O'Brien's Italian Beer Night

April 8th I went to O’Brien’s. Vince from Pizza Port was making pizzas in the pizza wagon. Tom had some very interesting Italian Beers on…glad I tried them all!

First was Birrificio di Como Malthus Birolla. It had a ‘naturally inoculated’ funk; a flavor and aroma not for the uninitiated. This was a ”Chestnut Ale” that poured cloudy.

Up next was Picollo Birrificio Chiostro. This beer also poured cloudy but with a dense white head that left Belgian Lace on the glass. The beer had an unidentifiable sweet edge to it and is made with wormwood.

I was blown away by Birrificio del Ducato Verdi Imperial Stout. A meaty brown/black imperial stout with a heavy chocolate edge accentuated with the perfect balance of hot chili – a touch of heat up front and lingering. I’ve had chili in a number of chocolate candy bars. I think this was even better; it achieved the perfect balancing act.

The last Italian was Birrificio Troll Shangri-La. This was an amber ale with floaties. The beer is made with tandori spices. A wonderful idea, and I think the flavor was very nice, but the beer could use a bit more spice in the aroma.

O’Brien’s is known for Belgian beer. These were a wonderful addition to the line-up. A real treat to see how far out there you can go with a beer recipe if you allow yourself to dream big!