The Italians have been consuming Menabrea beer since earlier than they had been Italians. The primary cask was brewed and bought by Giuseppe Menabrea in 1846 – a superb 15 years earlier than the muse of the unified Italian state. And he would nonetheless recognise his brewery right this moment – now within the fifth technology of his household – nestled on the foot of the Alps within the picturesque northern Italian city of Biella, within the Piedmont area.
With the excellence of being the oldest constantly produced beer in Italy, Menabrea stands for continuity, high quality, custom and flavour. Its flagship Birra Bionda (pale lager) remains to be made to the unique recipe: pure, comfortable water; barley malt; hops; brewer’s maize, giving the beer its wealthy golden color; and a bottom-fermenting yeast – the sort Menabrea utilized in his unique casks.
Menabrea is typical of the Italian Alpine beer model: contemporary, with citrus and Alpine flower notes to start with, underpinned by a stable base of malt and hops that give it a nutty, earthy flavour redolent of the forest ground. Actually its flavours are so linked to its place of birth that it pairs effectively with native meals born of the identical soil.
Tempted to attempt it for your self? Listed below are a few of my pairing selections for this iconic Italian birra …
The aperitivo
Menabrea’s hoppy facet makes nuts the right accompaniment for an aperitivo. A very good pairing is Nocciola Piemonte IGP, the native Piedmont hazelnuts which have EU protected standing. The range, tonda gentile trilobata, is appreciated for its clear, earthy flavour, and is appropriate for toasting. Some of the well-known manufacturing areas is within the neighborhood of the city of Langhe, so search for the title when shopping for.
The pasta
Piedmonte’s “white gold”, the tartufo bianco d’Alba (white truffle from Alba), marries completely with Menabrea’s “liquid gold”. Prized as a lot for his or her beautiful flavour as their rarity, the peppery truffles are forest foraged within the conventional method by one man and his canine. White truffles are normally served grated over easy pasta dishes. An all-Piedmontese mixture can be to sprinkle the truffle over agnolotti del plin (pasta parcels full of cabbage and beef), so-called for the strategy of creating them – plin means pinched in Piedmontese. Serve the pasta swimming in melted Piedmontese butter to actually intensify Menabrea’s wealthy, malty, hoppy style.
The primary
Vitello tonnato – thinly sliced veal or beef served chilled in a fragile tuna, egg, anchovy, lemon juice and caper sauce – has been gracing Piedmontese summer time tables since time immemorial. This iconic dish is supported very effectively by Menabrea’s lemony, flowery notes, which intensify and complement the lemon juice within the sauce. Excellent for a romantic dinner alfresco.
The candy
One other actually very good pairing is Menabrea and chocolate. Once you put the 2 collectively, the beer steps again a bit of and showcases the depth of the chocolate, which in flip offers prominence to Menabrea’s citrus and flower tones. Piedmontese chocolate tends to be easy and creamy, such because the famend gianduja (or gianduia) from Turin. As a substitute, I’d advocate sourcing an intense darkish chocolate, similar to Amedei Toscano Black 70%, which hails from Tuscany.
Benefit from the genuine style of Piedmont, and Alpine Italy, with Menabrea. Discover your nearest Menabrea stockist at menabrea.co.uk
