Menabrea

Commercial Brewery in Biella (BI), Piedmont, Italy 🇮🇹
Owned by Forst

Established in 1846

Contact
Via Ramella Germanin n.4, Biella (BI), 13900, Italy
Description
Menabrea is the oldest active brewery in Italy. A top premium brewery, given the melding of three elements: An original beer recipe, quality raw materials and an inherent beer culture.

Birra Menabrea is part of the history of beer in Italy. Founded in 1846 by Mr. Welf di Gressoney and the brothers Antonio and Gian Battista Caraccio, in 1854 the brewery was rented to Giuseppe Menabrea and Antonio Zimmermann, who bought it in 1864. Following the exit of Zimmermann from the company, it was Giuseppe Menabrea who set up the 6 July 1872 "G. Menabrea and sons". At the head of the brewery is Carlo Menabrea until, in 1896, the company passed into the hands of Emilio Thedy and Augusto Antoniotti, husbands of the Menabrea sisters. From that moment on, the Thedy family will lead the company.

In 1991, the company became part of the Forst Beer Group. However, Birra Menabrea retains its strong identity and independence intact. Since 2005 the director is Franco Thedy, the fifth descendant of the family. In 2017, Franco Thedy gave the go-ahead for the expansion of the Brewhouse with advanced features and a spectacular visual impact. Inauguration is scheduled for March 2019.

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2.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 2 | Flavor - 2 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 2.5

Bottle. Pours clear deep yellow-gold with a small white head and minimal lacing. Aroma is of grain, metal, grass and an unfortunate slight urine note. Taste is grain, grass and metal with some malt sweetness. Not seeing why this rates well as a pale lager based on my sample.

Tried from Bottle on 04 Aug 2012 at 11:13


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

Bottle 750ml.Clear medium to dark brown amber colour with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to beige head. Aroma is moderate malty, bread, toasted, caramel, figs - date. Flavour is moderate sweet and bitter with a average to long duration. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft, finish feel is light alcoholic. [20120529]

Tried from Bottle on 01 Aug 2012 at 09:27


5.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6.5

07/2012 - 66 cl bottle, 1.45€, 4.8%. Pale gold to yellow color, soft white head. Nose is softly hoppy and lagerish, appreciated. Aroma is moderately malty with corn and soft grassy hoppiness. Some paper\cardboard on the bad side. Taste is crisp, leaning to a discreet bitter end. Body is light, fizzy, a bit dusty, an abrupt dry finish follows. Overall in this one the corn is spot-on, similar to Forst in many aspects, more direct and sharp probably. Fresh fizzy all-round italian beer without any particular feature. A good one considering its market range. 07/2023 - Tank version as cruda, supposedly unpasteurized or anyway less treated. Plenty at local fair. Golden color average head light haze. Flavor of grains with leaves and some leftover of yeast. Sweetish, a bit floral. Ok. 6/3/5/3/11

Tried from Bottle on 06 Jul 2012 at 16:08


5
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 5

33cl bottle at Trattoria Popolare, Oslo. Pours amber with a small white head. Lightly hoppy aroma with malt and caramel. Sweet and malty with a lightly hoppy and lightly bitter finish. Ok amber.

Tried from Bottle on 22 Jun 2012 at 10:16


5.3
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 6

Bottle tasted on 22 April at Rome. Bright yellow, small foamy white head, fresh fruity flavor, hoppy taste, abrupt finish, doughy aroma, mild carbonation.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Jun 2012 at 03:41


2.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 2 | Flavor - 1 | Texture - 2 | Overall - 1.5

Bottle as Birra_dalla_Storia, gift. Pale yellow color with almost no head. Strong malty aroma. Taste, malt, grain, glue. Disaster.

Tried from Bottle on 11 Jun 2012 at 12:46


4
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 3

0.33l bottle from local supermarket, Monfalcone. This is a crystal clear pale golden beer with a small quickly fading and sidesticking white head. It has a almost dark malty-like aroma, something copper-ish and also I find traces of earth. Not extreme in any way. It's average carbonated and it has a thin and almost watery texture. Flavors are also light pungent-copperish. A really metallic -like I have never tasted in metallic beers before aftertaste. Definitely not a especially god one this. Could perhaps have been a bit colder served, but still not something I recommend. 20.05.2012

Tried from Bottle on 06 Jun 2012 at 04:42


6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Bottled. A nut-brown beer with a thin beige head. The aroma has notes of caramel, malt, and a bit of alcohol. The flavor is sweet with notes of caramel, malt, and a bit of alcohol, leading to a dry finish.

Tried from Bottle on 29 May 2012 at 11:29


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

75 cL bottle. Pours clear and golden deep orange with a small tan head. Aroma is toasted malty and breadish. Light metallic and caramelish malty. Dry roasted malty and breadish. Mild sweetness.

Tried from Bottle on 29 May 2012 at 10:29


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

clear brown, smooth offwhite head. mild malty aroma. slightly sort of nutty and slightly caramelly. flavor is sweet malty, faint fruity notes, but sweet malts and alc. dominates.

Tried on 29 May 2012 at 08:59