Craft beer is usually not one of the first things to come to mind when Italy is mentioned. In fact, if you mention “Italy” and “beer” in the same sentence, the immediate response is usually Peroni (owned by SABMiller) or maybe Moretti (owned by Heineken International). Both are light lagers, not that much different from their American counterparts. Unfortunately, these have become ubiquitous, even in Italian restaurants with great wine lists.
Quite by accident, I recently came across a beer tasting at Mazzaro’s Italian Market in St. Petersburg. They were pouring beer brewed by an Italian craft brewery called Birradamare, which translates as “beer to love.” Their beers come in old-style medicine bottles and most are traditional German styles. The brewmaster, an Italian trained in Germany, has done an amazing job with these beers.
’Na Biretta Nera is a dark lager inspired by the traditional German Schwarzbier, a medium-bodied, malt-accented dark brew, very opaque and deep-sepia in color, with a chewy texture and a firm, creamy, long-lasting head. In spite of its dark color, it comes across as a soft and elegant brew that is rich, mild, and surprisingly balanced. Nera has a full aroma of toasted-burnt malt, chocolate, with a hint of coffee. The mouth-feel is light and silky-smooth, with moderate carbonation. Very easy drinking, hints of residual bitterness (41 IBU) and relatively low alcohol at 5.5 percent.
Birra Roma is modeled after the German Märzen (better known as Oktoberfest, though technically only beers brewed within Munich city limits can be called Oktoberfest). Roma pours a rich amber with a short, fizzy white head. The aroma is malty and sweet with dried fruit notes, caramel, and light grassy hops. Taste is more caramel, with fruit sweetness, malt, and soft bread notes. The mouth-feel and body are medium with a soft, fizzy carbonation. The finish is more sweet malt and caramel, with candied fruit and a hint of hops.
Lagers, and Pilsner-style lagers in particular, are some of the hardest beers to brew well, which is why not many breweries try (that and the extra equipment and time required). The reason? There is little room for error. Without huge hop presence or large amounts of heavy roasted malt, there is no covering up mistakes. So when I find a truly good Pilsner-style lager, I am thrilled. ’Na Biretta Chiara was a delightful surprise, clean and crisp on the tongue, light and straw-yellow in the glass. The aroma was fresh noble hops and grain, and the carbonation was spot-on. At 4.9 percent ABV, this is a perfect beer for a hot day.
A bock in the traditional German style, ’Na Biretta Rossa pours a ruby-red amber color and is all about the malts. Caramels and toffees and more sweet malt. There is a hint of some grassy hops for balance. The mouth-feel is very smooth, almost velvety. Good carbonation and sweet malt finish without revealing any of the 6.3 percent ABV.
’Na Biretta Kuasapa is clearly aimed at the American craft beer market, with a big 75 IBU combination of European and American hops. An American-style Pale Ale, Kuasapa pours a lovely cloudy copper color with a big nose of pine and citrus. On the tongue, this beer is all hops, with a kick of resin, grapefruit, and floral backed up by caramel malts. The body is a bit thinner than a typical pale, but the mouth-feel is nice with a moderate carbonation. This one was definitely my favorite. The 6.3 percent ABV is well hidden, and the lighter body makes this very drinkable.
It is very exciting to see craft beer getting a foothold in other countries that traditionally do not have much beer culture. It would be wonderful to see some of these make their way into more restaurants, showing more people the versatility of beer and food pairing.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2012.