There are places that don't need to shout, places that welcome you and make you feel at home; those places that carry the scent of grandmother’s house, of the countryside, of that authenticity we so often forget, but which—when we encounter it again in a fragrance or a smile—swiftly brings us back home. It takes us back to that feeling of well-being that doesn't need to show off or shout, because it's simply there. Because, as Pavese wrote:
“A town means not being alone, knowing that in the people, in the plants, in the soil, there is something of yours that remains waiting for you even when you are not there.”
2 SORELLE BIRRA AGRICOLA
The project was born in 2011, and we like to tell its female-led story—not because a project run by women is inherently more relevant than one run by men, but because we don't like being hypocritical and we recognize that, often, these paths demand even greater determination. It was founded by sisters Federica and Elisa Toso, who carry forward a family history of hard work and care in an old 19th-century farmhouse. Don't picture crumbling walls or ghosts: everything is perfectly maintained in a structure renovated while keeping its historic connection to the land fully intact. Looking through the windows nestled in the Langhe, the view is breathtaking and, above all, boundless.
THE HEART OF THE PROJECT
What we love about this project is its heart. Unlike standard craft breweries, this is a farmhouse brewery (birrificio agricolo): most of the raw materials, particularly the barley, are grown directly on the company's own land. Total control, from sowing to the bottle's care, guarantees traceability and an unbreakable link to the terroir of the Langhe.
"Our barley was born here, on these four and a half hectares... it was five before we planted the hop field. Over a five-year cycle, barley can be grown for two years; then you need a year of crop rotation—like sunflowers or broad beans—to give the land a break and restore the soil. As our demand grew, we decided to dedicate these fields to the hop yard and acquired new land 35 minutes from here, in the Alessandria plains: 20 hectares, with 10 for barley and 10 for rotation. This way, our supply of raw material is always guaranteed."
THE CENTER OF THE LAND
We often run into projects that talk about sustainability, but turn out to be nothing more than marketing slogans crafted at a desk with no real foundation. In this brewery, the connection to their native land—making it an integral part of the project rather than just exploiting it—is everywhere: from a 20 kWp photovoltaic system on the roof to a biomass boiler powered by virgin wood chips sourced from local forests. Everything is well thought-out, everything calculated, yet everything feels so natural. You know very well you are speaking with people who have entrepreneurship in their blood, yet you still find yourself experiencing a moment of pure, healthy living, holding beers that have something genuinely authentic about them (and we advise you to try them, because they are the real deal).
"Just as we are what we eat, plants are the same: our hops absorb the soil and truly represent us."
WE FORGOT THE SUIT AND TIE
We won't sit here telling you what the beers taste like or why certain labels were chosen, because that's a step meant for you. What we wanted to do was tell the story of a challenge undertaken by people who firmly believe in what they do (you only need to spend a couple of hours with them to realize they have a insane drive to create). Don't expect a crowd of staff or people in suits and ties: you will find four people living for their dream (and a dog, for animal lovers). Naturally, in their "free time" (ironically speaking), they also developed a whisky.
"Whisky elevates the quality of barley to its absolute highest power: it takes us right there."
