Italian Beer

Ichnusa Non Filtrata: Italian Kellerbier, 5% (Heineken Italia)
Very bready, with lots of malt and a bit too much barley. A hint of corn sweetness. Dry finish and very bitter. 5.5/10
Birra Messina Classica: Italian Lager, 4.7% (Heineken Italia)
Simple, but higher on the hops than usual. Some lemon. Medium carbonation. Very much on the dry side. 5/10
Birra Messina Cristalli Di Sale: Italian Lager, 5% (Heineken Italia)
Bread and malt are quite pronounced. Perhaps it’s a placebo, but there is a saltiness to this. A little bit floral. Some hay and faint honey. 6/10
Peroni Red: Italian Lager, 4.7% (Birra Peroni Industriale)
This is different to the Nastro Azzurro commonly sold on tap in the UK, and it’s better. Bready, some caramel, crisp and clean. On the sweet side. Big carbonation. It’s at the top end of what a standard lager can be. 6/10
Dreher Classic: Italian Lager, 5.2% (Dreher Brewery)
It’s a classic European lager. Malty, crisp, slightly sweet. Decent body for a lager. Low on hops, big on carbonation. 5.5/10
Birra Dello Stretto: Italian Lager, 5% (Birrificio Messina)
Bread and honey are quite distinctive. It’s on the malty side. Light bitterness. It’s just different enough to be above average. 6/10
Rubra: Italian Red IPA, 7.5% (Irias Brewery)
Coffee, earthy, a faint taste of red berries. Very bitter and a bit astringent. It tastes very much like a traditional British ale, but with medium carbonation 7/10
Indica: Italian Fruit Beer, 7.5% (Irias Brewery)
Nutty and very fruity. It’s supposed to be prickly pear, but I wouldn’t particularly have picked that out. It’s musky, hoppy and a bit sour. Very bitter, not really what I want from a fruit beer. Carbonation is very low, so it doesn’t really pop. 4.5/10
Cincu Tummina: Italian Wheat Ale, 6% (Irias Brewery)
Tumminu is an ancient unit of measurement for wheat. And it is quite wheaty. Sharp carbonation. Toasted malty bread. Very earthy and a little floral with some honey sweetness. There is a real harshness on the finish that limits it a bit. 6.5/10
Al Zabir: Italian Grape Ale, 12% (in the booklet we got from the brewery with the beers, though it says 16% on the bottle) (Irias Brewery)
This is just not a beer. There’s no carbonation. It tastes like a sherry, but not rich enough. I do like sherry though. This is like a thin Pedro Ximenez, but also has the bitterness of ale and it doesn’t quite work. 4/10
Ambra: Italian Blonde Beer, 5.4% (Irias Brewery)
The incredibly distinct flavour of lavender and coriander seeds is almost overpowering. It’s spicy; there’s definitely some ginger. Heavy citrus, particularly orange zest. Quite bitter. Lightened a bit with some cantaloupe, but it’s still very robust. 6/10
Hippana Ambrata: Italian Amber Ale, 4.9% (Hippana Brewery)
Smells strongly of cider. Very lively and fruity. Quite soapy and grassy with only a hint of malt. 5/10
Hippana Rossa: Italian Red Ale, 6.1% (Hippana Brewery)
Roasted coffee, lots of cacao and dark chocolate. Sweetness is both malty and darkly fruity. Hints of nuts and roasted grains. 7/10
Hippana Bianca: Italian Wheat Beer, 4.6% (Hippana Brewery)
Very wheaty, robust dark honey and very light citrus. Some overripe apples and some mild coriander. Light carbonation. The right amount of both sweetness and tartness. Really lovely. 8.5/10