Del Ducato Beer Dinner: Wednesday May 9th
Friday, March 30, 2012 at 1:56PM 
Located between Piacenza and Parma in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, Birrificio Del Ducato (birrificiodelducato.com) is one of the best of Italy’s new wave of game-changing craft brewers. Owner/Brewmaster Giovanni Campari looks far too young and fresh-faced to be among the most gifted brewers in the world, but tasting through his line of 10-plus brews erases any doubt.
A native of Parma, he is focused yet extremely gregarious, and like many Italian brewers, works largely from a Belgian palette. Listening to Giovanni talk about his beers is genuinely exciting; as the former lead singer of an "oi punk" band, he speaks about almost every aspect of brewing in musical terms: malt, hop and yeast characters are "tuned" in search of "harmonies" that are always fleeting and evolving. The modest brewery facility, while offering little in the way of eye candy, houses Giovanni's mind-boggling 40-foot-high collection of 40-50-year-old Scotch, Sherry, and Amarone casks for aging and experimenting with his various brews.
From balanced and complex session beers like Viae Millia (a dry-hopped lager that’s especially delightful around hop harvest time, when it is made with all fresh, un-dried whole leaf hops); to Nuova Mattina (a spicy saison named for the Bob Dylan song “New Morning”); to cutting-edge concoctions like Verdi Imperial Stout, which employs hot chili and is matured in Scotch whiskey barrels, Giovanni
St. Vincent beer director Sayre Piotrkowski visited the brewery this past January, and has been waiting for an opportunity to showcase these beers. Check out this video he made during the visit, with the help of local wine personality and all-around renaissance man Alex Finberg:
The three-course dinner will feature the following beers:
Nuova Mattina (New Morning): A crisp Belgian saison style flavored with green pepper, ginger, coriander and chamomile
Krampus: A Belgian holiday ale spiked with star anise.
Verdi: A rich imperial stout flavored with hot chili and barrel-matured.
The three-course meal, with beer pairings, is $75. To reserve your seat contact us at 415-285-1200 or reserve through SeatMe.com
Reach us at Events@stvincentsf.com for more information.
Beer Dinners