Arbànt

Arbànt from Bellinzona, Switzerland

Arbànt is a beer project in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Founder and brewmaster Fabio Colombo focuses on wild, spontaneously fermented and mixed fermented beers. By using historical brewing techniques and organic ingredients from the region whenever available, he aims to offer beers that respect nature and are a true expression of the region. Slowly fermented and matured in barriques - barrels (Merlot wine) in the historic cellars of the Antica Birreria of Bellinzona dating back to 1878.

Arbànt is a dialect word formerly used in the northern valleys of Ticino. It means "dare", "arrogance". Fabio chose this name because it reminds him of his first attempts at working with barrels - back in 2015. At the time, he was living in California and was employed as an assistant brewer at Stone Brewing Co. where he worked with wine and bourbon barrels, such as the iconic Double Arrogant Bastard Ale.

After earning a brewing degree at the University of California San Diego, he decided it was time to move back to his hometown of Lugano. Shortly after, he co-founded Broken City Brewing.

In 2020, Fabio decided to focus exclusively on his personal project and dive deeper into the world of mixed fermentation and barrel-aged beers. Fabio felt the need to brew beers that were unique and a true expression of the region. Beers with a sense of place, nature and beer history are his inspirations.

Fabio brewed the first beers for Arbànt in November 2020. Since then, he has been kegging, experimenting with different processes and ingredients. Then, in July 2022, Arbànt's first beer was released.