To write about Baladin is to write about it's founder, Teo Musso. An entrepreneur who, through immense creativity and a constant boundary-pushing approach to brewing, is becoming one of the most significant names in a new wave of modern beer makers, Musso strives to create artisanal beers that are just at home on a summer's day as they are a serious pairing with food. Not content with simply creating a new wave of brews, Musso has also turned his village, the home of Baladin, into a playground for beer enthusiasts from around the world with the opening of a pub, an underground beer duct and a sate of the art brewery. Phew. 

Working with over one hundred Michelin-starred chefs in fifty countries, Musso creates elegant and balanced beers that strive to be as gastronomic as they are quaffable. By designing specific beer and food pairings that rival their vinous alternatives, Musso is ushering in a new age for beer drinking. Sitting in the heart of the Langhe region, home to some of Italy's most-loved grapes including barbera, nebbiolo, and the kind of wines, barolo, the brewery is located in a region famed for it's rich terroir and unmatched ability to produce wonderful liquid.

Baladin grow all of their own hops on-site in the Langhe region

The son of farmers who dedicated themselves to the cultivation of vines and other Piedmontese agricultural products, Musso, struggling with the rigid traditions of these heritage products, found his ability to fully express his creativity through beer, a younger and more playful genre where he was able to experiment and push the boundaries in ways that felt less possible in wine. 

Beer has been made in Italy since the Roman times. Over time, however, it was wine that ended up taking centre stage, while beer was increasingly relegated to the role of a thirst-quenching summer drink. Musso has helped to change this with his unique beers that are as likely to be paired with delicate Mediterranean dishes and focus on bold flavour and aroma. He's also embarked on a second revolution, with the aim to shorten the supply chain and take advantage of the unique terroir of the area by directly cultivating all of the ingredients that go into the Baladin brewing process; from cereals to years and hops, using water from the Maritime alps whose snowcapped peaks can be seen from the brewery. Now, Baladin farms 95% of the ingredients used in their beers – something almost unheard of in the industry. 

The Baladin brewery

Not content with having become one of the most influential master brewers of the new international craft beer movement, Musso moved the boundaries of beer production, creating products that did not exist before, such as champagne beer which rests on the lees for 18 to 60 months, a beer amaro, a beer vermouth (the Beermouth), a 40% distillate very similar to grappa, and a gin distilled totally from beer. He has experimented with ageing beers for years in oak casks that were used for Islay whiskey, Caribbean Rum, white and red wine and even Japanese soya sauce to obtain a flat liquor- like beer that's reminiscent of a madeira, a port, a sherry, or a vintage Pedro Ximenez.

Curious? We certainly are. And luckily for Londoners, you don't need to book flights to Turin to dive into the Baladin world. Musso has opened a gastropub inside the Stables in Camden Market. The brewery's beers can be tried on tap, and paired with Italian street food and pastas to fully experience the beer's potential.