Beer is earth... And sharing. With this motto, in 2016 we launched a crowdfunding campaign to launch a new, great project: the Baladin Open Garden. The idea was to create a place where the lovers of Baladin (and other) beers could gather. A place to disseminate the culture of craftsmanship not only through beer, but also - and even more importantly - with events, concerts and initiatives that give value to our region.
Since that distant 2016, we have come a really long way. This year, Baladin Open Garden closed its second summer in the Garden with over 60 unique events.
Many friends stopped by to offer their art or products, starting from all the producers of our RacContadino market with craft, high quality products and fine food from our area. Because the earth produces much more than beer!
Of course, the circus was there too: the origin and root of the history of Baladin (which, by the way, means jugglers in old French). In particular, we had Circo Baraka with its breath-taking show that mixes theater and circus arts, which filled our Garden with the typical chapiteau of circus artists.
Music was another highlight of our Summer at the Garden: from Ros to Ruggero de I Timidi, the Musica e Dintorni rock’n’roll festival and the special event Una Nota in Più. A special mention goes to the event A cena con il musical, which celebrated the great successes of international musical theater.
We haven’t forgotten the most important element of all: beer! During our Summer at the Garden 2018, we presented two new pieces of the large Baladin jigsaw: Soraya and Birra dell’Università. The first is a delicious summer ale, called Soraya to pay homage to the youngest daughter of Teo’s. A fresh, very drinkable beer with a lively character, just like the little girl who shares the same name.
The second is part of much wider project which involves our brewery and the University of Udine. Cooperating with students and universities is a very important way to convey the message that craft beer is an agricultural product and spread its culture.
The cooperation between the Baladin brewery and the University in Udine has created a beer called Birra dell’Università. Only a small number of bottles has been produced, and they are the tangible sign of an approach to studying that goes beyond theory alone.
Our summer ended with a bang with the great chef Moreno Cedroni - supported by Christian Meloni Delrio, chef at Casa Baladin - and its amazing Cena di Pane dinner. The revenues of the event have been entirely given to the project Una Nota in Più.
Finally, we need to thank all the (very many) people who came to Garden: you are the soul of the brewery, the spark that triggers our creativity and desire to always do better.
The 2018 season may have come to an end, but this is not the end of Baladin Open Garden: we still have many ideas and we cannot wait to put them into practice. When? Next summer, of course!