Decent Italian Beer?

[Clint Yeastwood]

Is there any Italian beer that isn't pretty much like Coors? Asking for a friend.

 

[dmtaylor]

Peroni is 1000 times better than Coors. If you can't taste the difference... that's on you.

 

[HM-2]

I've had a few cans from BrewFist over the last few months. Based out of Codogno, their West Coast and Black IPAs are stellar.

 

[fluketamer]

i just came back . see my thread

the selection of peroni there is much better and has more malt and less adjunct. the morettis was worse than coors. coors isnt that bad for a mass produced lager. i prefer it to bud, corona, heineken, and miller.

 

[worlddivides]

Peroni is an okay beer (I like it a lot more than Coors, Budweiser, or Miller, for example), but I prefer Birra Moretti as far as Italian macrobreweries go. They both have more than just their main lager, though. Italy has craft breweries too, which can be pretty damn good, though I've only seen them rarely in the US or in Japan. If you actively search them out, I bet you can find them, assuming you live in a mid to large-sized city (or close enough to one)

 

[tracer bullet]

I'm a Peroni fan, and I'm not generally a lager fan. It's inspired me with my lager brews to add more hops, and later.

(Not to derail the discussion but if anyone has a recipe they've used that they think duplicates it, or at least the hops and yeast best suited for a Peroni clone, please let me know - I've read a few and tried some things but never gotten as close as I'd hoped)

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

It may be "on me," or maybe I'll taste something you couldn't, DM.

Anyway, thanks, all, for the suggestions.

 

[hotbeer]

I can't think if I ever have had a Italian beer. Much less has the word Italian and Beer ever come up in any conversation I can remember having. It's just not something you think of when you order Italian.

However, beer is my preferred beverage when I have pizza. Sometimes even with beer from Asia. But never have I thought to ask if there was a Italian beer!

And that's on me!

Thanks for bringing it up. I have a new thing to look for when I go out where there are lots of beer brands from all over to sort through.

I only vaguely remember hearing the name Peroni. Not certain and doubtful if I ever had one.

 

[fluketamer]

the first time i saw or had an italian beer was a peronis at a pizza place . its a decent pizza beer cause its pretty dry and flavorless like water. kind of like corona or coors. i too was surprised there was italian beer. this was prolly 15 years ago closer to 20 .

but in genereal i dont think of beer when i think of southern europe like spain italy greece. these arent beer places. now england germany czech . those are beer places.

not italians fault that they arent known for beer.
now the wine there holy cow . blows french wines away. the proseco is also off the hook.

it makes sense i think the romans have been making wine for thousands of years.

 

[dmtaylor]

I find Peroni shares a lot in common with my favorite German lagers. Blindfolded I might not be able to tell a difference. It's nothing like an American lager.

 

[MaxStout]

I don't seek it out in the liquor stores, but if I see Peroni offered at an Italian restaurant, I'll order one to go with my pizza or veal parmesan. It seems to pair well, or perhaps it's just confirmation bias on my part.

Pizza and Italian beer. What could be better?

 

[tracer bullet]

Pizza and Italian beer. What could be better?

Mexican food and Negra Modelo!

I don't know what it is either but I think the beers actually pair with the food. In my brain at least. Also Sapporo when I'm at the Ramen place.

 

[passedpawn]

This is really good. I loved it. Fairly hoppy, close to a pale ale.

 

[redrocker652002]

If you are looking to make one, the Apartment Brewer has an Italian Pilsner that I did that was good. At least I enjoyed it.

 

[flipster]

That's a hard one. I'd still say, the best Italian beer is a Badolino or a Cannonau.

Except for the name there isn't much Italy left in Moretti since Heineken moved it to Switzerland - although it is indeed a decent beer.

I do remember the Birra Ichnusa (Sardinian beer, also owned by Heineken) a good one, but it's aslo a few years I had it.

 

[fluketamer]

this is what i needed before i went to italy. now i will have to go back.

 

[Franktalk]

(Not to derail the discussion but if anyone has a recipe they've used that they think duplicates it, or at least the hops and yeast best suited for a Peroni clone, please let me know - I've read a few and tried some things but never gotten as close as I'd hoped)

Style: International Pale Lager
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.32 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.99 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 4.92 gal
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 3.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 18.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 76.7 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7 lbs Pilsner (Weyermann) (1.7 SRM) Grain 1 77.8 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Corn - Yellow, Flaked (Briess) (1. Grain 2 16.7 %
4.0 oz Acidulated (Weyermann) (1.8 SRM) Grain 3 2.8 %
4.0 oz Crystal 15, 2-Row, (Great Western) Grain 4 2.8 %
50.88 g Saaz [2.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 12.8 IBUs
24.50 g Saaz [1.70 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 5.2 IBUs
28.35 g Saaz [1.70 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0 Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg SafLager German Lager (DCL/Ferment Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temper Step Time
Mash In Add 16.00 qt of water at 161.6 F 150.0 F 75 min
Mash Step Add 14.00 qt of water at 192.5 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 3.28gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------

 

[tracer bullet]

Recipe Specifications

Thanks,. So you've made it? It was Peroni like, and not just a bland (to me) standard Bavarian lager?

I've always figured Saaz was the hop and that I'd whirlpool some of it. What's with the 2 x 60 minute additions? Is one supposed to be at 15 or 20 min perhaps?

 

[Franktalk]

It is very close! I make it for some friends that go to Italy every year and love Peroni. I got the recipe from Dave Line's book, but his recipe uses rice and Peroni's website says they use corn. I did a side-by-side tasting this year when he brought a bottle back for me, and it was very close. The real thing seemed to me to be just slightly more malty/caramelly, so if you wanted to, you could up the amount or the Lovibond of the caramel in your version.

I used two 60-minute additions of Saaz because I had two different batches with slightly different alpha acid percentages, and I wanted to end up with 18 IBUs, which is what the real thing is according to their website.

 

[tracer bullet]

Thanks. Also for the Saflager German Lager is that 34/70? Or S-23 or even S-189? The DCL/Fermentis 8 something seems to have been cut off or I thought I might figure it out.

 

[Franktalk]

It's S-23 Which is the dry version of the Urkel strain.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Took a food tour. They gave us Ichnusa. Acknowledging that tastes differ and there are people who actually enjoy Mickey's wide mouth, this stuff was like mouthwash. A lot of bitterness, no sweetness, and nearly no aroma. Everything I dislike about Heineken, times three. I left most of my sample behind, finding thirst to be the lesser of two evils.

We also received something called Starlight. Pretty similar to Ichnusa, but it had a little bit of malt aroma. Left most of it on the table. Helped me understand why a lot of people don't like beer.

No Peroni yet.

Had some really excellent pizza Margherita at our first pizzeria, but another place let me down.

 

[monkeymath]

I had pretty much written off Italy in terms of beer. Couldn't understand how some beer writers like Jeff Alworth could praise Italian brewers the way they did. I had 'Tipopils', the prototype of what came to be known as "Italian Pilsners", and felt a bit disappointed.

But this year I had the best beer I've had in a long time and it was an Italian beer.
A blonde ale named "Intrepida" by Maso Alto. I already wrote about it here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/what-are-you-drinking-now.221302/post-10379240

 

[mac_1103]

People who don't like the mass-produced European light lagers that they've had before probably won't like mass-produced Italian light lagers that they've never had before. If you're going to drink beer in Italy, why not try something that they don't export to the US?

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Isn't that what I did? I haven't seen Ichnuss...Inknuss...whatever it is...at Circle K when I go in to ask when they're going to start selling Zima again.

And I did come here asking for suggestions.

I never got around to trying Peroni. Isn't there a disease named after it?

After two gross beers plus the onset of yet another episode of corona (small "C"), I lost all interest in exploring Italy's brewing scene. At least we were able to fly home in spite of being ill. Thank God the reign of PCR terror is over.

People were sick all over Italy. Lots of coughing. Some of that may have been cigarettes. They start smoking at about three over there. The burning reek of cheap tobacco really took me back to my childhood, inhaling rooms full of my mom's secondhand Viceroy fumes. I can't believe anyone has been stupid enough to pick up a cigarette since 1964 when we all found out tobacco smoke was not actually an essential nutrient. Like PT Barnum said, there's one born every minute. I mean, every day, somebody buys a timeshare. My wife got so sick of the smoke, she was ready to leave Italy independently of being ill.

The beer I enjoyed most on the trip was Schneider Weisse original, which I can get here. I don't know how I managed to miss it for all these years. I don't think it's worth buying, though, because my own wheat ale is not all that far from it.

We had the odd experience of being served a good prosecco. I had never had one before. I think of prosecco as an inexpensive windshield fluid substitute or slop we serve wedding guests we hope will go home early. Like Freixenet or Mogen David. Assuming I photographed the right bottle, it was Marchese Antinori.

 

[mac_1103]

Isn't that what I did?

I guess it's what you tried to do. I've never had and Ichnusa but given that Heineken bought them in 1986 I would guess that it's just another European light lager.

 

[monkeymath]

Isn't that what I did? I haven't seen Ichnuss...Inknuss...whatever it is...at Circle K when I go in to ask when they're going to start selling Zima again.

And I did come here asking for suggestions.

I never got around to trying Peroni. Isn't there a disease named after it?

After two gross beers plus the onset of yet another episode of corona (small "C"), I lost all interest in exploring Italy's brewing scene. At least we were able to fly home in spite of being ill. Thank God the reign of PCR terror is over.

People were sick all over Italy. Lots of coughing. Some of that may have been cigarettes. They start smoking at about three over there. The burning reek of cheap tobacco really took me back to my childhood, inhaling rooms full of my mom's secondhand Viceroy fumes. I can't believe anyone has been stupid enough to pick up a cigarette since 1964 when we all found out tobacco smoke was not actually an essential nutrient. Like PT Barnum said, there's one born every minute. I mean, every day, somebody buys a timeshare. My wife got so sick of the smoke, she was ready to leave Italy independently of being ill.

The beer I enjoyed most on the trip was Schneider Weisse original, which I can get here. I don't know how I managed to miss it for all these years. I don't think it's worth buying, though, because my own wheat ale is not all that far from it.

We had the odd experience of being served a good prosecco. I had never had one before. I think of prosecco as an inexpensive windshield fluid substitute or slop we serve wedding guests we hope will go home early. Like Freixenet or Mogen David. Assuming I photographed the right bottle, it was Marchese Antinori.

Sounds like you have quite the educated view on Italian culture, beer and wine-making.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

Don't butter me up so transparently.

 

[Kickass]

At least we were able to fly home in spite of being ill.

That was very considerate of your fellow passengers.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

This isn't 2020. I thought everyone knew. You don't lock yourself in a hotel room in a foreign country because you have covid and spend thousands of dollars disrupting your life and letting your business go to hell while you hope for a negative PCR. It's all around us, all the time. It's endemic, everywhere on Earth. Everyone on the plane was exposed every day before they boarded. They were exposed to new people when they got off the plane. They are being exposed today.

We were buried in crowds all over Rome and Switzerland. No masks. No distancing. No test requirements. People coughing on each other. If we had stayed in Rome, we would have exposed a lot of additional people there.

Also, here's a fact everyone should have learned 4 years ago: science says your chance of being infected on a plane ride while sitting next to a sick person is around one in half a million. It's common knowledge. It's more dangerous to go to the grocery store. The people on our planes were safer with us than they were on the ground.

By now, we all know whether covid is dangerous to us, because we have all had it. People who should be afraid of it should be isolating themselves and taking other serious measures. The genie is out of the bottle, all over the world, and it's never going to change.

If you respond badly to covid, and you catch it because you chose not to protect yourself, it's on you, 100%. If you're a bubble boy, stay in the bubble. You can't put one around the world. If I ever start reacting badly to covid, I'll protect myself instead of engaging in the delusion that other people will do it.

Another interesting fact: planes were full of people with covid even at the height of the hysteria. The tests are not very good. Tons of false negatives. Funny how no one talks about that. Anyone who can Google can confirm it.