South London
Elav (Italy)
South London
A rigorous, artisanal approach has paid dividends for the Bergamo-based Elav brewery. Its methods are at once artistic and holistic; modern and age-old. Brews are conceived conceptually and collaboratively with labelling and titles inspired by the arts. Hops and flavourings are taken from Elav’s own farm and brewed up in state-of-the-art boilers. Awards have been forthcoming and we are pleased to bring some of their most feted beers to the UK.
Kicking things off in 2010 with the production of its now famous Grunge IPA, Elav has come a long way in a short space of time. Not only is the brewery 30 staff strong, it also boasts its own hop farm and high-spec equipment that can produce 50,000 litres of artisan Italian beer each month.
Based in Bergamo, just forty kilometres northeast of Milan, Elav is a multi-faceted enterprise. The fact that its beers reference arts and music is no mere gimmick - Elav places itself at the centre of Bergamo’s thriving cultural scene and regularly hosts small festivals and events. Its owners also run two pubs in the city.
But it’s the beers that have earnt the independent birrificio international acclaim. Drawing on local and home-grown ingredients, Elav’s brewers work to a sustainable and eco-friendly blueprint to produce unfiltered, unpasteurised and wholly natural beer. An in-house chef leads the direction on flavour, favouring high-fermentation brews that are hoppy yet well-suited to serving with food.
The signature “Punks Do it Bitter” is indicative of Elav’s style, balancing lively American hops against mellow notes of sweetness provided by a trio of malts. You can find this and more of Elav’s award-winning Italian beers in our exclusive range.