My Genoa Week In Beers 06.07.23
On the gorgeous Italian riviera, Genoa (or Genova in English) is one of those cities that it still feels appropriate to call a port. The town’s main harbour feels like it’s own neighbourhood of docks, yachts and wharfs, while the narrow and labrithyne alleys of the old city conceal some great culinary treasures, leaving the sales of sex and drugs out in the open for an appropriately inclined tourist, local or sailor.
Two very different sides of Genoa.
Illegal vices aside, Genoa is the birthplace of focaccia and pesto, both of which I enjoyed every day during my eight night stay. Not only is Genoa aperitivo country but siesta style breaks called reposo where people are encouraged to break for lunch and even get a little nap in.
However, what Genoa is not famous for is beer. Yes, there are Italian and European beers available but just like their native pesto they are the result of trading. Cocktails and wine are more commonly enjoyed but the summer time is well suited for drinking anything you like. Whatever drink you order it is likely to come with a buffet’s worth of sides (which I prove in this video).
Here are the beers I had in my week in Genoa.
We arrived on Thursday into an Airbnb in an old hotel that was so eerily empty I put a book and a box of business cards on the empty bookshelf to make it feel more lived in. Immediately we popped down to a little underground craft beer bar called Touli Craft Beer. Of all things, I started with an extra special bitter by Hop Skin from Bergamo, a few hours north, which has some pleasant caramel and fun fair flavours. I followed it up with a recommended Deiva Bock by nearby Altavia Agribirrificia which had an ABV of about 7% and a wicked red hue but still managed to taste pretty mild.
I’m just shocked with Katie’s drinking technique.
The next two days were shooting days for the travel project Katie and I are working on during which time I only had two beers; a lovely Birra Morretti while eating some iconic Genoan sea food and an out of context Löwenbräu which some nice women from Luxemburg informed we was pronounced Looven-broy.
Peanuts and chips is the absolute minimum of sides you get around these parts.
Fun fact, during the second shooting day I hit my head on a big tree branch while trying to navigate on my phone while wearing a cap. It made a really loud cracking sound, I fell to the ground in pain and it delayed shooting for one day.
While shooting a conversation over drinks on Monday I ordered a Corona when the bartneder didn’t understand I had asked for a Peroni. The Corona not only had lemon but was sprinkled with a bit of salt which was a pretty unique addition that made the beer go down that much quicker.
Alongside literally four seperate complimentary bowls of snacks I had a Sicilian beer Ichnusa Non Filtara which was horrifically awful with the tastes of stale malt, dusts and sweaty clothes left to hang in a dark cupboard and go mouldy. Even served cold it tastes like a warm beer and was one of the shockers of the trip. The following day I reviewed another Ichnusa beer which may well have been worse.
Your head will be added to the bottle if you drink this.
On Wednesday Katie and I shared a couple of Birra Moretti while watching NSW regain some dignity by winning a dead rubber.
Thursday was our last day so we visited the taproom of local brewery Kamun Lab. We made a video of the venue with notes on the space and food but I can provide a few additional notes on the beer here and say the fun & fruity Italian Pale Ale was a highlight as was the apricot beer that was a pretty scorching sour.
Bad photo because we were focused on the video.
Overall, I don’t recommend you go to Genoa for the beer but I do recommend it for the for the dining experiences and local beaches both of which I look forward to writing about and sharing in future articles and videos.
