Soaking Up the Suds

by James Crane

Birra Moretti, summer in a glass
As I’ve mentioned before, there are only two main types of beer in the beer world — ales and lagers. The main difference is mainly in the style of yeast used. Lager yeasts ferment from the bottom while ale yeasts ferment from the top. Each of these impart a number of different tastes and characteristics on the brew itself.
Generally, I prefer a good ale. Though each of these styles differs greatly from brew to brew, lagers are generally lighter while ales tend to be larger and more robust. I’ve certainly had brews from each of these styles that prove this wrong, but its a decent generalization. Ales are for the sprint. Lagers are for the marathon.
With summer closing in, the idea of a nice, crisp lager is becoming more and more appealing. It’s nice to have a brew that’s crisp and refreshing as the sun gets hotter. A light lager is great for barbecuing, mowing the lawn, or just plain drinking the evening away after a hot day.
This week, I picked up a bottle of Birra Moretti from Italy. It poured a light yellow color, almost golden. There was a decent enough head that left a surprising amount of lacing as it dissipated.
There was an incredible amount of carbonation apparent with a never ending stream of bubbles rising rapidly through the glass. Visually, it was great example of the style.
The scent was subtle. There was a little bit of citrus and that sort of “skunked” scent that many Euro Lagers tend to have. It wasn’t that the beer was actually skunked, just that is had a certain, shall we say, earthy scent to it. Think Heineken for a good example of what I’m talking about.
The taste, while decent, was simple. There was a bit of citrus flavor as well as some subdued grain taste. The earthiness was apparent in the taste as well. What was a slight surprise was the amount of hop presence. The brew had a nice amount of bitter in its after taste that seemed to linger just a bit. It wasn’t overpowering by any means, just decently present. Nothing really jumped out in the forefront, but that is kind of the point.
The body was light and incredibly drinkable. The beer was well carbonated with a dry finish, creating a very nice crispness. This brew would make an excellent palate cleanser as the bubbles excite and distract the taste buds while the slight hoppyness of it drowns out any lingering flavors. Being itself indistinct, it would make a good pairing with most any food. It certainly wouldn’t distract from the flavors.
Ultimately, it’s an incredibly drinkable brew. It clocks in at an ABV 4.6 percent, which is a little on the low end. That just means you have an excuse to drink even more of them. This isn’t a complex brew with endless levels of intricacies; it’s straight forward and just does exactly what it means to do. If you’re looking to have a simple beer with your meal or pick up a lighter brew that you can drink a lot of, Birra Moretti might be exactly what you need. It’s unoffensive and easy, and there’s nothing wrong with that.