Sicily is not only the kingdom of good wine, as is demonstrated by the fact that in the last years the growing interest in beer has led to the establishment of about 40 craft breweries in the island, as well as brewpubs (restaurants, pizzerias, pubs, etc. where you can drink craft beer) and small beer firms which produce private-label beers addressed to foreign markets.
Whether red or blonde, they all have in common the quality of the ingredients: water, barley, hops and – for some time now – also special typical local ingredients, such as the prickly pear. Some firms have already decided to use this typical Sicilian fruit to produce their beer. One of them is certainly Trimmutura, a very young brewery based in Palermo, born from the passion shared by some friends (three engineers and a medical doctor), which turned out to become reality after many years of tasting and experiments.
The brewery’s name refers to the idea of the force applied by motors (Trimmutura in Sicilian dialect means three motors) which is also drawn on the beer’s label and reflect the power of this brand. The beer called Miscela al 4,6% Blond Ale contains prickly pears flowers and is quickly gaining popularity among beer lovers for its clear and appealing golden intense colour, its fine and persistent foam, its lightweight body.
Hopping is well balanced, not intrusive, with intense floral notes of chamomile flowers, broom, and, of course, prickly pears flowers. At first the taste is juicy, but soon it becomes sour, lightly smoked, up to reach a grassy aftertaste of hops which enhance its quenching effect.
The prickly pear
“The prickly pear used to produce our beer are cultivated in Roccapalumba, a town near Palermo, in a land which has been always suited to the cultivation of this medicinal plant – explains Angelo Siragusa, one of the firm’s manager-. In the past our grandparents used these flowers to make diuretic and purifying infusions. Therefore, this is a healthy craft beer designed by myself and realized by the Master Brewer Rosario Inzerillo”.
A beer with Sicily inside
“We use the typical products of Sicily to give beers a special style – concludes Mr. Siragusa-. We want to rediscover the sweet flavour of malt; some of our beers, such as the Blond Ale, is very appreciated by women who prefer a low-alcohol and low-hopping beer in clear countertendency with respect to the current hyperhopping trend”.
