Brewery: Vento Forte
Brewery Location: Bracciano, Italy (or at least Italy)
Alcohol: 8.5%
This was a beer that I got when my friend and I went to a craft beer with my friend while in Italy. After looking online, it appears to be a double IPA. Continue reading
Brewery: Birrificio Angelo Poretti
Brewery Location: Varese, Italy
Alcohol: 7%
This was the second beer my friend and I got in the bar in Rome (after the first one). This was an unfiltered lager that was a bit stronger than the 4 hops. While this was a bit more what I was looking for, for a “7 hops” beer, it was still much less hoppy than I would have wanted. It was considerably less hoppy than an IPA, so it just kind of bridged the gap between a “normal” lager and a hoppier ale, like an IPA. Continue reading
Brewery: Birrificio Angelo Poretti
Brewery Location: Varese, Italy
Alcohol: 5.5%
This was the first beer my friend and I got when we arrived in Rome and went to a bar. It seemed to be the standard “big beer” in Italy, much like Heineken or Budweiser. It seemed to be in about the same tier, and my friend nailed it on the head by stating that it tasted “very commercial.” It wasn’t bad, just seemed to be like any other widely produced beer out there. Continue reading
Brewery: Not sure
Brewery Location: I believe Sweden, but I am not positive
Alcohol: Unsure
While I was in Sweden, I asked for a local beer, and this is what I got. I am not positive about too much other than the name and my experience with it. I tried looking it up online, but I failed to find much information on it. Continue reading
Brewery: Störtebeker
Location: Stralsund, Germany
Alcohol: 5%
This was just a beer that I found for sale in Germany. During the Christmas markets in Germany, you can always find Glühwein, which would directly translate to “glow wine” although it is never called that. In the UK, they call it mulled wine, but I have never personally even heard of it in the USA. Glühwein / mulled wine is usually a red wine that is additionally seasoned with spices and sometimes certain fruits. It is then usually heated up so it is hot, like a hot chocolate or coffee would be. When I first came to Germany, I was skeptical of drinking warm wine, but I eventually learned to love it, and now it’s one of the things I look forward to the most when it’s winter and the markets open up. Continue reading
Brewery: Warka
Country of origin: Warka, Poland
Alcohol: 6.5%
This was just a beer that I picked up in a Polish market here in Germany. It is a stronger Pils, which I guess is the reason that it has a higher than average alcohol content. Continue reading
I just barely got to taste these two beers from the Zeta Brewery while they were presenting, so this post will be a brief brush up on both of them.
The first of the two beers I tried was the limited edition Rauchbier called the Zendra.
Brewery: Zeta
Brewery Location: Alboraya, Spain
Alcohol: 7.8%
Carlos, the co-founder of the Zeta brewery and who was the one presenting the beers, said that this was a bit more salmony, but I didn’t quite get that. I am familiar with rauchbiers, though, which is maybe why I wasn’t surprised by the smokiness. For reference, “rauchbier” means “smoke/smoky beer” in German, and when you drink one, you definitely get a sense of smokiness. I love them, but they aren’t for everyone. Continue reading
Brewery: Zeta
Brewery Location: Alboraya, Spain
Alcohol: 6.7%
In the same night as I had the Zeta Hell, I also tried this beer, which I am pleased to say I enjoyed much more.
The Zeta Hop is an American style IPA, and like you would expect out of an IPA, it was a bit more hoppy and bitter than other beers. Continue reading
Brewery: Zeta
Brewery Location: Alboraya, Spain
Alcohol: 5.5%
This was one of the beers that I tried during a recent beer event. A Meetup group that I recently joined was hosting an event where the co-founder of the Zeta brewery came and talked about their beer, as well as offered some samples. I will talk more about that in a dedicated post to come later.
While I hate to admit that I wasn’t so impressed by this beer, I hope the folks at Zeta can rest assured that I liked their other beers that I sampled a lot more.
In any case, the Zeta Hell is a German style helles beer. For the record, helles just means light in German, as in the opposite of dark. As such, the name of this beer (hell) isn’t referencing the raging inferno where Satan lives, but just pointing to the style of beer that it is. It differs from other helles by having some American hops thrown into the mix. Continue reading
(I don’t have the faintest idea how to pronounce that)
Brewery: Trehsosensky Plant (Завод Трехсосенский (ООО))
Brewery Location: Somewhere in Russia… I am struggling to find out.
Alcohol: 4.9%
I was walking around my neighborhood and I found a polish market. In the search for poppy seeds rolls (which I used to get at the polish market where I lived in Chicago), I went inside to see what they have. Continue reading