Birra Etrusca Bronze
(has 2 batches)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Delaware, United States 🇺🇸
Collab with: Birra del Borgo / Birrificio BaladinTraditional Beer - Gruit Rotating Out of Production
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Score
6.83
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This Ancient Ale proves that beside the wine on every Italian's dinner table, there should also be a place for beer.
To develop the recipe for Birra Etrusca Bronze, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione traveled to Rome with molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern. With the help of Birreria Brother Brewers Leo DeVencenzo of Birra del Borgo and Teo Musso of Baladin, they analyzed drinking vessels found in 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs.
Although Italian historians were a little reluctant to admit it, the team clearly found that the Etruscans had a taste for ale.
"In every part of the process, we go for as much authenticity as we can," Calagione says. "Ingredients are often tough to track down, and there can be financial and logistical challenges, but we really love embracing these risks to bring these beers to market."
The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. Specialty ingredients include hazelnut flour, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildflower honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-flower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Ethiopian myrrh resin.
Birra del Borgo and Baladin also will brew a version of Birra Etrusca, and to add complexity and variety, each brewery will ferment its batches with different traditional materials. Dogfish will use bronze, Baladin will use wood, and Birra del Borgo will use terra cotta.
Bottles of Dogfish Head's Etrusca will first be released in December 0f 2012.
To develop the recipe for Birra Etrusca Bronze, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione traveled to Rome with molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern. With the help of Birreria Brother Brewers Leo DeVencenzo of Birra del Borgo and Teo Musso of Baladin, they analyzed drinking vessels found in 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs.
Although Italian historians were a little reluctant to admit it, the team clearly found that the Etruscans had a taste for ale.
"In every part of the process, we go for as much authenticity as we can," Calagione says. "Ingredients are often tough to track down, and there can be financial and logistical challenges, but we really love embracing these risks to bring these beers to market."
The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. Specialty ingredients include hazelnut flour, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildflower honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-flower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Ethiopian myrrh resin.
Birra del Borgo and Baladin also will brew a version of Birra Etrusca, and to add complexity and variety, each brewery will ferment its batches with different traditional materials. Dogfish will use bronze, Baladin will use wood, and Birra del Borgo will use terra cotta.
Bottles of Dogfish Head's Etrusca will first be released in December 0f 2012.
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7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
From notes, consumed on 6/3/13. Bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a light amber brown with 3 fingers of off-white head that fades quickly. Aromas of sweet and dark fruit, honey, light wine, spices. Tasting notes of honey, sweet fruit, dark fruit, white fruit, herbs, spices, slight tart, pine. Medium body with a dry piney finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Feb 2014
at 02:14
4.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 4
Texture 6
Overall 4
Neat idea - bad beer. +++ Sampled on draft at Hou Thou this beer poured a caramel-amber color with a small foamy white head that faded and left no lacing. The aroma was medicinal with a strong pepper corn presence. The flavor was apple, almost cinnamon, a fairly strong medicinal presence, strong pepper corn and some perfume. Long medicinal pepper corn finish. Medium body. Not good.
Tried
from Draft
on 31 Jan 2014
at 15:48
5.6/10
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Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 4.5
Tap @ Black Bottle. Pours a hazy copper orange appearance with very little head. Funky fruity, quite spicy, big pomegranate, slightly nutty aroma. Flavor is really dominated by notes of pomegranates and raspberries with a hint of olives. Not a big fan.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Nov 2013
at 22:35
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Barcade, Brooklyn tap ($7): Pours clear copper with a small head... whatever there was dissipated quickly. Aroma is Dr. Pepper, herbs, sugar, early 1900s patent medicine, and pomegranate. Taste is somewhat sweet. It is kind of a hodgepodge of everything mentioned above. My girlfriend found that Dr. Pepper was one of the main things going on. Complex, but weirdly balanced. I didn’t get any pepper or nuts in this.
Tried
from Draft
on 08 Nov 2013
at 09:19
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 7
Bottle. Pours with a clear copper hued body and a medium sized off-white head that fades pretty rapidly. Aromas are quite herbal and a bit spicy, floral, honey, thistle, grassy, medium malt, tree sap, walnut bread. Low esters. Flavors are spicy, off dry and pretty tannic to be honest. Light isoamyl acetate, floral and fruity, mildly nutty. Dry finish, light pomegranate. Lively carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Oct 2013
at 18:39
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Draft sampled at Dogfish Head brewery. Pours hazy brown with a cream tan head. Aroma of malt, wort, caramel, brown sugar, honey. Not sure I’m getting the pomegranate in this. Flavour is moderate sweet and light bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Draft
on 07 Oct 2013
at 12:37
7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Pours copper color with a small head. Very complex and sweet taste and aroma. Herbal/perfumy nose and sweet fruit that is even more present in the taste. Spices and hazelnut with some metallic notes in it. Quite special and quite good.
Tried
on 05 Aug 2013
at 13:30
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
750 ml bottle into signature tulip glass, bottled in late 2012. Pours slightly hazy orange copper color with a 1 finger foamy light khaki head with poor retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap. Minimal glass lacing and a ton of streaming carbonation that keeps the lace cap going. Aromas of apple, pear, raisin, banana, pomegranate, pepper, clove, bubblegum, honey, candi sugar, wheat, bread, floral, herbal, and earthy yeast spiciness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruitiness with malt and spicy yeast esters. Taste of apple, pear, raisin, banana, pomegranate, pepper, clove, bubblegum, wheat, bread, honey, candi sugar, floral, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of light and dark fruits, clove, pepper, bubblegum, honey, floral, herbal, wheat, and earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of fruity flavors with malt and yeast esters; with zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a slick, lightly syrupy, and moderately crisp mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with nearly zero warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an excellent excellent ancient ale collaboration. All around nice balance and complexity of malt, fruitiness, and spicy ester flavors; and very smooth to sip on. Really enjoyed this one, as expected.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 May 2013
at 20:18
6.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Pours a pale amber color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity malty spicy yeasty honey aroma. Sweetish malty spicy honey flavor with weak yeasty hints. Has a sweetish malty spicy honey finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 May 2013
at 03:24
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Clear red brown colour, white head. Aroma of candy, bubblegum, malts, yeast, red fruits and nuts. Light sweet flavour, pomegranate, light sour touch, raisins, light bitter. Quite thin body. Light astringent finish, vegetables, raisins and nuts.
(From 75cL bottle @ WW II tasting, Amsterdam. Kindly shared by MrHangover. Thanks!)
(From 75cL bottle @ WW II tasting, Amsterdam. Kindly shared by MrHangover. Thanks!)
Tried
from Can
on 10 Apr 2013
at 11:07