Other review: Frizzantino Spritz Aperitivo Happy Hour (8% Italy: Unknown)

The Frizzantino Spritz Aperitivo Happy Hour is a ready-made cocktail drink available in Italian supermarkets. Spritz is prepared with prosecco wine, some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Cynar or Select. The drink is then topped off with sparkling mineral water. Since this is a ready drink mixture, one can't expect much of it but let's give it a go.

Taste: The Frizzantino Spritz Aperitivo Happy Hour is a light/medium-bodied beverage with a bitter, yet quite sweet body. The beverage also features a distinct taste of wine. It's easy to drink and reminds me of alcohol and soda mixtures such as Bacardi Breezers, the main difference being the bitterness of this drink. The drink finishes with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall, the Frizzantino Spritz Aperitivo Happy Hour is an OK drink. It doesn't come anywhere near the actual cocktail, but then again the sweetness of it makes it easier to drink than the real deal. Personally I'm not a big fan of the bitter alcohols and that's why the sweetness of this drink actually counts as a good thing. If you judge this drink in the category of alcohol and soda mixtures, and you don't compare it to actual Spritz (because that would be like comparing a restaurant meal to a microwave dinner), it's actually relatively good. If you're into slightly bitter drinks and want to buy a drink straight from the supermarket, this one's your choice. Don't expect anything close to the real deal, and instead expect a sugary soda version of it and you'll be fully satisfied.

3/5

Beer review: Menabrea Original (4.5% Italy: Birra Menabrea)

The Menabrea Original is a lager, more specifically a pale lager. It's brewed by Birra Menabrea, an Italian brewery located in Biella and founded in 1846. They produce about 10 million litres of beer annually so the brewery is medium-sized. Let's see what the flagship of the company tastes like.

Taste: The Menabrea Original is a light/medium-bodied beer with a soft, round and slightly sweet malty body. The beer offers a pleasant sweetness with a faintly bitter hoppy finish.

Overall, the Menabrea Original is a really nice find from several Italian supermarkets. The beer doesn't offer anything extaordinary but it delivers the basic features of a pale lager in a very sophisticated, pleasant manner. If you want a nice lager, which tends to sweet maltiness, this is definitely your choice!

3.5/5

Beer review: Peroni (4.7% Italy: Birra Peroni Industriale)

The Peroni is a lager, more specifically a pale lager. It's brewed by Birra Peroni Industriale, a brewery founded in Vigevano in Lombardy, Italy in 1846. The brewery has been based in Rome since 1864 and is now owned by SABMiller brewing group, the world's second largest brewing company.

Taste: The Peroni is a light/medium-bodied beer with a soft slightly roasted, dark bready and faintly sweet malt. The beer finishes with a slight bitter hoppiness.

Overall, the Peroni is an above average bulk lager. Personally I enjoy the slightly roasted malty aroma of it and overall the beer was a pleasant surprise. If you end up in Italy and enjoy roasted beers with easy drinkability, the Peroni is your choice!

3/5

Beer review: Birra Moretti (4.6% Italy: Heineken)

The Birra Moretti is a lager, more specifically a pale lager. It was formerly produced by the Italian brewery Birra Moretti founded in Udine in 1859. The brewery was acquired by Heineken International in 1996. The Heineken International is the third largest brewery group in the world. Well, it seems that almost all of the most popular beers around Europe are part of one of the big brewery groups so let's not let that fact affect our judgment about this potentially good beer. At least the label seems cool, let's see if the taste follows that line!

Taste: The Birra Moretti is a light-bodied beer with quite a watery, slightly sweet malty body. The beer finishes with a slight grassy hoppiness.

Overall, the Birra Moretti is your average bulk lager. What sets it apart from the other Italian bulk beers is the slightly sweet taste and especially the grassy hoppiness which is surprisingly potent, considering the macro quality of the beer.

3/5

Beer review: 3 Luppoli (4.8% Italy: Birrificio Angelo Poretti)

The 3 Luppoli is a lager beer, more specifically a pale lager. It's brewed by Birrificio Angelo Poretti, an Italian brewery founded in 1877. The brewery is located in Varese and it was bought by the Carlsberg Group in 2002. The Carlsberg Group is the fifth largest brewery group in the world.

Taste: The 3 Luppoli is a light-bodied beer with a faintly sweet malty body. The beer is quite light, soft and finishes with a faint bitter hoppiness.

Overall, the 3 Luppoli is a decent lager with a taste that offers nothing to write home about, but neither does it make you grimace. It's not offensive in any way and if you ever come across this beer, you can definitely give it a try...as long as you don't expect anything exceptional.

3/5

Sparkling wine review: Divici Organic Prosecco Extra Dry (11.0% Italy: Botter)

Divici sparkling wine comes from the Veneto region in northeastern Italy. It is made by Botter, a winery founded in 1928. Divici belongs to the group of low/mid-priced sparkling wines available in Finland. It is described as extra dry, containing flavors of pear, lemon and green apple. Before tasting it, I was a bit suspicious about the extra dry nature of it but the wine was a positive surprise.

Taste: Divici is dry but not in an unpleasant musty sort of way. It's actually a really refreshing sparkling wine, dominated by medium sourness and containing aromas of lemon and hints of pear and apple. The wine finishes with a faint sour taste of lemon, and does not leave a dry feel to your mouth like some cheap wines.

Overall, Divici Organic Prosecco Extra Dry is a really nice sparkling wine, especially considering the low price and the good quality it provides. Divici doesn't have much personality, but if you just want an inexpensive easily enjoyable sparkling wine, I would definitely recommend going with this one.

65 Above average