In 2003 the British group SABmiller purchased Peroni, a majority stake.
Peroni, if you don’t know, is the beer of the people of Bari, not because it was founded here. One of the largest production plants is here, it stands on the ring road, visible to all.
One of the elementary school trips that I remember with greatest pleasure was a visit to that plant and you can find Peroni everywhere.
You can only imagine, therefore, the surprise of the people of Bari when the first Miller’s began to appear around the city, in the bars and in the markets.
Transparent bottles, ambiguous color of the liquid – the characteristics.
Miller didn’t have any luck in Bari. I think I tasted it once and classified it among the worst.
In 2016, Anheuser-Busch InBev that had acquired SABmiller, to avoid problems related to the European Antitrust, sold Peroni to the Japanese group Asahi Breweries.
Darren Fox sent me a bunch of pictures of his band Tom Violence. In one of these he is drinking a Miller Lite, what better opportunity to ask him some questions.
Luigi: “I think I saw a few pictures of Bob Pollard drinking the very same beer, I know you are a big fan of Guided By Voices, is it only by chance you like the same beer?”
Darren: “Yes, it is definitely the GbV beer of choice. Weak enough that you can drink a shit load of it. Turns out I was channelling Bob before I’d even heard of GbV.”
Luigi: “What do you drink in 2024? And do you like IPA?”
Darren: “I don’t drink much these days, but am very fond of most Belgian beers. I will drink IPA but am no connoisseur. My favourite is still probably a Tetley Bitter but only in Yorkshire as it doesn’t travel. That or Sam Smiths. I know a few Sheffield pubs that have both on tap.”
The cover above features Darren drinking a Lite and Nick and it is part of the series I’m making for Tom Violence.
Listen to Tom Violence “Definite Limits” here.
Order your copy now.
