When you say Piedmont, what you (usually) mean is wine. Langhe vineyards rank among the Unesco World Heritage sites and the region can boast having the best red wines in the world (Barbera, Dolcetto, Barolo, Barbaresco…gosh I’m getting thirsty). Given that, you have to admit it’s a strange idea, choosing to open a brewery in Piedmont. Yet dozens of craft brewers have, in the past five years or so, made Piedmont the center of an extraordinarily eclectic, ambitious Italian craft-brewing scene.

Piedmont brewers are making some of the most exciting beers in the world right now, as well as some of the most inventive: if you want to have a proper taste of this avant-garde in Turin then you have to visit the Birrificio Turin, at a stone’s throw from the city center and my favorite spot for an intense chat with my best friends.

The stylish furniture is pretty far from any fake Irish pub and makes the perfect match with the delicious beers of the house, which can be paired with proper dishes or just appetizers and the beer proficiency of the guys working there. I usually go for the pork morsels cooked with beer and juniper. My favorite beer instead is Augusta, a tasty ale with a strong character. But as a long-time customer I can only advise to visit it several times in order to discover as many beers as possible!