New handpump at De Cervesia, Lucca

Lucca lies about 12 miles north east of Pisa in Tuscany.

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, Lucca

I blogged about De Cervesia, Lucca after previous visits in January 2014.

De Cervesia Tap Room, Lucca (Photo: Richard Lock)

In June 2015, I booked a room in a B&B in Via Anfiteatro, near to Piazza dell'Anfiteatro and only a short walk away from the De Cervesia Tap Room at Via Michele Rosi 20. The tap room is situated in a traffic free area opposite Ciclo Divino (wine bar) and customers from both establishments can take their drinks outside where there are benches and wide pavements.

Matteo behind the bar at De Cervesia Tap Room

 Revisiting De Cervesia tap room / beer bar with friends in June 2015, it was great to see Matteo behind the bar which now has a raised Angram handpump.

Matteo demonstrated how the housing for the handpump could be opened to provide easy access for maintenance (see adjacent photo).

'Blackout' stout from Birrificio Rurale, based in Desio, north of Milan, was an appropriate beer to serve through the handpump as it could be served less chilled and without gas pressure.







It was nice to be able to give Matteo the issue of  Ullage (Mar/Apr 2014), which included my article about De Cervesia and Orzo Bruno (Pisa), published following my previous visits.

There were three beers served through fonts from KeyKegs. The first beer we tried was Eva, a Pilsner from Birrificio Brùton, based at San Cassiano di Moriano, in the valley of the river Serchio, about 5 miles north of Lucca. This was a refreshing way to start the evening and it was soon time for a glass of Terzo Miglio, an American Pale Ale from Birrificio Rurale that would prove to be my favourite beer of the evening. 

Cheers Matteo! from Richard, Tim (with Ullage), Roger and Derek

A big change at De Cervesia since my last visits was expansion from the corner unit into the adjacent shop unit. This provides extra indoor space for customers and space for a cold room where bottles and KeyKegs are stored.

Cold room door on left in extra room (Photo: Richard Lock)

Kyle, on holiday from USA, asked Matteo for a beer suggestion and returned from the cold room with a bottle of Zona Cesarini from Birrificio Toccalmatto based near Parma. 

Kyle & Matteo in the cold room (Photo via Kyle Dean Reinford)

Matteo explained that Renato Cesarini played football for Juventus and was renowned for scoring in the last minutes of the game so that Zona Cesarini was another way of saying 'at the last minute'. 

Matteo said Japanese (Sorachi Ace) hops were added at the last minute to this beer and this explains both the name and the inspiration for the label art.

The third beer we tried was Jale, a 5.6% ABV ESB style beer brewed by Brewfist Italian Ales based in Codogno, near Piacenza and Cremona. This was full flavoured and a darker colour than our two previous beers.

Some of the beers we had been drinking were in Brewfist glasses labelled with their slogan 'More beer More people' (NB Not 'Mare beer Mare peaple'). Several customers asked for bottles of Brewfist Spaceman IPA (7% ABV) during our stay.

Matteo's brother, Michael, on a stint behind the bar

Matteo is an AC/DC fan and so are some of his customers. Matteo kindly put on some music by St Paul and the Broken Bones when I requested a change from his favourite music.

Derek, Roger and Richard - De Cervesia

By now we had all enjoyed a few beers at De Cervesia and as now food is served we asked Matteo for a Pizza restaurant recommendation. He suggested Tre Merli in Via Anfiteatro but when we got there it was 'fully booked' so it was back to Mara Meo in Piazza San Francesco for a late pizza.

As well as the beer bar / tap room, there is also a De Cervesia beer shop, open during the daytime at Via Fillungo, 92 (Closed Mondays).

Map shows position of De Cervesia beer shop (west) and tap room (east )

De Cervesia Taproom, Via Michele Rosi 20, Lucca.
Open: Tue-Sun 19:00 - 22:00
Website: http://www.decervesia.it

La Torre del Luppolo, Pisa. Beer shop/bar

There are now at least two good beer bars to visit in Pisa!
La Torre del Luppolo is situated at Via Renato Fucini 13, within a few minutes walk of Orzo Bruno. This is on the 'Leaning Tower' side of the river Arno - cross the river on Ponte di Mezzo if you are approaching from Pisa Centrale railway station in the south.

View looking south from the north bank of the river Arno with Ponte di Mezzo on the right

La Torre del Luppolo only has a small frontage but you can't miss the sign above the entrance.

Via Renato Fucini 13

The five beer taps are positioned just inside the door, near the front window.

Just above and to the right of the beer taps, a flat screen monitor gives details of the draught beers (Birra alla Spina) - Beer, Brewery, Country, Style, ABV, Colour and Description.

On my visit on a Wednesday evening (1 July 2015), Alessandro Tomeo was behind the bar. He had just changed over a keg for one of the beer taps and generously offered everyone in the bar a sample of the new beer.

Alessandro Tomeo behind the bar

On the opposite wall from the bar space are wooden cubes and tall fridges holding bottles of beer for sale to drink at the bar or to take away.

I had a look around at the wide variety of beers on offer which included a good variety from the United Kingdom including St Peter's Brewery, Black Isle Brewing Co and Moor Beer Co.. There were also beers from Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Germany and USA.

The narrow wooden bar is just deep enough for a beer mat and so there is just enough space to rest a glass or bottle of beer on it. Towards the back of the beer shop are more shelves of beer, and other items for sale including T-shirts, glasses and books.

Before leaving I enjoyed a (plastic) glass of Bianca wheat beer from  Birrificio Brùton, based at San Cassiano di Moriano, in the valley of the river Serchio, just north of nearby Lucca. The recipe for Bianca includes local Garfagnana spelt wheat. 

Ciao Alessandro!


www.latorredelluppolo.it

Via Renato Fucini 13, 56127 Pisa, Italy.

Opening Hours (July 2015) Mon - Wed: 18:00-24:00; Thu - Sun: 18:00-01:00

De Cervesia, Lucca, Italy

A decision to visit Tuscany in January 2014 was influenced by finding a Guardian article 'Tuscany on tap: a beer-lover's guide to the region' by Donald Strachan. Tuscany on Tap (Guardian)

Lucca was one of the cities I wanted to visit and it was nice to discover that De Cervesia in Lucca was one of the five places in Tuscany that Donald recommended beer-lovers should visit.

Pisa train at Lucca station

Lucca lies about 10 miles north east from Pisa, the nearest city with an airport. Lucca is well served by direct electric trains from Pisa Centrale station with a single fare of 3.30 Euros (January 2014).

Outline of Lucca ramparts - X marks De Cervesia, P marks Mara Meo Pizzeria

Lucca railway station lies to the south of the ramparts that surround the historic innner centre of the city.

Borgo gate / Porta dei Borghi

De Cervesia is located at Via Michele Rosi, 20, and is near to Piazza Santa Maria and very close to the Borgo gate (Porta dei Borghi). These landmarks are in the north of the historic inner centre of the city and within the surrounding ramparts.

De Cervesia - closed in the morning

On the other side of Via Michele Rosi is Ciclo DiVino a unit that looks like a bicycle shop but which is actually a wine bar. 

Even in January, the street outside De Cervesia is lively in the evening with customers of the two establishments socialising in the shared space.

1st visit to De Cervesia, Tuesday 14 January 2014

 

Staying in Lucca on my own, I was keen to visit De Cervesia on my first night in the city. Even with the address, I discovered that not all streets have signs so it took a few wrong turns before I located De Cervesia, near Borgo gate.

Matteo in front of the bar at De Cervesia

De Cervesia is described as a beer shop but there is a bar and a few bar stools. These were occupied when I arrived so I stood at the bar until a stool became available. Matteo gave me a friendly welcome and a chance to taste a draught beer before ordering. I liked the taste of Gaina so was happy to order a full glass, at a cost of 3 euros.

Gaina - Birrificio Lambrate

Gaina, a well hopped IPA (6% ABV) is brewed by Birrificio Lambrate, Milan. This brewery was founded in 1996 and has both a brewpub and a pub near to Milan's Lambrate station.

Full bottle of Gaina next to glass containing draught Gaina

I gave Matteo a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine. Matteo mentioned that he used to stock bottled beers from Brewdog and St Peter's Brewery but now De Cervesia serves only Italian beers. 

There is a chilled beer display on the wall behind the bar. Matteo stocks beers from the Italian breweries he rates as the best including several from the Lucca region. The beers on the left hand side of the top shelf with coloured collars are from Birrificio Brùton, San Cassiano di Moriano which is located beside the river Serchio, about 5 miles north east of Lucca. The bottles in the centre of the top shelf are from Birrificio La Petrognola, based in Colognola, near the source of the river Serchio, about 30 miles north of Lucca.

Unlike the UK, few Italian beer bottles are 50cl size. Matteo recommended beers from Birrificio del Forte which are supplied in 75cl bottles. The brewery is based in Pietrasanta, near the Mediterranean coast, about 15 miles north west of Lucca.

The two other breweries from the province of Lucca which Matteo mentioned are Birroir Birrificio Artigianale and Birrificio degli Archi.

Extraomnes - Zest

Matteo especially recommended the bottled beers from Extraomnes and he took a 33cl bottle of Zest from the middle of the lower shelf and carefully poured it for me. This bottle cost 5 euro, the same price as bottles from Brùton but more expensive than Petrognola (4 euro). The brewery is located in Marmate, about 20 miles north west of Milan. The brewer, Luigi D’Amelio, won the title of  '2013 Brewer of the Year', from the Fermento Birra network. The well hopped beer (5.3% ABV) has a bitter finish, spicy and fruity flavours. Matteo kindly translated the tasting notes that mentioned hints of gooseberry, nectarine and lychee.

When Matteo was not busy serving beer, collecting empty glasses or chatting with customers, he found time to change the music and it was nice to discover some music from Italy including the Supersantos album by Mannarino.

The permanently open door to the street meant that it was not very warm inside De Cervesia but at least it was now possible for me to sit down on a bar stool after a seated customer left.

My third and final beer of the night would be from the other draught tap which was dispensing Brighella, a Christmas beer from Birrificio Lambrate.

This 8% ABV Belgian style beer had a sweeter taste than the previous beers and also provided some warmth to counter the breeze through the doorway!

Before leaving I paid my tab of 11 euros and asked Matteo if he could recommend any local pizza restaurants.

Mara Meo Pizzeria - Piazza San Francesco

The first one he suggested, Bella 'Mbriana, opposite the youth hostel in nearby Via della Cavallerizza, turned out to be closed for a holiday period but Mara Meo in Piazza San Francesco, on the way to my B&B, was a friendly and cosy place to stop for an economical meal.

  

2nd visit to De Cervesia, Thursday 16 January 2014

Having spent Wednesday in Florence for some sightseeing and stops for refreshment at Birrificio Mostodolce and Archea Brewery, it was time to visit De Cervesia again on my last night in Lucca.

Porto San Gervasio, Lucca

I stopped to photograph another gate inside the historic centre of Lucca on my way to Matteo's beer shop.

On this night, there were three fonts of draught beer to choose from. My first choice was Brùton Bianca, a Belgian style witbier (4.5% ABV). 

This was a good example of a refreshing wheat beer, brewed only 5 miles away. In fact Matteo was able to point out Iacopo Lenci, the Brùton brewer with a Mohican style haircut, to me. He was having a beer just outside with some friends after making a delivery to De Cervesia.

Matteo Sargenti

Although I did not have an opportunity to get a photo of Iacopo, I was able to persuade Matteo to pose for one.

Brewfist - Burocracy

Now it was time to have a glass of the other draught beer which I had not tried - Burocracy from BrewFist. Matteo poured this into the brewery's branded glass. This was an IPA (6% ABV) with plenty of flavour and bitterness. I had noticed that bottles of BrewFist Spaceman were very popular with customers at De Cervesia but I did not have a chance to taste this alternative IPA (7% ABV). The Brewfist brewery was founded in 2010 and is located in Codogno, about 30 miles south east of Milan.

Before leaving De Cervesia I was glad to be able to have a bit of conversation with Alessio, a fellow customer, although my poor Italian meant that it was hard work for Alessio to make himself understood in English. At least beer is a universal language and beer-lovers are always welcomed in specialist beer bars.

Mara Meo pizzeria is on the left of the Church of San Francesco

It was time for another visit to Mara Meo pizzeria in Piazza San Francesco before heading back to the B&B via Porta Elisa, one of the few routes through the ramparts that surround the historic central part of Lucca.

Porta Elisa, Lucca

 

De Cervesia, Lucca - contact details: 

De Cervesia, Via Michele Rosi, 20, 55100 Lucca, Italy

Tel +39 0583 492620

Tumblr for De Cervesia 

Check locally for current opening times. Note that De Cervesia may be closed on Sunday and will usually close at 10pm or earlier on other days.

Links for breweries mentioned in this post:

Birrificio Lambrate (English homepage)

Birrificio Bruton 

Birrificio La Petrognola 

Birrificio del Forte 

Birroir Birrificio

Birrificio degli Archi

Extraomnes

Brewfist

Spillo - microbrewery / bar - Palermo, Sicily, Italy

(Work in Progress)

I am grateful to www.mondobirra.org for listing Spillo in its list of microbreweries in Sicily.

It is situated at Cortile degli Eremiti near Via dei Benedettini, a short walk from the historic Norman Palace (home of the Sicilian Regional Assembly) in Palermo.

I phoned ahead to check that Spillo would be open on a Sunday evening. On arrival, I was immediately impressed by the modern style and large size of the bar / restaurant area. A waitress showed me to a table and brought a menu which included a 'Beer Food' section. When I asked for a translation of some items on the menu, she called Michele Caetano, to assist. He recognised me as the person who had telephoned earlier and suggested that I moved from the table to take a seat at the bar. Now sitting on a high stool, he recommended a dish of grilled pork, served with chips and sliced leeks.

A wide choice of draught beers was available and I ordered a Vestkyst (West Coast) named after the American hops used. It was brewed by Fanø Bryghus, based on the Danish island of Fanø. The beer was supplied in a non-returnable spherical 30 litre container and I was able to photograph an empty one of these.



Michele Cartaino introduced me to his colleague Sergio Raciti and I was privileged to be able to chat with them for the rest of the evening, when they were not occupied with serving other customers.



Michele kindly handed me an Italian book about beer 'La Birra' written by Antonino Pavone and published in 2010 which he and Sergio signed underneath the greeting 'friendly'. The book's subtitle 'storia, curiosita e tecnologia' needs no translation!

After my plate had been cleared away, Sergio invited me to have a look at the (mothballed) brewery located behind the raised 'cellar store' (visible behind the bar).



Beer has been brewed in this brewery but brewing is currently suspended.

Sergio also showed me into the temperature controlled 'cellar store' and I took a photo from the side entrance.




Now it was time for a second beer and this time I chose a draught Père Noël from Belgium’s Brewery De Ranke. Other draught beers included one from Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus, based in the Black Forest, Germany.

(to be continued)