GrapeHops Blog

Saturday night, Paolo and his girlfriend, Francesca, met us at the hotel at 7:30 and took us to Birrificio Torino for dinner. Birrificio Torino produces artisanal beers, four or five at a time (including one seasonal, which unfortunately, they didn’t have this evening). When we arrived, the restaurant was rather empty but filled quickly with an eclectic group of people of all ages (from teens, to families, to “mature” adults). It definitely had a micropub vibe, with lots of dark wood, and bar that dominated one end of the multi-level room.

After we sat down, the owner came over and we discussed our concept with him and the tours we hoped to bring through. Once business was concluded, he suggested we order off the menu, and that they would serve us three different beers to accompany our meal. He also suggested we do not order appetizer, primi and secondi because the portions are generous.

So we split a mixed plate of sausage and cheese, and a delicious fried cheese dish called Tomino. Toma is a round cheese (that, like Pecorino, comes in different stages, young to aged), Tomino, is a smaller version. Here, they dredged it in a light coating of polenta, fried it lightly but enough so that when you cut into it, there’s an oozy center. It’s drizzled with a blueberry jam reduction, which contrasts nicely with the cheese. I think I could live off this dish. With it, they served us a pitcher of their Sahara, a Weiss beer that is milky in color, a small or weak head, has hints of citrus and really needs to accommodate light and/or fried foods so it goes well with the antipasti. Their description mentions being brewed with coriander, ginger and orange peel but we all detected only the citrus.

For our secondi, Francessca had a soup, while I had a filet of pork dish that came with sautéed apples, prunes and roasted potatoes – it rocked. Shannon had agnolloti and Paolo roast pork with juniper berries. With this, they served us Torino, a blond beer which appears darker than expected, is rich in body with strong malt flavor and a stiff head. It stands up nicely to our roasted meats.

Though we finished dinner but were too full for dessert, we still enjoyed a final tasting of their Rufus made in homage to the Egyptians who first pioneered the art of beer making (or so some say). The Rufus comes with a good thick head, like the Torino, is deeper than I expect in an amber beer, it’s almost thick brown with a cloudy color, has scents of chocolate and yet is a bit more carbonated than I would expect. I think we all agree the Torino is our favorite followed by the Rufus. As Paolo and Shannon are mostly wine drinkers (though they’re becoming equal opportunity drinkers on this trip as we try more and more beers), it seems we all prefer the richer, more flavorful beers to the light pilsners and/or blondes (Torino being the exception).

When we left Birreficio Torino some three hours later, the place was hopping with twenty and thirty-somethings, scrambling to get our table. All in all a good time, and we’re looking forward to bringing our group there for a tasting of their beers followed by dinner.