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[img:sjbyk3l3]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1224/1336021299_7dcc92128e_m.jpg[/img:sjbyk3l3]

While on holidays in Italy recently I stumbled across this beer in a local supermarket. I was excited by the 'birra artigianale' hoping for craft brew.

All three beers were a great relief from the usual lagers. They were all lightly hopped with the focus firmly on the malt.

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Looked up the brewery when I got home. It seems these are repackaged versions of
"E Figoun" (Blue)-Special Blond beer (Alcohol 5,2% vol.)
"La Mì Dòna"(yellow)-Strong malt blond beer (Alcohol 6,0% vol.)
"La Puténa"(red)-Strong malt red beer (Alcohol content of 6,5% vol.)

Their Web site - [url:sjbyk3l3]http://www.amarcord.it/index_ing.htm[/url:sjbyk3l3]

I was tempted to bring home a load of their bottles but the ryanair weght restrictions stopped me. As you can see they were great heavy brown fliptops.

"freedgull":1f5zx6kj wrote: "La Puténa"[/quote:1f5zx6kj]Italian for "Hooker". If a gag's worth doing once...

Can never tire of beers with those sort of names. Although I do get a bit pissed off when I go into the B&C and ask for a slapper and get presented with a pint of Galway Hooker...

I've been trying to get my hands on Panil, don't think its imported into the UK at all though

Ah, Panil Barriquée, a great beer indeed ! Beware, though, there's a "mild" and a "sour" vrsion, and of course, it's the latter you want.

Having judged in the "Birra dell'anno" (craft beer of the year competition) jury last year and this year, I can confirm the general level of italian craft brewers is very good, miles above France or Switzerland, on a par with Denmark, for example. Technical mastery is very good and inspirations to tread new paths is no rarity.

Most of the better micros / brewpubs are associates of Unionbirrai (list here :
[u:4i3ruj5v]www.unionbirrai.com/pages/birrifici.php[/u:4i3ruj5v]). The complete Birra dell'Anno results for this year have not been released yet, but among the ones who got awards last year which we expected, there's Birrificio Italiano, BABB, Le Baladin, Bi-Du, Torrechiara (who brew the Panil), Birrificio Lambrate, Birra del Borgo...

Cheers !

Laurent

[quote:2zvgvgoi]Their Web site - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.amarcord.it/index_ing.htm">www.amarcord.it/index_ing.htm

I was tempted to bring home a load of their bottles but the ryanair weght restrictions stopped me. As you can see they were great heavy brown fliptops.[/quote:2zvgvgoi]

[color=olive:2zvgvgoi]Did you realise that strictly speaking, Amarcord isn't Italian? It is really from the mini-republic of San Marino!

As Laurent says, Italian craftbeerscene is really exciting these days. In his company, I've discovered some pretty gems, during the last year.[/color:2zvgvgoi]