Re Inventing Italian Craft Beer
Re Ale, KeTo Re Porter, Duchessa, Cortigianna. Now you're speaking our language! Or Italian, to be exact. We are so excited to welcome the Italian craft brewery, Birra del Borgo, as our brewery of the month for July. Birra del Borgo has been at the forefront of Italian craft brewing from Borgorese, Italy--about 60 miles east of Rome--since 2005. Founded by the CEO, Leonardo di Vicenzo, they've been turning out reinterpretations of classic styles ever since.
When di Vicenzo saw the potential in opening a brewery he gave up his PhD in biochemistry to follow his passion for craft beer. Drawing inspiration from his travels throughout Europe, he decided that Birra del Borgo should respect the traditional "low carbonation, very full-bodied and fruitiness compelling" characteristics from the classic beers of Belgium and the UK whilst also finding innovative ways to put the Birra del Borgo stamp-of-creativity in the bottle. What we've got today are beers which are reminiscent of ancient brewing traditions that feature the "Italian touch" of local or original ingredients and are designed to complement the time-honoured Italian cuisine.
It's not unusual to find ingredients such as Kentucky Toscano tobacco, spelt, or fresh Brittany oysters in the kettles at Birra del Borgo. Indeed, foraging for interesting things to chuck in the bottle is commonplace. We love how they're not afraid to embrace the peculiar ingredient or even fermentation vessel like the amphoras in the photo above. Expect the unexpected from this lot!
Birra del Borgo's Le Classiche Range
We've been having a great time getting "tasting notes" from four great beers of the brewery's core range: Re Ale, Duchessa, Cortigiana and KeTo Re Porter. What can we say: work hard, play hard. Right?
The Re Ale APA is the original Birra del Borgo beer and the one that started it all. It's rather malt-forward with lots of chewy sweet flavours whilst also supporting a boatload of hops. It's a bit hefty for a Pale Ale but we just think that means there's more to love. And have we ever loved a lot of it. Our last team outing was made a little extra special with this beer--the secrets stay within these walls though!
The KeTo Re Porter is an interesting concept. Made with Kentucky Toscano tobacco, our warehouse crew is just a little bit disappointed that they can't actually smoke it. Instead the tobacco imparts some leathery, spicy notes that are really nice on top of the roasty bitterness and creamy mouthfeel.
The Cortigiana and the Duchessa are a couple of lighter, more refreshing options from Birra del Borgo. The Cortigiana is a gorgeous summer golden ale--perfect for those days when the elusive sun actually decides to grace us with its presence. We won't tell you how we know but the Cortigiana, in ample amounts, goes nicely with a pile of chips. After midnight. The Duchessa serves a similar purpose but is a spritzier Saison with a slight acidity and refreshing finish.
There you have it: Birra del Borgo. Our newest brewery! We're very happy to have them in the Beer Hawk HQ warehouse. And you'll be very happy to have them in your home too. July is looking to be a great month. We just wish it would stop raining.
