La Birra Peroni: 180 Years of Italian Beer

Since 2016, every October 9 has been International Pizza and Beer Day. This holiday was dreamed up by enthusiasts from New York, people who know a thing or two about pairings. But pizza is an Italian creation, and beer from the same country deserves a separate conversation.

Or did you think they don’t drink beer in Italy?

A start in Lombardy

The town of Vigevano, in the province of Pavia in Lombardy. The area is known for its rice paddies and soft water from Alpine glaciers, which is ideal for brewing.

In 1846 Francesco Peroni founded Birra Peroni here, a small brewery with an adjoining pub where locals could try fresh beer. Italy was not yet a single state, and Risorgimento movements were raging across the country. But the beer found its way.

The move to Rome

In 1864 production moved to Rome, six years before the city became the capital of unified Italy. Francesco opened a second brewery near Piazza di Spagna, in the very heart of Roman high society. His eldest son, Giovanni Peroni, was put in charge of it.

The entrepreneur’s instinct did not fail him: Rome became a springboard to the central Italian market. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Peroni became one of the largest brewing companies of the young kingdom.

An industrial leap

1901 brought a merger with Rome’s largest ice factory. Beer and ice, cold and heat: a synergy that worked. In 1907 the joint-stock company Società Anonima Birra Peroni Ghiaccio e Magazzini frigoriferi was born, and in the Porta Pia district the “cittadella Peroni” grew up, a whole industrial quarter woven into the fabric of the city.

In 1924 a plant opened in Bari, giving access to the south of the country. Later came acquisitions of breweries across Italy: Dormisch in 1952, Framia in 1961, Wührer in 1988 (the oldest Italian brewery, founded in 1829).

The Blue Riband

In 1963 the world saw Peroni Nastro Azzurro, a premium lager named after the “Blue Riband”, the award for the fastest Atlantic crossing. From 1933 to 1935 this title was held by the Italian ocean liner Rex, and it was her victory that inspired the creators.

In 1965 Nastro Azzurro took first place in its category at the World Beer Competition. The nautical theme became a hallmark of advertising campaigns: models in sailor uniforms, sails, endless blue.

Change of owners

In 2003 the British SABMiller acquired Peroni. In 2016, to avoid problems with European antitrust law over the merger of AB InBev and SABMiller, Peroni was sold to the Japanese group Asahi Breweries for 2.9 billion dollars.

Today the company belongs to the Japanese, but it remains deeply Italian in spirit.

What is brewed now

Peroni’s own brands:

• Peroni (since 1846) — a fresh, light, smooth lager with notes of hops, corn, wheat and dry grass. A lingering aftertaste with hop bitterness.
• Peroni Nastro Azzurro (since 1963) — pale golden and refreshing, with a delicate balance of bitterness and citrus, and a long aftertaste.
• Raffo (since 1919) — a lager, moderately bitter, slightly smoky.
• Itala Pilsen (since 1970) — a classic pilsner with a light hop aroma, moderate bitterness and a clean, refreshing taste.
• Wührer (since 1829) — 4.7% ABV, an “everyday” beer with a delicate fruity aroma and a pale color.
• Crystall — a 5.6% pale lager.
• Peroni Gran Riserva — a 6.6% strong lager.
• Peroni Leggera — a 3.5% light lager.
• Capri — a 4.2% ultra-light lager.

Asahi brands distributed in Italy:

• Pilsner Urquell — heavyish, with an ale-like fruity note and pronounced bitterness.
• Meantime Brewing Company — British craft, roasted malt, dark fruit, coffee and chocolate.
• Tourtel — a non-alcoholic fruity beer.
• Grolsch (founded in 1615) — dry, fresh, hoppy, with notes of malt and herbs.
• Asahi — Japanese rice lagers.
• St. Stefanus — a Belgian strong ale.

Discontinued brands: Dormisch (acquired in 1952), Framia (acquired in 1961).

The Italian way of life in numbers

Today Birra Peroni has three production plants in Italy (Rome, Bari, Padua), a malting plant in Salpo di Pomezia and more than 6 million hectoliters of beer a year. More than 2 million go to export: to the UK, the USA, Australia, Japan and Canada.

In 2024 the company entered the Ministry of Enterprises’ register of “Historic Brands of Italy”. Blockchain traceability of Italian malt was introduced. Nastro Azzurro sponsors Scuderia Ferrari HP, continuing the tradition of sports partnerships begun with Aston Martin F1 in 2021.

And it all began with a small brewery in Vigevano and an entrepreneur who believed that Italians could learn to love beer too.