What’s new is old and what’s old is precious in a small corner of southern England, where writer and journalist Jacopo Mazzeo takes us on a tour of the wild and sprawling New Forest National Park. In his latest piece for Good Beer Hunting titled “Curiouser and Curiouser — In Search of Brewing Novelty In England’s Ancient New Forest,” which was published on October 13, 2022, he explores the ancient landscape with a local’s eye, sharing the natural beauty and growing beer scene through personal experience, community connection, and research into the nearly thousand-year history of the region. 

In today’s conversation with Jacopo, he shares how the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to look closer to home for travel inspiration, which led to fortuitous results. Growing up in Italy, the countryside wasn’t as accessible to him as it is in the United Kingdom, the country he’s made his home over the past 11 years. That’s why he treasures the nearby New Forest, a historical area he continues to be drawn to time and time again. He talks about that draw of nature, as well as why he keeps coming back to experience the growing craft beer scene first-hand. 

He’ll also share a few insider tidbits that didn’t quite make it into his final piece, as well as where he’s headed next as the world slowly continues to reopen. (I’ll just say his upcoming trips to Lebanon and the Seychelles sound deliciously libatious.) Let’s start our journey into this rustic wonderland, right now.