Baladin

Despite its setting in the rustic village of Piozzo, La Casa Baladin is anything but outdated. Low lighting, jazz music, and modern art set the mood for Teo Musso’s micro-brewery/guesthouse with unmatched art and sensuality. By all appearances, the man is nothing short of a rock-star. As I observe Teo and learn his incredible story, I can’t help but fall in love. He is, in the most enduring of senses, a pure embodiment of an Italian cliché—sexily rugged yet refined, passionate, exceedingly sensual, and above all, intensely loyal to family.

Teo Musso’s passion for beer originated in his adolescence, where he would brew his own beers to compete with the products of his father, a wine-producer. After nearly three decades of experimentation, trial, and overwhelming Italian opposition to his vision, Teo has pioneered the micro-brewery movement and made waves in his dream of connecting cuisine to beer. In effect, he single-handedly created space on the table of Italian restaurants for beer and made it possible for the Italian micro-brewery movement to go from 2 to nearly 400 producers in a time-frame of about 10 years.

Even more visionary yet is Teo Musso’s ability to artfully challenge conceptions of beer through innovation. For instance, he has created wine-inspired flat beer, which he ages in the previously-used barrels of some of Italy’s best wine producers. He has also manipulated the fermentation process to create a beer whose taste resembles smoky whisky and another which could easily be mistaken for a fine sherry. To top it off, the entire chain of Baladin beer (from raw materials to distribution) is entirely independent, sustainable, and 100% Italian.

Driving away from Piozzo, I feel distinctively privileged to glance into the Baladin world. We can find hope for the future of food in Teo Musso’s example. Not only did he go from nothing to pioneering an industry, but he has proven it possible to maintain 100% dedication to the good, clean, fair model of production. Teo Musso is, in every sense, an Italian (and Slow Food) hero.