Brewer of the Year 2025: Agostino Arioli of Birrificio Italiano wins.

Andrea Nardi of Rome's Linfa wins the title of Emerging Brewer.

Agostino Arioli has been awarded the title of Brewer of the Year 2025 , an award given by Fermento Birra to the best Italian brewers, based on the votes of industry professionals, brewers, and tasters. This achievement comes at a highly symbolic time: 2026 marks Birrificio Italiano's thirtieth anniversary and, therefore, the thirtieth anniversary of Italian craft beer, given that the Como-based brewer is among the select group of pioneers who ushered in the "craft revolution" in 1996.

Second place went to Marco Valeriani of the Alder brewery in Seregno (MB), a consistent presence among the top spots in recent years; third place went to Elia Pina of the 50&50 brewery in Varese, completing an entirely Lombard podium.

Agostino Arioli is one of the brewers who, in the mid-1990s, helped radically change the way we understand beer in our country. In a context dominated by standardized products, he introduced novel aromas, surprising flavors, and a technical and cultural approach that was years ahead of the market.

The history of Birrificio Italiano officially began on December 23, 1994, when the Como Chamber of Commerce registered Nuovo Birrificio Italiano srl. A 200-liter system with second-hand fermenters was installed in Lurago Marinone. In April 1996, the brewpub began producing its first beers, one of the first of its kind in Italy. It was during those years that a production philosophy based on "democratic" beers took shape: easy to drink but never boring, free of stabilizers and additives, unpasteurized, and unfiltered.

Over time, the brewery grew, the team expanded, and in 2012 production moved to its current location in Limido Comasco. What remains unchanged is the balance between technical rigor and creative freedom, between scientific discipline and instinct: in the "Alchemical Workshop," as the brewery is known, the ingredients are left to express themselves without further adjustments, through rigorous upstream control. The beers are not "adjusted," but constructed, creating the conditions for them to autonomously achieve the desired result. This approach combines sensitivity and method, and has led, in some cases, to the redefinition of the styles themselves.

Tipopils is emblematic, a beer that represented a modern evolution of the traditional idea of Pils thanks to the use of dry hopping with noble hops. A beer that transcends traditional codes, it has inspired generations of brewers in Italy and abroad, becoming the benchmark for what is now commonly referred to as "Italian Pils." Alongside it, numerous labels have accompanied entire generations of enthusiasts, such as Extra Hop , a Pils flavored with flowering hops; Finisterrae , a wheat beer suspended between Belgian Saison and German Weizen; Amber Shock , a bottom-fermented beer with a mahogany color and a multifaceted bouquet; Bibock , a modern reinterpretation of the traditional Teutonic style; and Nigredo , a dark lager made with flowering hops roasted in the brewery, an example of creativity grafted onto tradition.

Brewer of the Year 2025 Ranking 1st Agostino Arioli of the Birrificio Italiano of Limido Comasco (CO) 2nd Marco Valeriani of the Alder brewery of Seregno (MB) 3rd Elia Pina of the 50&50 brewery of Varese 4th Giovanni Faenza of the Ritual Lab brewery of Formello (RM) 5th Cecilia Scisciani and Matteo Pomposini of the MC 77 brewery of Serrapetrona (MC) 6th Samuele Cesaroni of the Brasseria della Fonte brewery of Pienza (SI) 7th Marco Benda, Matteo Voliani and Stefano Botto of the Cantina Errante brewery of Barberino Tavarnelle (FI) 8th Conor Gallagher Deeks of the Hilltop brewery of Bassano Romano (VT) 9th Josif Vezzoli of the Elvo brewery of Graglia (BI) 10th Giorgio Masio of the Altavia brewery in Quiliano (SV) 11th Pietro Di Pilato of the Brewfist brewery in Codogno (LO) 12th Simone Bedeschi of the Bajön brewery in Porto Corsini (RA) 13th Luca Dalla Torre of the Bondai brewery in Sutrio (UD) 14th Luca Tassinati of the Liquida brewery in Ostellato (FE) 15th Marco Raffaeli of the Mukkeller brewery in Porto Sant'Elpidio (FM) 16th Flaviano Brandi of the Bibibir brewery in Castellalto (TE) 17th Enrico Ciani of the Birra dell'Eremo brewery in Assisi (PG) 18th Luciano Landolfi of the Eastside brewery in Latina (LT) 19th Filip Lozinski of the Wild Raccoon brewery in Cussignacco (UD) 20th Luigi Recchiuti of the Opperbacco of Notaresco (TE)

During the ceremony, the Emerging Brewer award was presented to Andrea Nardi of Linfa Brewery (Rome). Lorenzo Monacci of Mudita (Stagno, LI) took second place, and Stefano Furlanetto of De Lab Fermentazioni (Diano d'Alba, CN) took third.

The award for producers with less than three years of activity is thus won by Andrea Nardi of the Roman brewery Linfa Brewery. Founded in 2023 by Nardi, Roberto Antonini, and Francesco De Santis, Linfa immediately attracted attention with its irreverent communication and a seasoned team with complementary skills. The project draws strong inspiration from the British Real Ales tradition and the Central European school of bottom-fermentation brewing, yet filtered through a contemporary lens. A young yet mature approach, it convinced the jury to recognize Linfa as one of the most interesting emerging breweries on the national scene.

Emerging Brewery Ranking 2025 1st Andrea Nardi of the Linfa Brewery in Rome 2nd Lorenzo Monacci of the Mudita Brewery in Stagno (LI) 3rd Stefano Furlanetto of the De Lab Fermentazioni Brewery in Diano D'Alba (CN)