Craft beer tasting in Nocera Umbra, San Biagio

With Belgium guests and friends of Villa in Umbria we went to a craft beer cellar in Nocera Umbria, San Biagio. Nocera Umbra is only 25 km away from Assisi. Giovanni, the owner of San Biagio, brews craft beer. He uses local water of Nocera Umbra with local beer ingedrients: malt, hops and yeast.


Brewing beer is not very complicated, they say. The basic beer ingedrients are important. Even at home in Umbria some people make their own beer. Honestly, I really don’t know how, I do not brew beer, but I love drinking it!


You might think that in Umbria, Italy one only drinks wine and many people do. The famous wines in Umbria are Rosso di Montefalco, Umbria Rosso, Grecchetto, Trebbiano and last but not least the Sagrantino. But in Umbria we also drink craft beer!

Belgians are beer experts, they know what good beer is. Stefan, a friend of mine in Belgium, is now on a holiday in Gubbio and he bought some good beers to take home. Not just to drink it, but also to let locals taste the “Umbrian” craft beer of San Biagio.

The Monasta, Amber, Verbum, Gaudens and Aurum are very different kinds of beer. We’ve tasted them all. And the best and particular part of all was the “Truffle” beer. It smells like truffle, but when you take a sip, the taste os of a fresh good beer. Excellent to  combine with truffle and meat dishes.

At San Biagio you can always pass by to taste and buy beer. Be aware, call beforehand, and take some cash money with you.

After the beer tasting we went to a Slow Food restaurant “Villa della Cupa” in Gualdo Tadino. A location where you can eat traditional and local food (also an ideal place for vegetarian and vegans).



As a starter we took beans, lentils and different kinds of sheep cheese with apple marmalade.
As a main course I had chicken in milk and plum sauce. Stefan took the traditional “stinco di maiale” the ham hock and Marian the sister of Stefan ate the home made onion soup. Delightful! They do not serve beer, but local red wine.

A nice day in Umbria, tasting beer and having diner in a Slow Food restaurant. And the prices are more than decent, both visits are absolutely recommended!

-Post by Sylvia van der Male-