• Angelo Poretti made his fortune as a railway contractor building railways in Austria and Bohemia.
• On his return to Italy he began importing special Pilsner hops and the machinery required for brewing.
• Brewing expertise was provided by a master brewer from Prague.
• Production began in an old starch factory on the banks of Lake Valganna near Varese in the Northern Region of Lombardy – an area synonymous with beer production.
• For centuries the lake’s water had been reputed to have therapeutic values. It is even believed to have once been bottled as a mineral water!
• The first brewery was constructed in 1877 trialling the first beer production on Dec 26th.
• Early in 1878, Poretti was launched in Beccaria public square.
• In time Angelo Poretti became the head of the ‘Brewers of Italy’, and in 1884 became the President of the Permanent Committee of the Association of Brewers.
• In 1881, Signor Poretti opened an elegant chalet on the site of the brewery which became a visitor's centre to taste various beers and learn about brewing.
• Poretti’s identity has remained intact for over 100 years in the traditional colours of the Royal family of Italy.
• Re-launched in Italy in 2001, Birra Poretti is brewed in Italy to a traditional recipe, with selected malts, hops and maize using a pure source of water.