition. Each batch is released only during truffle season, and bottles are individually numbered and dated, treating the beer more like a vintage wine than a commercial product.
Sacred Spaces
Umbria’s profound spiritual heritage has influenced its brewing culture in unexpected ways. Several breweries operate in partnership with local monasteries, creating beers that honor the region’s contemplative traditions while embracing modern brewing techniques.
The most notable is the collaboration between Birrificio Monte Subasio and the Franciscan monastery at Assisi. Monks provide herbs grown in their medieval gardens, while brewers contribute technical expertise and modern equipment. The resulting “Pax et Bonum” abbey ale follows a recipe inspired by manuscripts found in the monastery’s archives, creating a direct link between contemporary craft brewing and medieval monastic traditions.
These sacred collaborations produce more than just beer—they create liquid meditations that capture something ineffable about the Umbrian spiritual experience. Drinking a “Pax et Bonum” while watching sunset paint the walls of Assisi pink and gold becomes a form of communion with centuries of seekers who have found solace in this landscape.
The Future of Contemplative Brewing
As Umbria’s craft beer scene continues to evolve, it faces the challenge of growth without losing its essential character. The region’s brewers are acutely aware that their greatest strength—the intimate, contemplative approach to brewing—could be compromised by commercial pressures or tourist demands.
Yet early signs suggest that Umbrian brewing culture possesses the same resilience that has allowed the region to preserve its character through centuries of change. New breweries continue to emphasize quality over quantity, tradition over novelty, and local connection over global appeal.
The next generation of Umbrian brewers, many of whom have studied abroad before returning home, bring international perspectives while remaining deeply rooted in regional identity. They understand that in a world increasingly dominated by mass production and global brands, Umbria’s quiet revolution offers something precious: beer that carries the soul of a place.
In tasting rooms housed in medieval buildings, where stone walls hold the memory of centuries and wooden beams frame views of landscapes that have inspired saints and artists, Umbrian craft beer offers more than refreshment. It provides a liquid connection to the Green Heart’s deepest mysteries—a reminder that the most profound experiences often come to those who know how to listen to silence and taste the essence of place.
The brewers of Umbria are proving that revolution doesn’t always require noise. Sometimes the most transformative changes happen quietly, patiently, one perfect pour at a time.
x Le Mondial de la Bière June 20–22 in Montréal