Beer Destination – Rome

Antica Birerria Peroni I made a trip to the Eternal City recently, in search of art and culture, good food, and of course beer. I was aware of a couple of venues from talking to ICB colleagues beforehand, but apart from that I was travelling more in hope than expectation.

 

When it comes to beer, Rome sees a predominance of Peroni and Nastro Azzurro on tap and in bottles. I found the elegant Antica Birreria Peroni which more resembles an Austrian beerhall with vaulted ceilings. The beer selection is very limited and it’s a nice place to have a few beers and cheap food, but it becomes very busy quite early. For this reason, I recommend visiting soon after it opens, about six in the evening.

 

Football PubNeedless to say, I visited the famous Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa’ on several occasions. The significant selection on tap was: Lambrata Urtiga, Moinette Blonde, Oerbier, Weihenstephaner Vitus, Great Divide Titan, Great Divide Yeti, La Rulles Estivale, Cantillon Kriek, Beck Bräu Beckator, Beck Bräu Zoigl and del Borgo Re-Ale. I have not been in many pubs that have a list of beer on tap to compare with this. The place itself looks small at first, but most people tend to congregate at the bar and just outside on the street where they can smoke. There is a narrow passageway leading in to a larger room at the back, but this only fills when the place is really packed. The staff (different on each of three nights) are knowledgeable about the brews. I noted that (just like a popular Dublin beer hall) they often give a taster to encourage people to try good beers. I also like the fact that they do not serve anything other than beer (no coffee, shots, shorts or soft drinks). The only downside was that the toilets could have done with more attention. Anyway, great beer is great beer and the Urtiga is an excellent choice as a starter brew (4.5%) and a little reminiscent of Hooker! Great Divide Titan really hits the spot with full (but not overly) hoppy flavour. All beers are €5 but vary in size (Urtiga served in a pint, Moinette in 33cl glass).

 

Directly across the road is their sister ship Bir & Fud. This is much more of a restaurant than bar, despite the fact that they have their own brews on tap. I found it a little confusing when I visited as it was extremely busy, and no one seemed interested in taking my order for a beer (certainly not the guy behind the bar, who walked away from me!). My company was not very happy with this, so unfortunately I never got to try their beer. Maybe next time!

 

Piccolo BarOn one evening after a cheap but very good meal in Regine on Viale Trastevere, we were walking in the general direction of central Trastevere, when my wife spotted a bottle of Chimay on a table outside a bar. Piccolo Bar is really just your regular “stand-up-at-the-bar-for-an-espresso” type of place, but upon entering, I spied a glass fronted fridge with a quite amazing (for Rome) selection of quality beers. I was like a boy in a sweet shop, not quite knowing what to have. Piccolo Bar FridgeI settled for a Maredsous 6, while my wife had a cappuccino and pastry. My second beer was a Florreffe blonde and I also purchased a Bloemenbier (de Proef Brouwerij) to take away. I had a fairly animated conversation with the owner, who had as much English as I had Italian! We still managed to communicate on various topics; beer, Ireland, beer, Italy, beer, the weather, and beer. I returned on another night and had a Saison 1900. It’s not a place to linger, unless you manage to get one of the few tables on the street (and it’s not raining!).

 

 

My last unexpected gem of a place was right near where my hotel was (Via del Corso/Piazza del Popolo area). This was L’Antica Enoteca, which is a slightly upmarket emporium serving excellent food, wine and beer. They have a nice weissbier and even London Pride on tap! As happens, I only discovered this place on our last night in Rome, but I really liked it.


Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa’, Via Benedetta 25, Trastevere
Bir & Fud, Via Benedetta 23, Trastevere
Piccolo Bar, Piazza Sydney Sonnino, Trastevere
L’Antica Enoteca, Via della Croce 76
Antica Birreria Peroni, Via San Marcello 19

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