Welcoming sign at Pub 27 in Pompeii
Baladin FICO Ruggine, Baladin Brewpub, Baladin FICO, Bologna, Italy
Date: October 16, 2018
The Story— Yesterday we described the quite remarkable “largest food court in the world” that sits on the outer edges of Bologna. Bologna is a very walkable city, but FICO Eataly World is a good half hour bus ride from the city. (Pick up the bus opposite the train station next to the Mecure Hotel– get a ticket from the tobacco shop at the stop,)
The brewery there is a small brewpub sized brewery that turns out very good small batch beers in a not-at-all-small setting. The pub there serves a good range of Baladin beers — including some that aren’t all that easy to find. Next to the pub is an array of hundreds of Italian craft bottles. They’re in varying stages of freshness, but you can do a craft tour of Italy quicker, easier, and even cheaper than you could do on your own with a car
The Beer–Sometimes you can really tell the freshness in a beer, and you can here — and that’s the justification for actually having a brewery on the spot. This Ruggine is chewy, a very figgy fruity amber ale with a full caramel malt throughout. Hat’s off the the brewer who was skilled enough to craft a nicely sophisticated depth in a small mall-front brewpub. Fruity, but nicely chewy and the hint of lactose is nice in this brownish context.
Value –Good. Six buck for a standard third liter glass isn’t bad in craft beer Italy.
This week we return to HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPE– Surprisingly good beer in “bad beer cities.” The best we’ve found in researching our next book – a guide to great beer in European tourist cities. (Planned publication 2019.) We’ll shift back to great American beer finds next week.
Next week we return to the US to highlight some great beers we’ve found in researching out first US Beer publication: Brews and Snooze-– Breweries you can visit and walk back to a fine place to spend the night. Look for it in 2019.
About these posts: We taste and evaluate over a thousand beers every year. The beers posted here rank in the top quarter of those tastings. Values: “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.
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