Beer of the week – Birra del Borgo ReAle

Italian brewer Birra del Borgo has featured in these pages before with their Duchessa saison; but their star continues to rise in Australia, thanks in no small part to their (or their local representative’s) shrewd move to have their products stocked by both the Dan Murphy’s barns and in many BWS stores (both, of course, owned by Woolworths). As a result, Birra del Borgo has gone from being an elusive import to something in easy reach of most Australians.

While the company seems to have a liking for saisons (they have no less than 3 saison style offerings available in this country alone), ReAle is an American pale ale (not to be confused with its big brother, ReAle Extra; which is an IPA). Indeed, this was one of BDB’s first offerings when they launched in 2005.

One great thing about Birra del Borgo is that many of their beers come in larger sizes. This one is available in 750 ml bottles, a size favoured by many an aficionado.

The beer pours a clear brick red/amber with a one-finger, slightly off-white, head that laces well. The carbonation is very fine – another plus.

I was able to extract aromas of lemon, pine needles, flowers, light caramel and a touch of pepper from very prominent nose (that’s the beer’s nose; not mine). The taste starts out with some biscuity malt but that quickly gives way to a firm lemon zest bitterness with pine overtones. That soon slips away to a slightly sweet finish with a really interesting peppery aftertaste.

As mentioned above, ReAle is perhaps surprisingly widely available; both at the big barns and at smaller bottleshops. You should expect to pay around $13 – $16 for a 750 ml bottle currently; which is pretty good value really.

Rarity – Amager Christianshavn

This is one to get excited about.

I’d been in a bit of a post-Christmas beer funk recently. I’d had a few good brews, but mostly some fairly ordinary stuff, and in semi-desperation had gone back to a few favourites to tide me over. Then I decided that this just wasn’t good enough, so I took myself off to a local specialty retailer (Next Door Cellars at the Archive Beer Boutique in Brisbane) and snapped a few bottles that looked interesting. This was the first one I opened.

I think I was attracted at first by the rustic-looking label (and the handy 500 ml size – just about a pint in the old money). But this beer is about more than just pretty packaging.

It looks great in the glass – a deep amber with a tight-packed white head. Aromas of pine, tropical fruits and floral notes come through strongly on the nose.

The taste starts off with fresh fruit before a big hop bitterness washes in, but fades away in the back end. The back palate flavours are dominated by biscuity malt. This beer seems like it wants to be an IPA; but then it just pulls back at the end to stay within the advertised APA style.

Surprisingly, given the big flavours this thing delivers, the finish is light and clean; and there’s a really great aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

Balanced, smooth and very refreshing, this is definitely one of the best beers I’ve had so far this year, and one I’m very happy to recommend.

Amager is based in Denmark, and is one of the many excellent Scandinavian breweries producing quality stuff at the moment. That also however means it may be a little hard to find. As noted, I picked some up at Archive Beer Boutique in Brisbane. You should try your local specialist retailer, or jump on to one of the many good online stores in Australia.