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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6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
75cl Bottle at WWT II. Clear copper amber colour, white head. Aroma of sweet bready malts, something light minty, wort, oatmeal porridge. Flavour is sweet, malty, bread, wort, something tart, raisins, spices, tart spicy finish. Medium-bodied. Not my kind of beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Apr 2013
at 13:49
5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
Bottle @ WWT II. Clear dark orange color, small white to off - white head. Smell is weird, plastic, chemical, yeast and weirdness. Taste lightly malts, lightly sourish, leaves, vegetables, totally weird and not nice imo.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Apr 2013
at 13:41
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8
Pours semi-cloudy, brown-gold with a quick soapy head. Very interesting...aroma is reminiscent of eucalyptus, spearmint and banana. Flavour is sweet, berries, yeast, honey, spices. Wonderful stuff....fascinating.
Tried
on 04 Apr 2013
at 13:56
7.5/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle. Bready wheat malt, honey, nuts, spicy herbal, fruity aroma. Aroma also has a Belgian yeast like character. Clear deep copper with a small off-white head. Black pepper, honey, fruity raisin, and earthy spicy flavor. Medium body, moderate carbonation. Very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Mar 2013
at 09:17
7.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Bottle. Dusty/yeasty pomegranate/banana, amaretto, and nutty grain aroma - hint of gentian. Golden yellow with small head. Sweet berry/pomegranate/raisin, black pepper and gentian root, and yeast flavor. Very complex. Tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 29 Mar 2013
at 17:58
7.2/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
28th February 2013
Thanks Jack for this much wanted beer, these archeological brews do fascinate me! Clear and bright amber beer, good off white head. Palate is light and a little crisp. Dry! Light tangy citrus, dried fruits and sugared crystallised fruits. Thin creamy malt. Very floral this beer and a pinch of herb. Semi dry finish. Nice juxtaposition of flavours.
Thanks Jack for this much wanted beer, these archeological brews do fascinate me! Clear and bright amber beer, good off white head. Palate is light and a little crisp. Dry! Light tangy citrus, dried fruits and sugared crystallised fruits. Thin creamy malt. Very floral this beer and a pinch of herb. Semi dry finish. Nice juxtaposition of flavours.
Tried
from Draft
on 10 Mar 2013
at 10:26
7/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle thanks to Jack. It pours clear amber with a thick white head. The nose is earth, spice, cake, salt, metallic and honey. The taste is earth, nut, honey sweetness, dark fruit, berry, spice, Irn Bru, bubblegum, green banana, peach and apricot with a sweet finish. Medium body and moderate-high carbonation. An interesting brew and a bit more drinkable that many of their other crazy concoctions.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Mar 2013
at 08:58
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle at Bruce’s, London - thanks to Jack! Pours clear amber with a small, creamy tan head. Sugary fruits in the nose, toasty bread, strawberries. Medium to big sweet flavor, sweet berries, bready and lightly doughy malts, mellow bitterness. Full bodied with fine to average carbonation. Sweet finish, light warmth, some peppery spice, bit of ripe citrus, bread, low bitterness. Pretty rich stuff but decent overall.
Tried
from Bottle
on 28 Feb 2013
at 13:27