Some months ago, I relocated from Sydney, Australia to Naples, Italy. After arriving, I headed straight to the supermarket to get some groceries and, of course, a few beers to put in the fridge.
At my local supermercato there was a fine selection of Italian, German and Belgian beers on offer. For a country where wine remains the alcoholic beverage of choice, I was impressed with the number of options of craft beers and lagers in my local grocery store. Also, having come from a country with an outrageous excise on alcohol, the lower prices of grocery store beers were very appealing.
At the start of a typically hot, chaotic Neapolitan summer, I decided to set about trying every Italian beer I could get at the supermarket to find the one that I considered to be the best supermarket beer available. One year and (many) beers later I have come up with a shortlist of my favourite beers that you can pick up at any supermarket or corner store across Italy. This list is roughly in order of least to most favourite and provides a food pairing that I enjoy with each beer. I’ve also thrown in the cost (at my local supermarket) for the equivalent of a pint (568 mls).
Before we begin, I should say that the craft beer scene in Italy is really gathering momentum, particularly in northern cities like Bologna or the capital Rome. Soon I’ll write about some of the awesome craft breweries and bars across the country, but for now, let’s explore some of the awesome commercial beers from my local supermarket.
Birra Moretti (Lager 4.6% ABV)
We start with the world famous Birra Moretti. This light lager captures the Italian taste in beer perfectly: crisp, clean and very drinkable. Birra Moretti was founded by Luigi Moretti in 1859 in Udine and claims to remain true to its original recipe.
Moretti is truly a macro brew with Heineken Group producing two million hectolitres annually for domestic and foreign markets in Europe, the UK and beyond. From Turin to Trieste, this beer is an Italian staple – and for good reason.
Food pairing: I like to drink Birra Moretti with a few slices of salami. The sharpness of the beer cuts through the fattiness of the meat nicely.
Price for a pint: €1.43
Nastro Azzurro (Lager 5.1% ABV)
Peroni Nastro Azzuro is another classic Italian lager with corn added to the mash for a crisp beer with a light body. This beer is part of the Peroni brand (Asahi) and is named after the prize given to ships that could cross the Atlantic the fastest.
Peroni created the Nastro Azzurro product in 1963 with an eye to capturing a market outside of Italy. This beer is truly ubiquitous with Nastro Azzuro appearing at pizzerias, bars and dinner tables worldwide. For me, this beer is perfect for a hot summer day.
Food pairing: You can’t go past the classic combination of plain salted potato chips and beer – a favourite here in Italy and around the world.
Price for a pint: €1.43
Peroni Gran Riserva Rossa (Vienna Lager 5.2%)
Changing pace a bit, we come to the Gran Riserva Rossa from Peroni Italia. This is an amber Peroni lager which offers a little more depth of flavour which can be hard to find in commercial beers in Italy. The Rossa is toasty and aromatic and is part of a premium offering from Peroni that also includes Gran Riserva Doppio Malto (bock), Bianca (weizen) and Puro Malto (lager)
Food pairing: Try a simple bruschetta with the Rossa. The toasted bread matches the profile of the beer nicely.
Price for a pint: €2.03
Poretti 3 Luppoli (Lager 4.8% ABV)
When I’m looking to stock up the fridge for the weekend, I usually reach for a few bottles of Poretti 3 Luppoli. It’s a fairly standard pale lager but it is more hop forward than the other Italian Macros (“luppoli” means hops in italian – suggesting that there are three different varieties in this beer, with Zeus being the dominant). The value for money on this beer is outstanding with a 660ml bottle only costing around €1 here in the South.
The Poretti brewery is almost 150 years old and continues to be one of Italy’s most successful beer brands. These days Carlsburg owns the brand and operates in domestic and foreign markets with the 3 Luppoli being one of its more popular offerings.
Food pairing: I like to enjoy Poretti 3 Luppoli with a few chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano. Try to find some 30 month aged if you can – you won’t regret it!
Price for a pint: €0.93 (one of the cheapest supermarket beer of quality that I came across)
Messina Ricetta Speciale Cristalli di Sale (Unfiltered Lager 5% ABV)
Messina Ricetta Speciale Cristalli di Sale is a lager from Sicily that uses sea salt crystals to give the beer a unique and well rounded taste. Messina beer can be a little controversial for the proud people of Sicily, many of whom were unimpressed when parent company Heineken recently moved all brewing and bottling operations to the Italian mainland.
There is a trick that a local taught me when drinking this beer: when you are down to the last inch or so in the bottle, swirl it around in a circular motion. This will help integrate the sea salt when you pour the last few gulps into your glass. It’s rare to see this beer “alla spina” (on tap) outside of Sicily, but if you come across it, sit yourself at the bar and get to work – it’s even better as draught.
Food pairing: The subtle flavour of fresh Mozzarella is perfect with this beer as it doesn’t overpower the unique flavour of the lager.
Price for a pint: €2.03
Ichnusa Non-Filtrata (Unfiltered Lager 5% ABV)
Ichnusa Non-Filtrata is non pasteurised, non filtered, lager from the island of Sardinia. This is definitely my favourite beer to drink in Italy. It’s pretty hoppy for a commercial Italian beer and is a little more complex than the regular Ichnusa lager.
This is another beer owned by the Heineken group with a market both within Italy and around the world. Ichnusa Non-Filtrata has gained so much momentum in Italy over recent years that other breweries have released non filtered, non pasteurised equivalents such as the Cruda from Peroni or Non-Filtrata from Poretti.
Food pairing: I think this beer goes nicely with anything, especially Italian food, but my favourite thing to eat it with is some grissini which doesn’t have an overwhelming flavour.
Price for a pint: €1.92
When in Italy (or anywhere else) don’t ignore the commercially available beers. While there are some questionable macro brews around, there’s also a surprising number of great ones — don’t turn your nose up at a beer only because it’s made by one of the big brewing operations.
As brewers and beer enthusiasts we love to drink beer from smaller breweries, which is great – we should definitely be supporting independent producers. It’s also a lot of fun, especially when travelling, to give some supermarket beers a go. The price is right and with a little bit of experimentation (i.e. drinking a few beers) you can find some gems hidden in plain sight.
Cin!