As it's New Years Eve, I thought there was no better time to pay some attention to my severely neglected beer blog. I am still alive and drinking beer so I'm making a New Year's resolution here and now to blog more in 2020.
I bought a variety pack of Italian brewery Birra del Borgo ales and first up is Cortigiana. This ale is a cloudy golden yellow colour with a very frothy tight white head. There is quite a bit of sediment so it needs a careful pour, if you can, but mine burst from the bottle with such force that I didn't quite get it all out of the bottle and ended up with a huge frothy head.
At first I thought that it smelled strangely of vinegar but this soon disappears to be replaced by a strong citrus and hops aroma. Now normally I'm not a fan of citrus but this has such a delicious aroma of orange, grapefruit and lemon that I found it very appealing.
The taste surprised me as I was expecting a huge blast of bitter lemon citrus but instead tasted a greater proportion of sweet sun-ripened oranges and zesty grapefruits than bitter lemons. Blended with the sourness of the hops and a hint of herbal notes, the lingering bitterness is very pleasant indeed.
It's a full bodied ale which is very fizzy with relatively harsh bubbles, which tickle rather than tingle the tongue. I was surprised how much I liked it and found it a very crisp and refreshing continental pale ale. It hasn't converted me to pales but Ale definitely Be Seeing You again, Cortigiana.
Brewed by Birra del Borgo, Italy
5% ABV
My rating:
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