Birra del Borgo Maledetta

 

Maledetta is an amber coloured Belgian style ale in a cute funky shaped bottle.  Of course, it may look good on the outside but it's what's inside that counts.

It pours a deep amber with an orange hue and a slight haze as it's bottle conditioned.  I thought at first that I wasn't going to get any head at all but then all of a sudden it appeared with a vengeance and gave me a good layer of thick, tight and cream coloured bubbles.

The aroma of toffee and citrus is mouthwatering and the taste is even better.  With a slight hint of honey to start, it passes through flavours of caramel and malt to finish with a burst of slightly sour and tangy orange citrus.  It has a medium body and relatively soft carbonation that tickles across the tongue to really get your taste buds going.

I've been really impressed with the Birra del Borgo ales and Maledetta is another one where I can definitely say: 'Ale Be Seeing You again!'.

Brewed by Birra del Borgo, Italy 
6.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Birra del Borgo

Birra del Borgo KeTo

KeTo is a porter from my Birra del Borgo variety pack of ales.  KeTo is a very dark brown almost black colour with a frothy light brown head that disperses rapidly, leaving a thin layer.  

Oh what a mouthwatering aroma!  It's VERY malty with hints of liquorice, chocolate and coffee; it's almost like you get a different aroma with every sniff.  Just like I was surprised with the taste from Cortigiana, KeTo also had a big surprise up its sleeve, namely a distinct smoky flavour.  Now usually this would make me retch as nobody likes to experience what I can only describe as licking an ashtray, but with KeTo it mixes surprisingly well with the sweet malt and hint of bitter chocolate.  The tobacco flavour is definitely there but it's not overpowering and works well with the complex flavours.  I also detected a slight spiciness that reminded me of cola.

It's very smooth and full bodied, as you would expect from a porter and it's so softly carbonated that each mouthful gives your tongue a little tickle.  Although it feels like quite a light porter, it packs a surprising punch at 6.5% ABV.  With the adventurous mix of flavours, it's something quite different and one I'd definitely recommend trying.

Brewed by Birra del Borgo, Italy

6.5% ABV

My rating:

Find out more at Birra del Borgo

Birra del Borgo Cortigiana

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:

Find out more at Birra del Borgo

Beery Christmas Day 24

The final day is here.  Have Beer Hawk saved their best for last?  I think I will cry if it's another IPA...

The final beer is Cortigiana from Birra del Borgo in Italy in a really eyecatching and unusual shaped bottle.  Beer Hawk do call it a pale ale but Birra del Borgo call it a golden ale so I'll let them off with this one.

Birra del Borgo's website describes Cortigiana as:

Just like a lady from bygone days, Cortigiana makes the most of her arts of seduction to conquer every palate. First she entices with her bewitching freshness, then she reveals its determined attitude that promptly leads you to the second sip. It's hard to resist her charming aroma, where the citrus and floral scents given by the hop melt with the malt's honey notes; an intriguing spicy note in the finish adds a certain je ne sais quoi to this easy drinkable beer. You can betray her, but never say farewell to her!

5% in a 330ml bottle

Buy it from Beer Gonzo for £3.50 or Beer Hawk for £2.99

Well that's all the doors of the advent calendar open...so all that's left to do now is try all of the beers!  Keep an eye on my blog as I review all the beers in the calendar over the next few weeks.