Four days of festival and the return to via Maqueda after several years. Two hundred types of beer, twenty-five breweries, some of which have many years, awards and experiments behind them, who will bring their malt to Palermo from all over Italy. And again, an edition that is one of the events that is part of the review of five events ‘Via Maqueda is reborn’,which will animate, from June to December, ‘Maqueda Città’, the stretch of road that goes from Quattro Canti to Palermo central station.
From Thursday 13 June to Sunday 16 June “Beer Bubbles”, the craft beer festival, returns. This year’s edition promises to be the largest and most varied ever, with over 25 breweries participating. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste a vast selection of craft beers, from the most traditional to the most innovative, immersing themselves in the brewing culture and discovering new and interesting productions. For 4 days, from 5pm to 2am, lots of taps on the street with master brewers coming from Sicily and Italy, will be ready to tap rivers of beer. Among the brewers many little gems this yearthe historic company will not be missing”Malt Cross” of Trecate (Novara), born from the passion of two friends at the end of the Eighties and awarded in events such as the Mondial de la Biere, the Australian International Beer Awards, the Unionbirrai Beer of the Year award, the World Beer Cup and the ‘European Beer Star.
From the depths of Northern Italy comes “Manerba“, homonymous brewery and craft brewery on Lake Garda, with 25 years of history and many awards. And also the “Balabiott” of Domodossola, the “Noiz” of Santarcangelo di Romagna (Rimini) and “Bellazzi” by Lazzaro di Savena (Bologna). While the most northerly is “Monpiër de Gherdëina” of Bolzano. At the festival there will also be “Yes“, an all-female project by Vittoria (Ragusa), inspired by the 1960s atmosphere of Swinging London and the Summer of love. One of the Sicilian realities, together with “Ballarak”, “Bruno Ribadì”, “Brassicula” and “Epic”, the largest brewery on the island in terms of production quantity.
From the province of Lecce will arrive the “Salento beer“, a story that has its roots in 1963, when Fernando, father of Maurizio Zecca, now at the helm of the company, worked in a brewery in Friborg in Switzerland and wrote to his family dreaming of returning to Puglia. “The creation of cultural and recreational events, which offer entertainment and socialization opportunities, can play a fundamental role in the regeneration process of the ‘Maqueda Città’ axis – the organization says – A review of events that will tell the story of a historic center for the first time united, where the Quattro Canti will no longer represent the watershed between two streets, but the beating heart of a culturally and socially cohesive pedestrian road axis”.
Access to the festival area is free, but to purchase the products you will need to obtain the tokens at the cash desk, that is, the festival tokens, but there is also the possibility of obtaining a day pass, which can be purchased on eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.it/o/utopia-18381766923) which allows you to “skip the queue” and collect 10 tokens for 10 half-pint tastings or 5 full-pint tastings and a free glass. A whole beer costs two tokens, a half pint one token, the glass (festival gadget) three euros. Alongside the brewers’ stands there will be those in the food areawith Sicilian producers and a wide offer ranging from burgers and street food, with pulled pork, Angus kebab, sfincione fish, cunzato bread but also artisan granita, lots of choice for vegetarians and vegans too and lots of variety for those looking for gluten free products.
An opportunity to discover new flavors, meet industry enthusiasts and spend time together in the open air with the days getting longer and the climate pleasant. The event is part of the context of growing attention towards craft beer, which in recent years has won an ever-increasing number of admirers thanks to the quality and variety of production. Beer Bubbles therefore presents itself as an ideal showcase to raise awareness of the excellence of the sector and promote the culture of quality beer.
More information can be found on the Utopia Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/utopiaeventscommunication?locale=it_IT).
