Posted in Interviews | No comments

In the past we talked about a beer tour in Northern Italy organized by GrapeHops. Last April the Italian blog Birrazen (thank you for your support guys), devoted to craft beer of Piedmont, interviewed Shannon and Kim, who created the website and had the idea of the trip. Here is a translation of the interview, by which we can understand their passion and love for Italy and his beers. Enjoy!

Hello Shannon and Kim, would you like to briefly introduce yourselves?

Shannon: I am Shannon Essa, co-author of the food guide “Chow! Venice”. I reside in San Diego but travel as often as possible.

Kim: And I’m Kim Riemann, site administrator for SlowTrav.com. I live in NJ and like Shannon, travel whenever possible.

We know you are passionate about food and wine, but how did you become beer hunters?

Shannon: Kim has been into beer for a long time – me, not so much. But I co-own a bar in San Diego with a large selection of craft beers, and as you probably know San Diego is a craft beer Mecca here in the U.S. So, I have an awful lot of exposure.

Kim: I remember hating beer in my younger days when all we could get here was Miller or Budweiser. Then some 20+ years ago someone introduced me to Samuel Adams beer and my hunt for good craft beers hasn’t stopped since.

We read about your November 2009 trip to Piedmont: what amazed us the most is that you came to Piedmont not for the wine but for its microbreweries. Could you share with us how you discovered this local artisanal reality?

Shannon: I read an article about the craft beer scene in the New York Times and it struck me how the scene and the people involved reminded me of the scene and the people involved in San Diego. Then I looked at the website of Birrificio Lambrate, and I thought, those people look like all the beer people I know at home. At that time, I had not tasted any of the beer yet, but I knew that people would want to.

Kim: Shannon forwarded me the article and it piqued my interest too. You hear of so many European countries producing quality craft brews but it never occurred to me to check in Italy for these but why not? And now you are coming back, in fact you have already two trips planned for 2010. Is Piedmont’s beer worth the jet lag?

Shannon: If there was ever a perfect cure for jet lag, Italian beer is it.

Kim: Laughing at Shannon’s response! She’s right but it’s not only worth the jet lag, it’s worth lugging home overweight suitcases filled with beer!

What have you learned from your first trip and how are the following ones going to differ?

Shannon: We were so incredibly impressed by all the breweries that we can only add, not subtract, to that part.

Kim: Well, not only does the beer taste good but the people who make it are all so knowledgeable and hospitable. Getting to talk with the Brew Masters and the chefs who cook with the beer was a real treat and we can’t wait to share their passion with others.

How was hospitality in Piedmont? Any remarks?

Shannon: Everything was just perfect – as you probably know all the people involved with the beer scene are incredibly down to earth people. And passionate! The food, the beer, the people… you are awfully lucky you get to experience this every day.

Kim: I jumped ahead! I think Shannon summed it up perfectly.

Please tell us sincerely: you just had beer or did you also enjoy a glass of fine Piedmont wine?

Shannon: Absolutely! In fact we took one entire day off to visit a couple of wineries and check some things out for a wine tour we may do at some point. We are working with a guide and cookbook author there, Paolo Ferrero, who is very involved in the wine scene. He is our partner in our beer tours too. We even went on a white truffle hunt – and maybe someday, I hope to taste a beer flavored with white truffles!

Kim: Wouldn’t it be sacrilege to visit Piedmont and not enjoy some wine? Sometimes you find people in the states who enjoy wine but not necessarily beer. I think if there’s one place where you can learn to appreciate both, it’s Piedmont.