Roberto and Giovanni Faenza—father and son—one a lover of fine food and drink, the other a meticulous, perfectionist sommelier. When they discovered “real beer,” it was love at first sight: courses, seminars, and brewery tours marked the beginning of a deep passion for a whole new world.

By participating in a course he organized on beer production, we came into contact with Emilio Maddalozzo, “the master”—a pivotal figure in our history. A master brewer who graduated from the prestigious Doemens in Munich, with more than 40 years of brewing experience under his belt and countless hectoliters produced. Giovanni followed him day and night and owes his brewing training, his love for Germany, and his passion for “clean” beers to him.

The Ritual Lab is born: a small, meticulously crafted 100-liter system designed for training and experimentation, guided by the great Maddalozzo. It was during this period that the first drafts of our recipes were created—recipes that would later become our classics. Here, we experimented with a wide and varied array of ingredients: spices, fruits, coffee, plants, and roots—years of fun and study. Our passion grows ever stronger, and the “game” becomes increasingly challenging.

The recipes, which have been tested and retested time and again, are finally ready for the market. Ritual Lab is evolving from a training facility into a full-fledged research center dedicated to creating new recipes for the Italian and international markets. The common thread: uncompromising quality. And so begins the Beer Firm project with its first official release: Ritual Pils.

The project is successful; our inaugural beer is well-received and increasingly in demand, despite the distinctive and bold decision to launch with a bottom-fermented beer, a style known for its production complexities and market challenges. To round out the product line, 'Super Lemon Ale' and 'La Bock' were subsequently introduced. These two recipes have been a staple in Ritual Lab's daily brewing for some years but have yet to be released to the general public.

It was a turning point: together with my lifelong friend Edoardo Ribeca, we finally decided to open our brewery in Formello, in the province of Rome. A 12-hectoliter brewing system, an isobaric bottling line, a reverse osmosis system with full water control, and a 50-hectoliter fermentation cellar—everything we’d always dreamed of.

Awards, competition wins, and invitations to national and international events have led to the fermentation cellar doubling in size to 100 HL. The Ritual family keeps growing, and our desire to brew something special and unconventional grows stronger by the day. This led to the creation of “Tupamaros” and “Nerd Choice”—two extreme yet balanced beers, trendy yet substantial, representing the pinnacle of our production in terms of originality and, above all, hops!

Introducing the “Ritual Lab On the Road” project – a truly unique initiative in Italy! Our goal is to deliver directly from the brewery throughout Italy in record time, with meticulous attention to transport temperature. Thanks to our refrigerated vans, we can finally offer our beer in the hardest-to-reach areas of the peninsula, maintaining the integrity of our product’s profile in every season. The fermentation cellar has reached 150 HL!

2018 kicks off on a high note: On January 22, our head brewer Giovanni Faenza was named the best emerging Italian brewer of the 2017 season… cheers!! The year continues with new developments and rewards for the entire Ritual team, especially regarding collaborations with world-renowned breweries, including: Dry & Bitter, which gave rise to “Head Space.” North Brewing for the “Mango Strawberry Sour,” and “Tangie,” born from a six-way collaboration with the greats Oxbow and Jester King. Meanwhile, our orange vans are racking up miles up and down Italy and beyond…… Bob and Valerio on the Road

A pivotal year in Ritual’s history / The brewery undergoes a complete overhaul. We decide to partner with Easybraw Velo to build our new fully automated 25-hectoliter brewhouse. Production volumes increase, as do new developments, including the expansion into new international markets, with Northern Europe leading the way. Our head brewer, Giovanni Faenza, makes his debut among the big names by securing second place in the ranking of the best Italian brewers for the 2018 season during the “Brewer of the Year” event, a major competition organized by Fermento Birra in the splendid setting of Florence.

2020 was a challenging year but one full of new developments, foremost among them the “Beer of the Year” award, which named Ritual Lab the best Italian brewery. The year continues with the opening of the Ritual Tap Room, a venue nestled in the countryside where you can finally taste our creations just a stone’s throw from the brewery. Around the same time, our first barrel-aged beers are released—an ambitious project launched a few years ago that is now beginning to yield unique creations. Meanwhile, our aging cellar continues to expand, reaching a capacity of 420 HL.

The year began auspiciously, with our Head Brewer Giovanni Faenza winning the 'Brewer of the Year' award for the 2020 production season. Our barrel-aged beer program is expanding, featuring a new, climate-controlled barrel cellar and, crucially, numerous new barrels that previously held various spirits, from Bourbon to Cognac, where our 'Big Beers' now mature. Foremost among these is Papanero, an Imperial Stout that has become a flagship beer for the brewery, both in Italy and internationally. Last but not least, the journey of 'Mogano x Ritual Lab' begins, an innovative gourmet restaurant adjacent to the brewery, which aims to ambitiously integrate beer and its raw materials into a fine dining experience, by exploring the world of fermentations and repurposing brewing by-products.