Are you looking for the best Italian beer brands?
Italy is famous for its fashion brands, delicate wines, pizza, and pasta, but do you ever wonder if they also produce the finest beers? Yes, they do. In fact, there are quite a number of exquisite Italian breweries.
Beer-making in Italy is also as fantastic as their pasta and wine making. In this article, we’ll discuss the popular Italian beers that you must try, but first let us delve into a little history of beer making in Italy.
The first real beers in the history of beer making in Italy were flavored with hazelnuts, honey, pomegranate, grapes, and others.
In 1847, hops began to be cultivated in Italy for the purpose of beer brewing. The first person to do this was Gaetano Pasqui, an Italian agronomist from Forlì in the Romagna region. His own craft brewery was set up in 1835, which makes it one of if not the oldest Italian craft beer.
The first brewery in Italy, called Spluga, is said to have opened in 1829 in Brescia. However, some claim that it took place in 1840 and in the historic town of Chiavenna, in the heart of the Alpine Valchiavenna region in Northern Italy.
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Italian beer is renowned for its lager beers, which tend to be fruity in flavor, with noteworthy concentrations of malt and hops.
However, what sets Italian beers apart from the rest is the fermentation process employed in making this beverage. Italian beers are fermented in higher temperatures, which provide the sweeter taste compared with those produced at lower temperatures.
According to AssoBirra, Italian beer exports have reached an all-time high of around 3.5 million hectoliters, with consistent and nearly uninterrupted growth since 2015.
The United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as well as France, Romania, Germany, and Malta are the top importing countries.
Outside of Europe, Italian beer is trendy in the United States (seventh in the overall ranking), Australia, and South Africa.
We’ve selected and evaluated the best Italian beers to assist you in finding your favorite. These brews pride the romantic country with distinct and memorable flavors, and they are among our favorite beer brands Made in Italy.
11 Best Italian Beer Brands
Let’s jump into our list of the 11 best Italian beer brands.
1. Peroni
Peroni is one of the top Italian beer brands. Born in 1846, Peroni tells the Italian story through sustainable and innovative quality. Rome, Bari, and Padua produce it. Its secret is carefully selected raw materials (like Italian malt) and meticulous production processes.
Peroni “lager” is the brand’s best-selling beer, available in multiple formats and recently redesigned. The selection includes several “special” beers: Peroni Gran Riserva, unpasteurized Peroni, Peroni Chill with lemon, and Peroncino — a beer with a light body but great aromatic complexity.
Peroni brewery in Rome has produced Peroni Nastro Azzurro since the 1960s. It was named after the Italian transatlantic ocean liner SS Rex. Various Italian corn gives this beer a dry, fragrant flavor and intense hop aroma.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro is the world’s best-selling Italian beer, exported to over 70 countries. The label was recently redesigned to emphasize the product’s Italian origins and Peroni family ties. The Red “Peroni” logo stands out above “Nastro Azzurro.”
2. Birra Moretti
Birra Moretti is a popular Italian beer overseas. It was born in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in 1859 and quickly became a symbol. Luigi Moretti, a member of a family of wealthy merchants, founded the company.
Birra Moretti produces Italian regional beers such as Sicilian, Piedmontese, Tuscan, and Pugliese beers.
Birra Moretti was purchased by Heineken Italia in 1996. Birra Moretti is no longer just an Italian beer. The world appreciates its history, traditions, uniqueness, and taste.
Moretti, La Rossa, Doppio Malto, Baffo d’oro, Zero, and Gran Cru are now produced at four Heineken plants in Italy: Assemini, Comun Nuovo, Massafra, and Pollein.
This beer’s label features a mustachioed man.
3. Angelo Poretti
Angelo Poretti founded Birrificio Poretti (Poretti Brewery) in Olona, in Lombardy‘s province of Varese in 1876.
In 1973, it joined the Danish Carlsberg group, which began buying shares in 1982. It bought the whole property in 2002. In 2007, Poretti Brewery underwent a massive rebranding effort.
Beer lovers can visit the museum near the production plant to learn about Angelo Poretti’s brewery and how beers are made. A tour begins in the Cooking Room, the heart of the Brewery’s production. It continues in the park where Villa Magnani, where the founder’s grandson resides, is located.
During the tour, you can taste the beers produced here up to the Brewery shop, the last stop.
4. Menabrea
Menabrea is a well-known Italian beer brand produced by the namesake company, whose historic headquarters and brewery are located in Biella, Piedmont, where it was founded in 1846.
However, the company did not take its current name until 1872, when it was purchased by Giuseppe Menabrea, who left it to Augusto Antoniotti and Emilio Thedy after his death.
The Thedy family would own the brand until 1991, when it was purchased by the Forst group.
Annexed to the factory is the beer museum, which is divided into a series of historical relics that show the various systems adapted over time for the production of this popular drink.
Around 110,000 hectoliters of beer are produced yearly under Menabrea brand. A portion of these quantities is destined for export. Menabrea is available in 25 countries.
Menabrea beer has won prestigious awards in its over a century and a half of existence, owing to the undisputed quality of its product.
5. Birra Castello
Birra Castello SpA, a Friulian beer factory, was established in 1997 in San Giorgio di Nogaro, Udine Province. It quickly became known for the high quality and authenticity of its beers. It also inherits a significant legacy: that of Birra Moretti, from which it took over the production complex.
In addition to owning one of the most modern Italian breweries, Castello can draw on a local brewing tradition refined over a century of operation as well as management and control techniques passed down from multinationals – such as Labatt, Interbrew, and Heineken – who took over as CEO of the former Friulian company.
Castello Bionda beer is a premium low-fermentation beer with a light golden color, intense hop flavor, and fine perlage. Castello Bionda beer develops a fine and compact foam upon pouring, releasing a fierce hoppy note and powerful vegetable aromas.
It has a harmonious and well-balanced taste on the palate because it balances the sweet sensations of the malt with the aromatic of the hops, becoming the relatively persistent final note.
6. Forst
One thing that makes Forst beers so good is that they use water from the source of Mount San Giuseppe, which is very clean. If the raw materials are suitable, making something will also be good.
The Forst brand, which is still owned by the Fuchs family, has a strict quality policy based on freshness.
The Forst Sixtus is one of its most well-known beers. It is a dark brown doppelbock that smells sweet and tastes like caramel and malt. For example, up to 50% of the beer is sold in kegs and isn’t pasteurized.
Forst first made this double malt beer in 1901, and the name is a tribute to San Sisto, or Sixtus in German. It’s a classic example of low-fermentation beer: the foam is tight and stays put, and the alcohol level (6.5%) is good.
7. Ichnusa
Ichnusa, a famous Italian beer, has been telling the story of Sardinia for over 100 years.
In 1963, Ichnusa’s beer plant moved from Cagliari to Assemini. The new plant features cylindrical and vertical fermentation tanks, which were the first in Italy.
Ichnusa is a full-bodied, barley-malt beer with a bitter finish. Light barley malt and caramel barley malt give this unfiltered beer herbaceous and exotic scents. The International Taste & Quality Institute of Brussels awarded it the Superior Taste Award.
Ichnusa Cruda, an unpasteurized, intensely flavored light beer, was created for the centennial.
In 1986, Heineken (Holland) bought this Italian beer brand, but the beer is still made in Assemini.
8. Morena
The Tarricone family bought the 1980s-founded company and turned it into a family business in 1999. The factory is in Balvano, Potenza.
Birra Morena is a relaunch point between the industrial world and local breweries to create an independent distribution.
Giuseppe Tarricone’s progenitor had several vineyards and produced excellent wine in the early 1900s. Birra Morena, a national industrial reality, has established itself as an all-Italian brewing center.
Morena beers have won various awards over the years, including the 2018 Gold Medal at the Craft Competition International Awards (USA) and three Gold Medals in the Italian beer category at the WBA in London in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Morena Celtica Sweet Stout won the 2017 WBA in London for the best sweet stout.
9. Birrificio Montegioco
For the best Italian beers, you should not miss Quarta Runa – especially if you’re a fan of fruity beers. It is added with the well-known Volpedo peaches that are grown in the town of Volpedo, near Montegioco, where this beer is made.
The primary flavor of Quarta Runa is peach, with bitter almond undertones. A subtle hoppiness adds a kick to the beer without overpowering the fruit flavor. The brew is easy to drink and tastes like summer, lingering on the palate long after the last sip.
This crisp, bright beer is crafted by Birrificio Montegioco (Montegioco Brewery), an Italian brewery founded in 2005 in the village of Val Grue in Montegioco, part of the Piedmontese province of Allesandria.
The Birrificio Montegioco brand also produces other popular Italian beers such as the Montegioco Draco (with added organic blueberry syrup and has a dark ruby color and almost no foam), Montegioco Tibir (floral and fruity aroma, noted for its sourness and sparkling consistency), and Montegioco Montelupo Famelica (strong blonde ale with slightly bitter, strong malt taste).
10. Birra del Borgo
Birra del Borgo is one of the most popular craft breweries in Italy, located in Borgorose, about 60 miles east of Rome.
Since its establishment in 2005, Birra del Borgo has crafted many popular Italian beers, including Cortigiana which takes a Belgian favorite and gives it an Italian twist. Cortigiana changes the recipe by adding oat flakes and cereal wheat. Ginger, coriander, and orange peel give this beer a unique flavor that many beer lovers like.
Birra del Borgo’s ReAle, an Indian pale ale, holds the record for being the first beer to ever be brewed in Borgorose. After almost two decades, it still remains a huge favorite. ReAle has intense aromas of pepper and citrus fruits. It is amber in color, with a mouthfeel that leads to a persistent and intense bitterness.
11. Lambrate Brewery
In 1996, Lambrate Brewery pioneered an innovative approach to beer-making. The brewery does not pasteurize or filter its beer, resulting in distinct and memorable brews.
One of the most popular Italian beers, Lambrate Ghisa is a dark beer in smoked stout style that bears a unique flavor profile with notes of cocoa, licorice, and dried fruit. Lambrate toasts Ghisa’s malts, adding a touch of bitterness for a flavor you can’t get enough of.
Lambrate Brewery offers a wide selection for all tastes. It is the go-to brewery for drinking an excellent craft beer in Milan. It’s located in the brewery’s namesake district – Lambrate – in the Lombard capital.