Inclusio Ultima
Birrificio Italiano

a slightly dated at this point but really cool beer, a strong italian pilsener that undergoes a champagne process, and is apparently actually bottled with the hops, which i would have like to experience when it was brand new, but it has held up well overtime and represents one of the more interesting beers i got to drink this holiday weekend. its a little darker than a normal pils type, a light orange rather than yellow to it, and with a high rising white head from the bottle, not quite perfectly clear, but no visible sediment either. aroma is slight oxidation, spicy hops, mild lime and lemon, and a lightly bready malt base, not quite built like a traditional pils it doesnt seem, a little more substantial on the grain, still dry, but more flavor there, and definitely more hops than is traditional, even in a czech style. the high carbonation and champagne conditioning are neat here, again, kind of wish i had it fresh so this was all a bit more expressive, but it gives cool nuance and liveliness to the style here. nuances of green grape skins, dried elderflowers, green tea, pine needles, white oak, and earthy minerals all are present, and this really does effervesce and pop on the palate. a fun beer to share around, a bit past its prime i fear, like so many of these exorbitantly expensive italian bottles end up being by the time we get into them here in the states, but its hard not to be impressed with this, really interesting take on the style. maybe not quite worth the asking price at this point, but this was a fun one nevertheless!