Basei Brewery

You can spot the brewery from the main road: the yellow building is hard to miss. Inside, there's nothing fancy, and that's exactly the point. The sign at the entrance, the awning, the yellow details with the logo everywhere: everything is cared for, nothing is put on. You can tell there's a person behind it.

The taproom is very welcoming, with a few tables inside and outside, plus more room under the awning. There's no kitchen, but nobody goes hungry: the porchetta sandwich (porchetta is Italy's classic seasoned, slow-roasted pork) was simple and genuinely good, with a slice of pancetta alongside it, the kind of thing that's made with care even when it's not fancy.

Basei and his partner welcomed us warmly, walking us through what was on tap that night: six beers on draft and seven in cans, some overlapping. Between the two of us, we tried Matnik (session IPA), Mojo (APA), Baru (Pacific IPA, built on Pacific hops) and Ciulo (session NEIPA): all clean, aromatic, and well made. The Matnik in particular surprised us with its intense hop aroma and bitter, remarkably refreshing finish: simply excellent, and perfect with the sandwich.

Simplicity and a genuine atmosphere: you can tell right away it's a place made by people who love beer, for people who love beer.