Eye Of The Beerholder

Italy is a country best known for their fine wines, but ask about a great locally made beer and you might have a few of them scrambling for a name. What makes Collesi Beer so special comes from the water used to make the beer, the sheer range of flavours that suit an array of Italian cuisine, and lastly how fresh every batch of beer is made for the customer. We sit with Mr Federico Amoroso, representative from WLF Pte Ltd that is the distributor of Collesi CraftBeer, and Chef Domenico Cicconi of Ciao @ Italian Risto-Bar at Haji Lane who share just what it is that makes Collesi beer so special.

It’s a hot day when we get to Ciao @ Italian Risto- Bar, but the worry is pushed away when we are greeted with the bottles currently being chilled and presented on the table with Mr Federico Amoroso of WLF Pte Ltd, exclusive distributor of Collesi CraftBeer in Singapore, and Chef Cicconi of Ciao @Italian Risto-Bar, both who are excited to talk about Collesi Beer and its history.

“Collesi has history that starts from a farm in Apecchio, a small village in the region of Marche, in the middle of Italy,” Mr Amoroso begins. From there, he goes on to explain how Mr Giuseppe Collesi, a man running his family distillery business, decided to work together with a Belgian brewmaster, Mr Marc Knops. The man’s arrival in Italy to work with Mr Collesi was the beginning of Collesi CraftBeers and 12 years later became the most sold and awarded Italian craft beers in the world. But what’s the process behind these wonderful beers?

According to Mr Amoroso, it starts, of course, with location, location, location. The town of Appecchio happens to be near the limestone-rich water of Mount Nerone, where they use to distil their beer, and the beer is made using organically-grown barley and hops from Mr Collesi’s family estate. All the beers are brewed according to an old, secret recipe, and are fermented then naturally re-fermented in the bottle. The production process preserves the aroma and fragrance of each ingredient fully, and the beers are always brewed in small batches and unpasteurised, ensuring high quality and freshness.