Went down into SF earlier this week to show my son around.
We ended up going to Emporio Rulli Ristorante and Pasticerria on Chestnut in the Marina district for lunch.
Good pastas, but whilst checking out the beverages, we decided to skip wines and go with beers---primarily because there was an entire section, maybe 14-16 selections, of "birrifico artigianale", priced from $11 to $27 a bottle.
These beers are from all over Italy, with each region having its own styles. Basically, they are small batch craft brews....in the 'saison' or 'morning' style...with grain/barley base, but with a dizzying mixture of different herbs and spices and flavorings co-fermented.
We ordered two.
First was Piccolo Birrificio "Ses Nette", co-fermented with juniper, chinotto (bitter citrus) peel, and coriander.
Second was Birrificio del Ducato "Nuova Mattina", co-fermented with ginger, coriander, green pepper, and chamomile.
They were absoutely delightful, and went beyond just an adventure to something I would happily sample again. And look for more.
The Ses Nette was, despite what I figured from the description, a light textured (think wheat beer) with distinctly bitter notes. Very faint juniper, but it was there, almost in a light "pine sol/fir tree" sense (and I mean that in a good way).
The Nuova Mattina was more like a cream ale, somewhat richer and fuller, and nicely spiced. Ginger did tend to dominate. I though the combo of coriander and green pepper might make it a bit to green/herbal---but I was wrong.
The variety was really impressive: there were beers mixed with fresh fruits, dried fruits (cherries!), roots, seeds, and other botanicals.
But---and this is the major but---there was nothing artifical or confected in the beers. These weren't syrupy flavors added to beer. They were honest botanical ingredients melded into the other beer flavors.
Next time, I'm going to try the Peach.
