Montinera
Piccolo Birrificio Clandestino

Piccolo Birrificio Clandestino “Montinera”
33cl brown glass bottle, “da consumarsi preferibilimente entro: 30/09/21 Lotto n.: 124/19”
from the brewery booth at the Il Desco: Cibo 4.0 food festival in Arezzo, IT on 30/11/2019

Notes via stream of consciousness: Imperial Russian Stout at 9.0% ABV. It’s got a nice head of creamy dark tan on it which is unusual for Italian beers which seem to have lower carbonation levels. The body is a hazy, very dark brown that appears black in the full glass. Held to the light there are some beautiful glimmering dark mahogany brown highlights. The aroma expresses dark chocolate and coffee beans. The flavor follows with a sweetish malt that’s part milk chocolate, part dark chocolate, and part bittersweet black chocolate threaded through with an almost vinous fruitiness that also contains some sweet red berries in addition to black grapes. It’s malty and it doesn’t seem that bitter at all, and yet there has to be some bitterness to bring it into balance and finish without being sweet and eventually becoming cloying. It’s remarkably well balanced in that regard, and that gives it a great drinkability that’s almost dangerous for a beer of 9%. The alcohol never shows, and if I had this out at a bar without checking the label I might just think it was a simple sweet stout. Looking back, the head has dropped but it maintains a partial surface covering, and there’s some very nice lacing left behind. In the mouth it’s medium bodied with a bit of a dextrinous feel, but not exactly medium-full. The carbonation is moderate and very fine bubbled, and it’s velvety smooth. It’s really nicely done from start to finish, and superbly balanced. Some might consider it a little less roasty and intense than some other examples but I feel it satisfies the requirements of the style, and delivers a really enjoyable experience at the same time.
Review #6,847