Dining with Dariusz: the favorite beers of the undisputed lover.

What can't be missing from my table? There's no doubt: beer!
Light, dark, bitter, sweet, fruity, craft... 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 base it on the tastes of a beer lover... that is, me!

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

First of all, let's say that the "types" of beer are called styles, and there are many of them, branched into complex families with hundreds of nuances and substyles.
To list the various types, I would start with beers considered more "light" and finish with those that are more demanding.
I have identified about 6 categories among those I like the most and consume the most often.

In first place, I decided to place the beer that, in my opinion, is the most "clean", the one you drink with pizza, to be clear, and which, if you're not really an expert, they give you at the pub when you ask for "a normal beer, please."
I’m talking about Pils! Also known as Pilsner or Pilsener, it is a beer of German and Bohemian tradition (it actually has its origins in the Czech Republic).
Pils is light, very hoppy and refreshing. It is clear and has a foamy head that contains aromas of raw cereal and subtle honey notes.
I like to define it as "quaffable" and for this reason, for me, the Bionda Pilsener from Birrificio Magis is great with pizza or alongside meals.

Also, the Weizen, a wheat-based beer ("weizen" means wheat), is a good companion for dinner. The Birra del Brigante craft Dunkel Weizen from Birrificio Lesster, despite being dark, is soft and embracing. This version is produced with a percentage of roasted malts that gives it a cappuccino color.
The Weizen falls exactly between Pils and the next style I present to you: the Blanche.

The Blanche is the beer you savor in the summer... maybe in a park... maybe during a concert... I apologize, I miss concerts and I have started to daydream. Back to our point.
The Anteprima 2 by Ca' Verzini is the perfect example of a 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 has a fruity aftertaste. Refreshing and quaffable.

From the brewery Ca' Verzini, it is impossible not to mention the IPA. So here I present another style of beer, the Indian Pale Ale: my absolute favorite.
The name can be misleading, but Indian Pale Ales originated in England in the 1700s, and the name comes from the English dominance over India.
Hops as if there were no tomorrow give a robust bitterness to the beer, balanced, however, by fruity or floral flavors. The color of this beer ranges from very pale yellow to deep amber.
For me, it’s the best style, also because since I was a child I've always preferred less sweetened and sugary drinks.

In my opinion, the IPA is best enjoyed after a meal, in a moment of complete relaxation, where you can savor every note of the fresh beverage in your glass.
However, if you want to pair it with a food, for example, as an aperitif or appetizer, I recommend pairing it with a sweet characteristic cheese, which in contrast to the IPA's bitterness, creates a perfect combination. Try it with a blue cheese, like Blu 61 or Blu Dominik Rum and Cocoa.

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

Finally, I propose the Double Malt Beer, which in itself does not have distinguishing characteristics from others. Its peculiarity is related to the higher sugar content that regulates the 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 most "heavy" in terms of alcohol content, which exceeds 3.5%. I can suggest a Anteprima 4 from Birrificio Ca' Verzini.

At the table with Dariusz: here’s why I am a beer lover

Beer is for me a lifestyle. It is good, simple in its complexity.
Perfect as a meal accompaniment, but even more to enjoy on its own, in complete relaxation. Moreover, it is a great pain reliever!

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

I thought of concluding with a quote:
"For a quart of ale is a dish for a king", or "for a mug of beer is a meal fit for a king."

... And if Shakespeare says so...

Dariusz Szlufarski