Cinta senese, a story of ancient and magnificent flavors

What can't be missing on my table? There's no doubt about it: the beer!
Clear, dark, bitter, sweet, fruity, artisanal... There are so many styles! Listing all the types of beer will be difficult, but I will try to draw up a list that includes the most famous and most consumed ones and, of course, I will rely on the tastes of the beer lover... that is me!

At the table with Dariusz: the six styles I prefer compared

Let's start by saying that the 'types' of beer are called styles, and they are many, branched into complex families that have hundreds of shades and substyles.
To list the various types, I would start with the beers considered “lighter” and then end with the more demanding ones.
I have identified approximately 6 categories among those that I like the most and that I consume most often.

In first place I decided to place the beer, which in my opinion is the “cleanest” one, the one you drink with pizza, so to speak, and that if you are not really an expert they give you at the pub when you ask for “a normal beer, thank you”.
I'm talking about the Pils! Also called Pilsner, or Pilsener, it is a traditional German and Bohemian beer (in fact it has origins in the Czech Republic).
The Pils is clear, very hoppy and refreshing. It is clear and has a creamy foam that contains scents of raw cereal and subtle honeyed notes.
I like to call it a “drinker” and for this reason, for me, the Pilsener Blonde from the Magis Brewery is excellent with pizza or as an accompaniment to meals.

Weizen, a wheat-based beer ('weizen' means wheat), is also a good companion for dinner. The Dunkel Weizen Craft Brigante Beer from Lesster Brewery, despite being dark, is soft and enveloping. This version is produced with a percentage of roasted malts that give a cappuccino color.
The Weizen is located exactly between the Pils and the next style that I present to you: the Blanche.

Blanche is the beer you enjoy in summer... maybe in a park... maybe during a concert... I apologize, I miss the concerts and I started to fantasize. Let's get back to us.
Preview 2 by Ca' Verzini is the perfect example of Blanche. Why? Because it is full-bodied and dense, I would even say milky. It is less filtered than the previous ones, but at the same time it has a fruity aftertaste. Refreshing and drinkable.

It is impossible not to mention the IPA about the Ca' Verzini brewery. This is how I introduce you to another style of beer, Indian Pale Ale: my absolute favorite.
The name may be misleading, but Indian Pale Ales originated in England in the 1700s, and the name derives from English rule over India.
Hops , as if there were no tomorrow, give a vigorous bitterness to beer, but balanced by a fruity or floral taste. The color of this beer ranges from very pale yellow to deep amber.
For me it is the best style, also because since I was a child I have always liked drinks that are not very sweet and sugary.

In my opinion, the IPA is enjoyed after a meal, in a moment of complete relaxation, in which you can savor every note of the fresh drink contained in your mug.
However, if you want to accompany it with a food, for example as an aperitif or appetizer, I recommend combining it with a cheese with sweet characteristics, which, in contrast to the bitterness of the IPA, creates a perfect combination. Try it with a blue one, such as Blu 61 or Blu Dominik Rum and Cacao.

The next beer I present to you is Red Beer, or better said, Amber.
Have you ever wondered why Red Beer is red? It has that intense and structured ruby color, due to the type of barley malt used in the beer production process, which, during the boiling phase, can caramelize and acquire that typical color of red beer.
Would you like to try it? Taste FascidaBere's Irish Red Ale: it is full-bodied, bitter like an IPA, but unlike the latter it has a toasted aroma with rusky and caramel notes.

Finally, I suggest the Double Malt Beer, which in itself does not have its own characteristics that distinguish it from the others. Its peculiarity is related to the higher percentage of sucrose that regulates fermentation. This is because during production, more malt is added to the beer, creating an environment with a higher percentage of sugars. It is less light than a classic beer, and it is the “heaviest” in terms of alcohol content, which exceeds 3.5%. Here I can offer you a Preview 4 of the Ca' Verzini Brewery.

At the table with Dariusz: that's why I love beers

Beer for me is a way of life. It's good, simple in its complexity.
Perfect as an accompaniment to meals, but even more so to enjoy alone, in complete relaxation. Plus it's a great pain reliever!

The reason why I love beer, in addition to its exceptional taste, is that it has incredible social value and is a drink that tells a story. I won't dwell much on its history, don't worry, but think that it is thanks to the monasteries if during the Middle Ages there was a qualitative leap in beer production. Only during the industrial revolution, however, did its production change from an artisanal dimension to a purely industrial one and domestic manufacturing ceased to be commercially significant at the end of the 19th century.

I thought I would conclude with a quote:
“For a quart of ale is a dish for a king”, or “because a mug of beer is a king's meal”.

... And if Shakespeare says so...

Dariusz Szlufarski