The BE^2R project - From the field to the mug - was financed under the public notice for the submission of applications for support under Sub-measure 16.2 and 2 supports the implementation of pilot projects and activities for the development of new products, practices, processes and technologies in the agri-food and forestry sector, as well as the transfer and dissemination of the results obtained by Operational Groups.

The project was granted aid under the Public Notice approved by D.A.G. No. 194 of 12/09/2018, published in the B.U.R.P. No. 121 of 20/09/2018, which provides for a total contribution of €. 490,524.10 against a total expenditure eligible for benefits of 80 percent.

The Puglia region has more than 40 craft breweries and about 25 beer firms, ranking among the most flourishing in Italy in terms of brassic production. These breweries are inspired by internationally recognized styles but reinterpreted in a personalized way by master brewers who are increasingly trained both technically and scientifically and who, for this very reason, feel as a limiting factor having to resort to raw materials intended for mass production or, alternatively, to niche raw materials generally available only from foreign suppliers.

Precisely with this in mind, several producers have inaugurated a new trend, represented by providing their craft beers with a territorial imprint through the addition of minor (in quantity) ingredients such as, by way of example, Gargano orange or herbs typically used in regional gastronomy. In this trend, the GO members, based on what emerged at their meetings and on the basis of expert opinion, believe that the quality leap capable of consecrating Apulian production could be represented by the creation of beers whose characteristics are due essentially or exclusively to the particular geographical environment and its intrinsic natural and human factors in that the raw materials are obtained predominantly or essentially in particular areas of the region. This implies that, in addition to water, which is also the predominant ingredient and strongly characterizes the sensory quality of the beer, it becomes appropriate to make use of other ingredients that may be: typical of the area (this is the case of cereals traditionally grown locally); not originating in the area but obtained by adapting the cultivation to the specific pedoclimatic environment (this is the case of hops); generally purchased in standardized form but which it is possible to self-produce on the farm (this is the case of yeasts).

The overall goal of the project is to foster the development of Apulian agricultural beer production by seizing the opportunities for growth that exist in this market, developing an agricultural beer production protocol that has a strong territorial identity and provides for the use of traditional Apulian cereals, hops from local hop gardens, self-produced yeasts on the farm and processes suitable for niche and high quality production.

In pursuit of this overall goal, the GO will work organically on all levels of the production chain, from the recovery of ancient cereal varieties to the development of malt and agricultural beer production protocols and up to the recovery of by-products.

The know-how developed by the project will enable farmers interested in agricultural beer production to access an attractive market and to do so competitively with a product characterized by a strong territorial identity.

The operational objectives of the project are as follows:

Regarding the economic aspects, the project aims to improve the profitability of the agricultural beer supply chain, strengthening its identity and link with the territory and thus creating the conditions for its better valorization, also in relation to the tourist attitude of many areas of Puglia. Improving production efficiency and recovering by-products will help improve the profitability of the supply chain and the companies involved in it from a circular economy perspective.

The project also aims to improve the environmental sustainability of production by reducing the impacts of transporting raw materials (the 'km 0' philosophy), reusing production waste for the formulation of functional foods, and making production processes more efficient.

From the social point of view, the project aims to strengthen the link with the territory and the approach of the younger generations, the main consumers of beer, to the agricultural world. Also from the social point of view, interesting should be the impacts in terms of job opportunities created within the local beer supply chain.

The innovation consists essentially in the creation of integrated production protocols for the brassiculture supply chain that are immediately available for transfer to the farm scale. The production protocols will be developed by the research institutions involved, both with reference to field activities and with regard to processing. Adaptation and testing will be carried out by the farms involved and by the farm brewery, and as a result, the protocols developed will be immediately operational on farms that wish to adopt them.

Specifically, the innovative elements will be represented by:

• Cereal production protocols of ancient grains in two areas of Puglia;
• Hops production protocols in an Apulian areal;
• Protocols for self-production and maintenance of yeasts suitable for brewing;
• Brewing process protocols;
• Recovery of spent grains for the production of baked goods with functional potential.