- Location
- San Diego
We've just come back from a month in Italy, which included a week in Montepulciano, where my wife was studying at Il Sasso, an Italian language school.
My body clock is still tuned in to Italian time (nine-hours ahead), which is brutal.
Although the trip focused on wine, we did find some good beer spots, including the fabulous Baladin Brewery in Rome.
In Siena, we came across Sindie, a classic beer bar, which was a bit of a shrine to American breweries. We tried a couple of great (canned) IPA's from Alder Brewing, out of Seregno. Boss Robot Hazy DIPA and Pismo Beach West Coast DIPA both came in at 8.5% and wouldn't be out of place in any U.S. taproom.
I then moved onto 2999 Stout (on tap at 5.0%) from Monpier De Gherdeina Brewery in Val Gardena. This was an Italian take on an Irish Dry Stout and was excellent, with chocolate and coffee notes. All their beers are named after altitudes, as the brewery is close to the Tyrol, in the Italian Alps.
After Siena, we had very commendable beers in Florence and Venice, but as they say, "All roads lead to Rome" and our visit to Baladin Brewery was the height of our beer journey. They have several taprooms up north, including ones in Milan and Turin.
In Rome, their taproom featured 39 beers on tap. I started with their Mielika Honey Ale (9.0%), which was gorgeous. This was the second Honey Ale I had tasted on this trip, the other being Comedia Brewery Honey Ale (6.3%).
Next up was Baladin's Noel Chocolat (8.5%), their Christmas dark ale, with aromas of chocolate with light roasted notes of dried fruit, chocolate and cereal. Rich and creamy!
Finally, the jewel in their crown, Xyauyu' Barrel-Aged Barley Wine 2018 (13.8%). Baladin had no less than seven Barley Wines on tap and after my wife translated the description of each one for me, this one was my choice.
Brewed with liquorice and hazelnuts and aged in Rum barrels, I can say this was the best Barley Wine I've ever tasted. All the flavour profiles were in moderation and this beauty was the classic sipper. I picked up a bottle of their orange and chocolate dark ale, to share with our pals at Pure Project Brewing in San Diego and then we called it a day.
Quite an eye-opening trip with some unexpected brewing delights.
My body clock is still tuned in to Italian time (nine-hours ahead), which is brutal.
Although the trip focused on wine, we did find some good beer spots, including the fabulous Baladin Brewery in Rome.
In Siena, we came across Sindie, a classic beer bar, which was a bit of a shrine to American breweries. We tried a couple of great (canned) IPA's from Alder Brewing, out of Seregno. Boss Robot Hazy DIPA and Pismo Beach West Coast DIPA both came in at 8.5% and wouldn't be out of place in any U.S. taproom.
I then moved onto 2999 Stout (on tap at 5.0%) from Monpier De Gherdeina Brewery in Val Gardena. This was an Italian take on an Irish Dry Stout and was excellent, with chocolate and coffee notes. All their beers are named after altitudes, as the brewery is close to the Tyrol, in the Italian Alps.
After Siena, we had very commendable beers in Florence and Venice, but as they say, "All roads lead to Rome" and our visit to Baladin Brewery was the height of our beer journey. They have several taprooms up north, including ones in Milan and Turin.
In Rome, their taproom featured 39 beers on tap. I started with their Mielika Honey Ale (9.0%), which was gorgeous. This was the second Honey Ale I had tasted on this trip, the other being Comedia Brewery Honey Ale (6.3%).
Next up was Baladin's Noel Chocolat (8.5%), their Christmas dark ale, with aromas of chocolate with light roasted notes of dried fruit, chocolate and cereal. Rich and creamy!
Finally, the jewel in their crown, Xyauyu' Barrel-Aged Barley Wine 2018 (13.8%). Baladin had no less than seven Barley Wines on tap and after my wife translated the description of each one for me, this one was my choice.
Brewed with liquorice and hazelnuts and aged in Rum barrels, I can say this was the best Barley Wine I've ever tasted. All the flavour profiles were in moderation and this beauty was the classic sipper. I picked up a bottle of their orange and chocolate dark ale, to share with our pals at Pure Project Brewing in San Diego and then we called it a day.
Quite an eye-opening trip with some unexpected brewing delights.
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