Speakeasy: Secret Bars Around the World

Maurizio Maestrelli has been working as a journalist since 2004. Specializing in enogastronomic journalism, he has written for Mondo della Birra, Locali Top and Gulliver. He conceived the guide Birrerie d’Italia and wrote Birra ai fornelli, and from 2001 to 2006 he was the editor of Civiltà del bere, the first magazine dedicated to Italian wine. At present he works as a freelance journalist, writing for Gambero Rosso, Dove, Il Mondo della Birra, Locali Top, Barbusiness, and ViniPlus di Lombardia. He was the first Italian journalist to be admitted to the British Guild of Beer Writers. He holds lessons on the culture and tasting of beer, and in 2006 he was named the best Italian beer journalist by Unionbirrai. He is a judge at the International Beer Challenge in London, at the Brussels Beer Challenge, at the World Beer Cup, the Dutch Beer Challenge, the Mondial de la Bière and the Italian competition Birra dell Anno. He is also the author of the first Italian beer blog: birragenda. In 2014 he planned and organized the Milano Beer Week, which was repeated in 2015 and 2016.