Birra! Birra! Birra!

Adrian Tierney-Jones takes a beer lover's tour of Milan, a great base to explore Italy's burgeoning beer scene.

If you want to make believe that you’ve never left the United Kingdom then Milan’s fake Brit-pub the Cambridge is the sort of place that you’ll feel right at home. Standing on the Piazzale Susa, to the east of the centre, this is a mocked-up version of what those who have never ventured beyond London’s West End imagine what the city’s pubs are like: wooden panelling covers the walls along with various brewery mirrors, the filled rolls have names like Arsenal, Wimbledon, Notting Hill and, er, Liverpool, while the array of keg beer fonts at the bar suggest a steam-punk, counter-factual version of history – this is what British bars might have looked like if cask beer had not experienced its 1970s revival.

Beers flowing from these taps include Guinness, Tetley’s Smooth, Tennant’s Super and Carlsberg’s sweet and strong pale bock Elephant. If this is the sort of thing you crave then there are several places of a similar ilk in Milan. However, Italy is experiencing a tremendously creative surge of activity in its craft-brewing sector and, although the Cambridge might be a good bet for a bit of a laugh, for serious beer-hunters this is not the place to be.

Travel a kilometre or so north to the Lambrate district (where the Mods’ vehicle of choice the Lambretta was manufactured) and you’re very much in the here and now at Birrificio Lambrate. Found down a side street this is a hip and happening bar, buzzing with conversation and loud but not deafening rock music. There’s a happy hou.....

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By Adrian Tierney-Jones

Section : Beer Journeys

Page number : 60