30 Years of Italian Craft Beer
This Beer Is Good!
30 Years of Italian Craft Beer: Together Means Delicious
Thirty years ago, something emerged in Italy that few people took seriously. The first enthusiasts brewed beer in garages, basements, and small spaces — without guarantees, without a market, without support. Today, craft beer is part of Italian Made in Italy, recognized not only at home but internationally.
To mark this anniversary, Unionbirrai — the main industry association of Italian craft brewers — chose a way of celebrating entirely in keeping with the spirit of the movement: not just a formal speech or a report full of figures, but brewing beer. Together. Across the whole country.
The project is called "Buona 'sta Birra!" — roughly "This Beer Is Good!" — and it is exactly what it sounds like: an invitation to raise a glass, issued on behalf of the entire industry.
One Recipe — Dozens of Interpretations
At the heart of the project lies a shared recipe: not rigidly fixed, but rather a guideline around which each brewer can introduce their own nuance. The chosen style is the Italian Pilsner, and not by accident — it is a clean, accessible beer with character, but without barriers for those not yet familiar with craft beer culture. The result is not an exact copy from one tank to another, but a family of versions sharing a common identity with different shades of expression.
The first brews have already taken place in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Trentino, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Lombardy, where one of the brewing sessions turned into an open event for the general public. Other regions — Apulia, Calabria, and more — will follow. The beer will become available in early June and will accompany Unionbirrai's main events throughout the season.
"You Only Understand It When You Try It"
Vittorio Ferraris, president of Unionbirrai, explained the logic of the project simply: craft beer is not explained — it is tasted. That is why the name is what it is: it is what people actually say, standing at the bar, when a beer truly delivers.
What thirty years ago seemed like a utopia is today a concrete part of Italian agri-food Made in Italy, recognized at the international level. And this result belongs not to any one person, but to all the brewers who believed in an idea and built it day by day.
Thirty Years — and a Change of Language
There is also a quiet signal in this celebration: the emphasis on simplicity and accessibility suggests that in the past, this message did not always reach its audience as clearly as it could have. Craft beer was too often presented as something "strange" — made with unusual ingredients, for insiders only. Now the industry is choosing the opposite approach.
Thirty years is already maturity. A maturity that allows itself to be simple. And that is perhaps the most important lesson: the boldest ideas, over time, become part of everyday life — if behind them stand real people, real work, and real flavor.
"Buona 'sta Birra!" — enjoy. — смачного.