Birra del Borgo Cortigiana 5% ABV

Date January 31, 2017

Beer Fourteen

Okay, so clearly trying to review a beer a day was too much for even me.

Somewhere along the line I decided that my palate and beer mojo just weren’t up for it.

Clearly my personal problems of late 2016 hit me harder than I anticipated.

I’m working my way through the case, and have some exciting brews lined up… but I’m going to have to pace myself.

Bear with me,

Bob the Brit

…and back to the beers.


I’m conscious that Italy has a flourishing craft beer scene, but I haven’t yet tried any Italian craft beers. So this brew is a new one on me.

Birra Del Borgo was founded in 2005 in Borgorose, a small town between Lazio and Abruzzo in the the province of Rieti in Italy by Leonardo Di Vincenzo who had previously worked at Rome’s Starbess Brewery.

AB InBev ‘partnered’ with Birra Del Borgo in early 2016, and as a result of this ‘partnership’ Birra Del Borgo will become a wholly owned InBev subsidiary.

Bizarrely, Cortigiana is a Belgian style Golden Ale.

Cortigiana @ The Brewclub

The first thing you notice is the bottle, it’s quite unlike any other bottle I’ve seen. The beer itself pours a hazy, almost iridescent pale gold with a dense white head that laces down the glass.

The nose is slightly earthy, with hints (but only hints) of orange.

Similarly, the flavour was a bit flat, there’s a bitterness, but just not enough flavour to make this a memorable brew.

I actually found myself hankering for a Saison, and that’s something I never thought I’d find myself typing.

Overall, this was a disappointment and I’m not sure that it justified a journey of close to twelve hundred miles. I can name several tastier, more flavourful beers brewed just a few miles from my home.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

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