From charming to avant-garde, these Italian beers—all available stateside—will make you rethink wine country.
Birrificio Montegioco Quarta Runa: The brewer cooks local Volpedo peaches until they reach a jamlike consistency, then tosses them into the fermentation tank with a Belgian blond. The process packs the delicate base style with bold, sweet-tart peach notes.
Birra Amarcord AMA Bionda: Kissed with honey and orange blossom notes, this collaboration between Brooklyn Brewing’s Garrett Oliver and Italian brewery Amarcord was inspired by their encounter with late Italian neorealist Tonino Guerra (best known for co-writing the 1973 film “Amarcord” with Federico Fellini).
Birra Almond ’22 Farrotta: A simple, elegant offering from an eastern coastal brewery, Farrotta is a golden ale brewed with spelt and almond honey sourced from beekeepers in nearby Abruzzo. Citrusy hop notes pair perfectly with light honey sweetness and a soft bed of wheat malts.
Birrificio Italiano Scires: Hailing from northern Italy, this blended sour ale’s funky wild yeast, lactic bacteria and black cherries coalesce in a brash profile that balances sweet and sour in a mouthful of rich fruit.
Birrificio Del Ducato Nuova Mattina: This saison (named after the Bob Dylan song “New Morning”) channels a blossoming spring field, and it’s brewed with a pasture of specialty ingredients: Green pepper, chamomile, coriander and ginger weave a rustic, floral character into a fair-weather ale.
Birra Amiata Contessa: Contessa—billed as an Italian pale ale—floods the palate with American hop notes like vibrant grapefruit, juicy orange and touches of apricot. Sweet, bready malts temper the hop bite for a soft, elegant swallow.
OR SWAP IN…: See why chestnut beers are all the rage in Italy: Birrificio Grado Plato Strada San Felice is a luscious, 8%-ABV sipping beer that swells with sweet toffee, dark fruits and rich nuttiness.