No other town like Milan suggests ‘made in Italy’ to the world. In either New York or Tokyo, either Shanghai or London, thanks to fashion and design by means of which the Lombard regional capital imposed its renown all over the world, evoking its name is enough for people who are fond of the beauty of life to immediately grasp the positive idea of Italian spirit. All this concerns beer, too. The producers of ‘Oro di Milano’ have been conscious of this from the very beginning. Their trademark has been carefully designed in order to characterize a line of very high quality artisan beers produced by Bere Italia, a company that chose the mission of producing and selecting quality wines, too, with special care for international markets, where the informed, attentive consumers, able to distinguish excellent products, are more and more numerous.
Alessio Pezzoni, managing director of Bere Italia, tells: «We immediately decided to orientate ourselves towards export after observing the increasing appreciation in the USA for artisan beer, there known as ‘craft beer’. This success is motivated by boredom that the evolved consumer shows for industrial, standardized products». In the USA ‘Oro di Milano’ boasts one of the most reliable supplier of drinks as its commercial partner, Southern Wine and Spirits, while in both Italy and Europe its sales network counts about 40 specialized operators, with the support of e-commerce through the website. This way, the trademark can easily and directly reach the final consumer, who can buy online these wonderful beers, maybe for presenting them as certainly original gifts.
Three beers for different type of sensorial experience
The first beer, in order of both alcoholic content and required engagement in facing it, is Puro Malto. It is clear, lager (that is at low fermentation), intensely straw-coloured, and with an alcoholic content of 5.1%. The name itself evokes a malted, intense and pleasant flavour, preceded to the nose by a persisting aroma of hop that wins the thick persistence of the snow-white hat of foam that forms when the beer is poured into the glass.
Puro Malto, rather light and fresh, can be sipped in a very simple way, notwithstanding its refined flavour, suitable for accompanying the times of relax devoted to an aperitif at the end of a working day. It blends well with the sweetness of Parma ham, light and not very elaborate little pizzas, or with some traditional first courses of Italian cooking, such as tortellini soup, stirred rice flavoured with saffron, or spaghetti with clams. Its aromatic quality also goes well with fried fish, golden as it is, so that they seal an ideal chromatic union. Delicate meats, too, such as calf steak, constitute a good combination with Puro Malto.
A more demanding ale (therefore at high fermentation) obtained by excellent malts, obtained by selected barley. From the roasting of barley, this beer inherits an intense golden colour that gratifies the eye even before the olfactory satisfaction due to the notes of honey and caramel through its dense foam. These notes persist at the level of palate, where the alcoholic content of 6.5% begins to be considerable, and therefore it requires a higher commitment in tasting it.
Doppio Malto has a preference for richer first courses, seasoned with meat sauces, various salami and cold pork meats, middle seasoning cheeses, and red meats with sauces. Another combination for people who are able to ‘dare’ is with chocolate-based sweets.
Meditating with ‘Riserva Speciale’
It is an ale one, too, and its alcoholic content is 8.2%. Therefore, it is also a beer for sincere meditation. It is the top of this series, with its warm, copper colour, that comes from a mixture of noble malts, with a dense and creamy foam. Riserva Speciale, with its intriguing scent, perfectly balanced body and alcohol, surprises for its finely spiced flavour, thanks to the delicate note of liquorice.
For the strong ‘Riserva Speciale’, the most suitable combinations are the ones with seasoned cheeses, marbled, too, important salami and cold pork meats, and the consumers who appreciate alimentary styles of Northern Europe can combine it with shellfishes and crustaceans with a heady sea flavour.