Beer Fix in Roma

Another weekend with beer on the brain and surprisingly this time, I was in Rome! Open Balandin is a new bar/restaurant featuring 38! micro brews on tap and 100+ in bottles! The beers definitely rival those of microbreweries that I frequented in my college days. I tried a great Pale Ale and was very pleased. I literally ran into this place while galavanting around the Campo di Fiori area. I'd been wanting to check it out and was glad that I did. The people that work there are lovely, the ambiance is fun and modern and for a kitschy feel go upstairs to the rooms decorated like the homes of Romanian gypsies, interesting fun and so euro-rustique ( new word? ). Yes I did continue the evening with a lovely glass of red wine in a small quaint bar before my habit of thin pizza consumption, yet it is fun to think outside the box now and again and try something new. I think the Italians know what quality means when it comes to literally everything and now I can add beer to that list. Stop by on your next trip to Rome and coming soon to 57th street in the N.Y.C. in June 2010.

(Recently visited in November of 2010 and the "birrificio" is on Via degli Specchi, although the website will guide you to Piazza Luglio which is frequently missed on a map...)