“Orange colour West Coast style IPA. Dry and very hoppy.
Grapefruit and peach nose with fruity and citrus aroma.
Very american beer…”
From the bottle we served this into an IPA glass and witnessed a frenzy of foam, to the tune of about 2 inches that eventually settled to a well retained 1/2 inch cap. Tonnes of blotchy lacing is being omitted. Off the nose we detect big, sticky, resinous hops that are generously providing wafts of pine, grapefruit, peach, mandarin, wood, spruce, honey, booze and pepper. Quite astringent actually, and is quite similar to Birra del Borgo’s re Ale. Must be a hallmark of Italian IPA’s. Whatever it is, it’s working. In the mouth we’re enjoying a frothy texture with medium carbonation. Medium-full bodied. Upfront a citrus explosion is set off on the tongue, lending zesty notes of orange and mandarin that are promoted by an evident alcohol warming. The 70 IBU’s offer an assertive bitterness that opens up in the mid-palate and is nicely mellowed by hints of honey that represents the mild pale malt base. The dry and bitter finish is accentuated with good duration as the 7% ABV leaves a light sting in the tail. Can’t fault much in this IPA, it’s an absolute cracker. The burgeoning craft beer scene in Italy is surely in good hands if beers of this calibre are consistently being brought out.