Best Italian Beer Guide: Top 15 Beers To Try

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Peroni - Nastro Azzurro

We simply can’t start our list of must-try Italian beers without talking about Peroni. As you already know, Peroni is the most popular Italian beer produced.

While the brand offers a wide range of great tasting beers, the most popular beer they produce is their pale lager that goes by the name Nastro Azzurro. 

Particularly enjoyed across Italy and the United States, Peroni offers simplistic, yet refreshing tasting beer that is made following family traditions that date back to 1846.

While it is seen as an accessible beer, for many, Peroni is a posh beer that comes with a clean, sophisticated, and crisp finish. 

First distributed worldwide in 1990, Peroni’s beer is made using a unique blend of high-quality ingredients.

Considered the best Italian beer on offer, this beer is made with a blend of Italian maize, two-row, spring-planted barley, and water. 

You can buy Peroni’s Nastro Azzuro on Amazon.com.

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Peroni - Gran Riserva

To mark its 150th anniversary as a brewery, in 1996, Peroni blessed us with its Gran Riserva. Brewed in Rome, the Gran Riserva beer is made using Saaz hops and Prisma Barley malt. After 8 weeks of brewing, the beer is ready to enjoy. 

In terms of taste, this refreshing beer is a sweet, yet also slightly acidic concoction that leaves caramel and toffee notes on your taste buds.

While this beer was always going to be popular, as it is made from Peroni, the favorable 5.1% alcohol content also helps. 

Another neat touch with this beer is that it is served in a unique wine-like bottle instead of Peroni’s traditional beer bottles.

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Birra Moretti - L’Auntenica Beer

Birra Moretti is another extremely popular Italian beer brand. This award-winning brand, like Peroni, is considered to be one of the best and most popular beers in not just Italy, but the world.

The company was founded in 1859 by Luigi Moretti, who first called his brand ‘beer and ice factory’.

Birra Moretti’s most popular beer is a lager called L’Auntenica. A traditional lager, you simply have to try this beer if you get the chance.

Offering distinctive hops and a signature aroma, Moretti makes this beer using an authentic, traditional approach. 

The result is a well-balanced, aromatic bitter taste that is very drinkable. A very versatile beer, high-quality malts help provide a lush golden hue. 

If you’re seeking an authentic, unique beer, this could be the perfect choice for you.

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Birra Moretti - La Rossa

Birra Moretti also produces their own wonderful take on doppelbock with a delightful full-bodied beer called La Rossa. La Rossa is well worth a try for its soft fragrance and bitter aftertaste that the hops provide.

Made with caramelized malt flavors, you can expect the beer to hold a very bold roasted aroma. Another great point to mention regarding Birra Moretti beer is its color. La Rossa has a unique amber color. This color originates from the 100% high-quality barley malt used to make the beer. 

You can buy Birra Moretti’s La Rossa beer here!

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Birra del Borgo - Lisa

Birra del Borgo is relatively new to the Italian beer scene, only opening its first brewery in 2005. The brewery can be found in Borgorose which is an area of Italy known for its thick forests, tall mountains, and picturesque lakes. 

This area was chosen by Birra del Borgo because they strive to connect their beer to the natural world by using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.

They also work with local vineyards, businesses, and farmers. An impressive 80% of the brand's malts are sourced from their local Italian region.

Known for classic, ‘bizarre’, and seasonal beers, Birra del Borgo’s most popular beer is their classic lager.

Labeled as Lisa, Birra del Borgo’s classic golden lager, is beautifully crispy, coming with elegant aromas. To top this beer off, honey is added to help balance the bitter, dry finish. 

Beautifully fresh and light, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Lisa.

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Birra del Borgo - My Antonia

Birra del Borgo’s other popular lager is My Antonia. My Antonia is unlike any other Italian lager as it dares to combine both Italian and American beers. This is done by using both American and European hops.

Perfectly paired with red meat, this beer blends explosive alcoholic flavors with only the very best dry hops. 

If you’re looking to try a more unique Italian beer, this revolutionary beer is perfect. It does an amazing job at renewing the Pilsner styles in an intense, full-bodied beer.

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Birra del Borgo - ReAle

Another great Italian beer on offer from Birra del Borgo is ReAle. This absolute classic is actually the first beer Birra del Borgo ever brewed. With its roots firmly in Borgorose, this beer follows the traditions of English India Pale Ale. 

With this beer, you can expect an intense American hops scent, divine citrusy notes, and a unique, yet wonderfully intense peppery flavor.

And, with ReAle and its lovely amber color, Birra del Borgo has done an amazing job at combining the styles of English ales with those of Italy. The end result is a beer that gives new life and an exciting new taste. 

Birra del Borgo’s ReAle can be purchased on their online store.

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Birra del Borgo - Seasonal Beers

We’re not finished with Birra del Borgo just yet, as we haven’t mentioned their amazing seasonal beers.

Offering a whole range dedicated to seasonal beers, Birra del Borgo produces ales and buckwheat classics that can be enjoyed throughout the year.

With festive notes of raisin, honey, nuts, and orange peel, probably the best of these seasonal beers is their Italian Christmas Ale.

Known by the name 25 Twelve in reference to Christmas day, no traditional Italian brewing methods are used to produce this beer.

Instead, Birra del Borgo uses Belgian brewing tradition to make this beer. Having said that, a renewed, more modern recipe is used. 

Drinking this beer creates a new way to celebrate while recalling all the sweet ingredients of Christmas in the process.

You can expect a current, caramel flavor with a bitter finish from this beer.

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Birra del Borgo - Bizarre Beers

While Birra del Borgo is famed for its classic beers and real ales, they also show they're not scared to try something new and crazy with the production of Bizarre beers.

Taking inspiration from a whole host of interesting and quite frankly crazy places, Borgo has made some super interesting, quite wild beers. 

One of the best Bizarre beers has to be their CaOs beer. This beer takes traditions and techniques historically used to make wine and uses them to produce a truly one-of-a-kind beer. 

A deep golden color, this Italian grape ale has the unique fragrance of apricot and musk. These fragrances are accompanied by soft fruity aromas and refreshing acidic white berries. 

This beer is a real Italian masterpiece if you like trying something unique.

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Forst - Premium Lager

The next Italian beer in our guide that you have to try is Forst’s Premium Lager. Forst has been producing Italian beer since 1857 when they were first founded in the Italian Alps.

Since then, this family-run business has become one of the most well-recognized brands when it comes to producing high-quality Italian beer.

The brand's biggest seller is its Premium Lager. Forst’s Premium Lager is an Italian classic. A refreshing beverage, this beer balances the presence of malt and hops perfectly, giving us a divine aromatic finish too.

A pale golden color and present carbonation, make the beer very easy to drink and also very versatile.

You can buy Premium Lager on Forst’s website.

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Forst - Sixtus Doppelbock

Those of you who prefer a darker beer will much prefer Forst’s Sixtus Doppelbock beer. Forst’s Sixtus Doppelbock beer offers the perfect combination of strong malt flavors and delightfully warm toast spices and caramel notes. 

First made in 1901, the captivating flavors of this beer will have you closing your eyes in an attempt to savor every drop. To produce this beer, Forst uses a special fermentation process that works wonders when it comes to capturing every flavor. 

As a result of this fermentation process, we are treated to a fantastically harmonious bock beer that provides us with authentic Starkbier and artisan recollections.

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Forst - V.I.P Pils

With V.I.P Pils, Forst has made a beautifully elegant beer that you are sure to enjoy. Offering a refined experience, this beer is fresh, dry, and smooth on the palate. 

In terms of production, this Pils is made from high-quality pilsner malt, aromatic hops, and fresh spring water.

To then make the beer taste so good and elegant, the ingredients are put through a special aging process that makes a lovely aroma of hops and grains, and a dense foam that tastes refreshing in every sip.

Forst’s V.I.P Pils can also be purchased on the Forst website.

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Menabrea - Bionda Lager

Menabrea is fast becoming one of the biggest, most-well-loved beer brands in Italy. With a brewery well and truly rooted in tradition, Menabrea takes a traditional approach to produce top-quality Italian beer.

Honoring both Italian heritage and tradition to make their beer, unlike Birra del Borgo, Menabrea has a stronger desire to make simplistic, yet divine classic lagers. 

First brewing beer in 1846, this beer brand is most recognized for its Bionda Lager. Winner of three gold medals at the Beer World Championships, Bionda Lager is made from Menebrea’s unique bottom-fermenting yeast.

Locally sourced mountain water from the Italian Alps is also used. To give the beer a light, sweet taste and a bright hue, Hallertau Magnum hop, maize, and barley malt are combined. 

This sweetness is then wonderfully combined with hop bitterness. 

Buy yourself some Bionda Lager at Drizzly.com.

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Menabrea - Ambrata Lager

Menabrea’s Ambrata Lager shouldn’t be overlooked either. This lager is actually one of Menabrea’s biggest sellers across America.

An amber-colored lager, this beer features a complex aroma, substantial body, and roasted barley malt. 

The addition of extra alcohol is what makes the beer more complex, and the delicious caramel and toffee flavors are what makes the beer so inviting and drinkable.

With a slight hint of bitterness too, this lager is perfect for those hot days in the sun with family and friends. 

You can buy Ambrata Lager at Drizzly.com.

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Birra Montegioco - Quarta Runa

Birra Montegioco is only a small microbrewery found in Piedmont. Despite only being a small brewery, the brand's specialty beers and real ales have found a way onto the international market.

While the brand sells a wide range of interesting sour ales and wines, the beer to look out for is their Quarta Runa.

Brewed using the unique aroma of locally baked peaches, this beer has an alcohol percentage of 7%, a notable flavor, and undeniable notes of baked fruits and warm spices. 

As a result of these wonderful notes, it comes as no surprise that this beer is most commonly paired with camembert cheese and slices of pie.

You can buy a bottle of Quarta Runa from Birra Montegioco’s website.