BRASSERIE PIETRA

BRASSERIE PIETRA: A PIONEER OF THE BEER RENAISSANCE IN FRANCE. One summer evening in 1992, Armelle and Dominique Sialelli – beer lovers and lovers of their island – were sitting at a table on the terrace of a bar in Corte, lamenting the fact that they couldn’t enjoy a Corsican beer. And so the idea was born, and the story of Brasserie Pietra – Corsica’s first independent, family-run brewery – began that very day. Armelle and Dominique wanted to create a beer rooted in Corsican soil. They therefore developed a recipe unique in the world: a chestnut beer. The first Corsican beer was born. It was named Pietra, in honour of the Sialelli family’s small village, Pietraserena. Armelle and Dominique travelled the roads of Corsica, passionately promoting it at the island’s fairs and markets. Pietra won people over with its flavour: a beer full of character and flavour, an amber ale with notes of chestnut and honey. Today, Pietra has become a staple of Corsican culinary heritage, on a par with brocciu, local wines and charcuterie. Since then, the recipe has remained unchanged, as has the brewing process. And the Pietra family has grown. In 1998, Serena was launched – a light and refreshing pure-malt lager – closely followed by Colomba, a wheat beer whose aroma and flavour evoke the maquis, thanks to the infusion of a blend of aromatic herbs in the hop-addition tank. Next came Pietra Bionda, a lovely blonde beer made with chestnut flour, developed from the Pietra recipe, which is lighter and less bitter. Success continues to follow, and innovations keep coming. Today, the Pietra range also includes: Pietra Rossa, made with cherries and morello cherries; Pietra IPA, a floral and intense IPA; Pietra Blanche, a complex and well-balanced white ale; and, most recently, Pietra Summer Session IPA, a lively and wonderfully refreshing beer. Since it opened, the Pietra Brewery has been committed to preserving its local environment and has underpinned its growth with strong environmental initiatives. Becoming even more ‘eco-responsible’ is the motto of Hugo Sialelli, the son of Armelle and Dominique, who has now taken over the management of the brewery. Under his leadership, initiatives such as a heat recovery system, lighter bottles, water recovery and treatment – not to mention a CO? recovery system – have been implemented, all of which significantly reduce the brewery’s carbon footprint and its water and energy consumption. Hugo does not intend to stop there; numerous projects are currently being developed to further reduce consumption, including a range of returnable glasses. Brasserie Pietra: Route de La Marana, 20600 FURIANI. 04-95-30-14-70. Guided tours available only in July and August (no booking required): Mon–Fri, 9.00 am–12.00 pm and 2.00 pm–5.00 pm; The rest of the year, group tours for 10 or more people by appointment only (book by telephone). Admission: free. Tour duration: 30 mins. Shop: July–August: Mon–Fri, 9.00 am–12.00 pm and 2.00 pm–5.30 pm. Out of season: closed (except during group tours) or online at: https://boutique.brasseriepietra.com