Best Craft Beer Bars in Turin for Serious Beer Drinkers

Turin is not the first city that comes to mind when you think of Italian craft beer, but that is exactly what makes it so rewarding to explore. The best craft beer bars in Turin have grown steadily over the past decade, fueled by a generation of local brewers who respect Piedmont's deep winemaking traditions while pushing hard into hoppy, experimental territory. I have spent years walking these streets, talking to the people behind the taps, and learning that Turin's beer scene is not a trend. It is a quiet revolution happening in back rooms, old workshops, and converted garages across the city.

The Rise of Local Breweries Turin and What It Means for the City

Turin has always been a city of industry and reinvention. The same factories that once built Fiats now house fermentation tanks and taprooms. The local breweries Turin has produced in the last fifteen years are not imitations of what is happening in Berlin or Portland. They are distinctly Piedmontese, often using local ingredients like chestnuts from the Cuneo province, honey from the Langhe, and even wine must from Barolo producers who collaborate with brewers on barrel-aged projects.

What surprised me most when I first started paying attention to this scene was how seriously the owners take their craft. These are not hobbyists who opened a bar on a whim. Many of them left careers in engineering, architecture, or the automotive industry to brew full time. That industrial precision shows in the beer. You can taste the discipline in every pour, and you can feel it in the way these spaces are designed, functional but warm, never flashy.

The connection between Turin's beer culture and its broader identity is real. This is a city that invented the aperitivo, that gave the world vermouth, that sits in the shadow of some of the most prestigious wine regions on earth. Beer had to earn its place here, and it did so by being excellent rather than loud.

Birrificio Lambrate, The Pioneer That Started It All

Address: Via Massena 42, near the San Donato neighborhood

If you want to understand how craft beer took root in Turin, you start with Birrificio Lambrate. This microbrewery Turin locals regard as the godfather of the scene opened its doors in 2009, long before the word "craft" became a marketing buzzword in Italy. The original location on Via Massena is a no-frills industrial space where the brewing equipment is visible from the bar, and the tables are basic wooden affairs that have seen thousands of pints.

What to Order: The Ghisa is their flagship, a dark session ale with a roasty, almost chocolatey character that drinks far lighter than it looks. If they have the seasonal Tap Room Series on, grab whatever is freshest. The brewers rotate experimental batches constantly.

Best Time: Thursday or Friday evening after 7 PM. The after-work crowd is mostly locals, and the atmosphere is relaxed without the weekend chaos.

The Vibe: Unpretentious and utilitarian. This is a working brewery first and a bar second. The lighting is harsh, and the seating is not designed for comfort, but the beer more than compensates.

Insider Detail: Ask the staff about the original recipe notebooks kept behind the bar. The head brewer still hand-writes every batch log, and if you show genuine interest, they will let you flip through them. Most tourists walk right past this.

One Complaint: The space gets extremely crowded on Friday nights, and there is virtually no standing room once the after-work rush hits around 7:30 PM. If you want a seat, arrive by 6:45.

Pastello, Where Craft Meets the Quadrilatero Romano

Address: Via Botero 9, Quadrilatero Romano neighborhood

The Quadilatero Romano is Turin's oldest neighborhood, a grid of narrow streets that dates back to the Roman settlement of Augusta Taurinorum. Pastello sits right in the heart of it, and the contrast between the ancient surroundings and the modern craft beer taps Turin offers here is part of the appeal. The bar is small, maybe thirty seats, with a rotating selection of eight to ten taps that change every few weeks.

What to Order: Whatever the bartender recommends from the Piedmontese breweries. Pastello has a strong relationship with small producers in the province of Cuneo and the Asti area, and the staff knows every brewer personally. I