We expected everything in life except producing a beer…
and yet we did it!
In 2023, during the XXI Italian Ornithology Conference in Varese, when we first came across the reality of Milvus Brewery. This small craft brewery, founded in the province of Potenza (Southern Italy) in 2020, was among the official sponsors of the conference and had captured our attention with a beer with a decidedly curious name: the Lesser Kestrel.
This beer was created as part of the European project Life Falkon, thanks also to the contribution of Michelangelo Morganti, the Italian referent of the project and a long-time friend of the Milvus team, and paid homage to the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), a species nesting in various areas of the Mediterranean threatened by habitat loss.
The beer, with a straw yellow color and fruity and spicy notes, is produced using hops grown in the same wheat fields where the Lesser Kestrel hunts, thus representing an original and concrete way to promote the objectives of the species conservation project. In addition to being, of course, extremely tasty!
A few years after our first meeting, we found ourselves working on a monitoring project in the Vulture area, a few kilometers from Contrada Sarnelli, Avigliano – where Milvus Brewery is based and operates. Our paths crossed again and we had the opportunity to deepen our knowledge of their beers and their connection with the world of ornithology.
Their production is distinguished by the attention to the quality of the ingredients and the inspiration from the traditional English and American brewing styles. However, what makes this brewery unique is its connection with the natural world, and in particular with ornithology.
Each of their productions is in fact inspired and dedicated to a different species of those magnificent animals that are Birds, with artistic labels created by the English illustrator Matt Sewell. Like the Blue Tit, a Pale Ale inspired by the Blue Tit, or the Puffin, a Bitter in typical Anglo-Saxon style that takes its name from the Puffin. Each bottle is a small manifesto in favor of nature, capable of combining aesthetics, taste and environmental sustainability.
Between chats and evenings spent at the brewery, an idea was born: why not collaborate? And what better tribute to this union than a beer dedicated to the Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), the iconic species that stands out in the K’ Nature logo?
Collaborating with a company like Milvus Brewery, so close to our values and committed like us to carving out a space for itself in the complex reality of southern Italy, was a natural step for us. Equally spontaneous was the idea of creating a beer that was not only good to taste, but that told a story: our story!
This is how Tropicbird was born, a Hoppy Rye Saison beer that combines Belgian brewing tradition with a modern touch of American style. The result? A pale beer, characterized by a bouquet of aromas that range from tropical to spicy. For this creation, only one hop was used, Kohatu, originally from New Zealand, known for its intense notes of tropical fruit, with passion fruit in the foreground. Its dry and slightly bitter finish makes it extremely thirst-quenching, ideal for cooling off after a long day of wildlife watching.
But why a Saison? And why these tropical scents?
This choice is not a coincidence: Saison beers are born in the Wallonia region of Belgium, a place that marked the academic education of one of our founding members, Valerio Giovanni Russo, who studied at the University of Brussels. This bond with Belgium is combined with those with tropical countries. All the members of K’ Nature, during their professional career, have in fact stayed, explored and lived in various tropical countries, especially in Latin America. We therefore wanted this beer to reflect, through its tropical aromas, precisely those life experiences that have characterized us so much.
Tropicbird will be our way of thanking our guests and friends who have collaborated with us. We will also be the go-between for those who wish to purchase this unique beer from Milvus Brewery, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you too are eager to try this beer that promises to be perfect to end a hike or a birding day trip! We can’t wait to share it with you!
#BornToFly #KNatureTours
