The Italian beers have arrived:

“I think this will go well, because it matches the sweetness of the pumpkin,” he said, setting down a glass not of wine, but of a slightly oxidized golden ale, which, he explained, had been fermented with wine yeast and had spent four years aging in the bottle.

Mmmm, pumpkin.

Around Italy, a craft beer scene has sprung up, bringing well-made specialty brews into haute cuisine dining rooms and elevating the fare served in brew pubs, creating an attractive destination for beer lovers who also love great food.

“Italian brewers have done a wonderful job of making it clear that they are the same sort of artisans as chefs and others involved in food,” said Stan Hieronymus, the author of “Brew Like a Monk,” who is making his own trip to the region this fall. “That makes a trip to Italy to find more of these beers and to experience them, along with local cuisine, particularly appealing.”

As if people needed another reason to visit Italy.

I like that they call it “craft beer”. It sounds much better than “micro brew”, which always made me think of automated and computerized beer rather than hand made or small batches.

Today I tasted watermelon beer from San Francisco and it was actually quite good. Don’t get me wrong, I love Italy, but sometimes one only has to look in the back yard to find something equally appealing.