Brescia’s New Brewery Boosts Economy and Wine-Beer Culture
Numerous authorities were present at the official inauguration of the “Manerba Brewery,” a brand new facility built just a few hundred meters from Crociale di Manerba by the Avanzi brothers. This event, and the occasion itself, has garnered significant interest from many entrepreneurs as it could mark the beginning of a new chapter in Brescia’s productive economy. The provincial agriculture assessor, Giampaolo Mantelli, in his speech, noted how Brescia’s entrepreneurial spirit can find new outlets and innovative solutions to stimulate new sources of employment in a sector where, years ago, Brescia province was at the forefront.
The project and technologies
This represents a return to the origins, or nearly, in the brewing industry, with Valtenesi emerging as the new, and so far unique, production hub. As emphasized by the Avanzi brothers, Giampietro and Alessandro, it is not simply a brewery with an attached tasting room that combines consumption and production in a single location. In Manerba, it’s a real factory where beer is produced using the most advanced techniques, consumed in adjacent areas, and bottled in steel kegs or, in the near future, in bottles ready for market release.
The kegs will feed the thousands of “spines” of bars, restaurants, pubs, discos, sandwich shops, and takeaways frequented by young consumers, among the largest demographic for this lightly alcoholic beverage, one of the best-selling drinks worldwide. These facilities and technologies are still very nascent in Italy — currently fewer than ten — but are quite numerous in neighboring Germany, with over 1,500 units.
The goal and its connection to the wine sector
This initiative is also a challenge and proposal, based on the extensive experience of the Avanzi dynasty in the large Garda wines sector, to encourage young people to consume wine moderately. At Manerba, traditional brewery cuisine can be paired with various types of beer as well as locally produced wines, leaving each individual the pleasure of choosing and enjoying their preferred pairing.
Maurizio Banzola, president of APT Brescia, highlighted the importance of this facility for the tourism sector, given its proximity to Lake Garda — one of the most visited areas by tourists, especially Germans, who have long been avid beer consumers. Despite the product differences, this new production at Manerba was also welcomed by Alberto Pancera, president of the Ente Vini Bresciani, who emphasized the sector’s desire to collaborate with this new enterprise, believing both products can serve as effective promotional vehicles for each other, along with Garda Classico Redaelli De Zinis.
Several mayors from Valtenesi were also present, led by Manerba’s Isidoro Bertini, along with the parish priests of Manerba, Don Paolo, who blessed the premises, and Don Roberto of Polpenazze, as well as the president of the Garda Community, Adelio Zanelli. For a beer and gastronomy event (which featured both Lugana DOC and the freshly produced Novello), the expertise of Luciano Imbriani was also on display, highlighting the appealing pairings proposed by another renowned Brescia restaurateur, Ennio Avigo: beer and wines with speck, local cured meats and cheeses, exceptional beer risotto, and roasted pork knuckle.
