The four breweries collaborating on this project include Italian craft brewers Teo Musso, brewmaster of Birrificio Le Baladn, and Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birra del Borgo, and Italian-American craft brewers Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Vinnie Cilurzo of the Russian River Brewery.

The first floor of the building at 200 5th Ave. will house Eataly, an epic Italian specialty foods market and multiple restaurants that pair gourmet foods with artisanal beers and wines. Additionally, there will be an 8,000-square-foot rooftop brewery and restaurant operated by B&B Hospitality’s Chef Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

The rooftop bar and restaurant will house a copper-clad brewing system. “The idea is to create an artisanal, old-world Italian craft brewery that just happens to be located on a rooftop in Manhattan,” said Calagione.

The four brewers are working together on recipes for Eataly’s house beers. Those beers will feature Italian and American ingredients. The beers will be unpasteurized, unfiltered, naturally carbonated and hand-pulled through traditional beer engines for the most authentic and pure presentation.

The four individual brewers will also occasionally brew beers under their own names on site. The rooftop restaurant project will pair artisanal rustic, homemade beers with Batali’s artisanal, rustic cooking. Additional Italian and American regional craft beers will be served at the rooftop bar and within the downstairs restaurants.

Craft beer sales continue to gain traction in America and around the world. With all the diversity, complexity and food-compatibility of world-class wine at a fraction of the price, the craft beer segment enjoys continued growth in a challenging economy.

The four consulting brewers met in Boston recently to brew the first test batch of Eataly beer - English Mild, which was fermented with Italian chestnut powder. Plans call for Eataly New York to open late summer 2010.

“Eataly is the representation of the Earth, its products and an example of real Italian taste. The brewery will surely be a fusion of Italian and Italian-American styles, and I am very happy to make this journey with this fantastic group,” said Musso.

Cilurzo said he went to the Slow Food Salone del Gusto in Italy in 2006. “Upon meeting many Italian craft brewers, I was not only impressed by the quality of their beer but their passion for brewing as well. It was at that time I learned how great Italian craft beer was. To now collaborate with two of the most dynamic Italian craft brewers, along with my friend Sam Calagione, at Eataly New York will not only be a lot of fun but very educational as well.”

Vincenzo said: “Eataly Brewery will be a great fusion of the well-known Italian gastronomic culture and our rising beer culture with the taste and the creativity of the American craft beer movement. This may well be the craziest and most amazing brewery in the world.”

Calagione said the Italian craft brewing renaissance started later than in the United States, but the brewmasters quickly made up for lost time with their world-class artisanal beers. “Both Dogfish Head and Russian River have pushed the boundaries of beer, particularly those that pair well with food, for many years,” said Calagione. “We are looking forward to working with our Italian brewing brethren Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and the folks at Eataly to further strengthen the bond between world-class beer and world-class food in the most beautiful setting for a brewery I have ever seen.”