$13.95 for the very attractive, 750 mL presentation from Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg, VA, USA. Blue foil and strange kind of cap completes the picture.
Many Italian beers have been a crap shot for me, and the combination of varying quality and somewhat expensive prices have led me to be a touch wary. From time to time I’ll break down and get one, and this is one of those times.
Pour is initially extremely carbonated but this fades fast. A thin ring around the beer and some surface froth leaves very little lace. The body is a simple golden color with some cloudiness and quite a lot of gray sediment.
Nose and tastes are very herbal (as expected). Many of these Italian beers have a distinct herbal nature, and I am wondering if this is a feature of the yeast strains. The herbs are quite nice and they build across the whole bottle to give an almost, mild burning chili feel toward the end of the beer. There is some light paper in there as well.
Not a traditional farmhouse or saison by any stretch of the imagination, but a beer that is intriguing. Not especially complex either, but tasty nonetheless. The one place this brew falls down a little is the mouthfeel. It really feels a touch thin to me, and that’s one of the abiding memories (unfortunately). Lowish ABV (relatively speaking) is a plus for me.
Pricey to be honest, but glad I tried it.