Beer Review - La 150° Ambrata

A pint of La 150° Ambrata

I’m working on it, but apparently, I am a beer snob. I like craft, dark, thick, high ABV beers. What I don’t reach for are generally lagers and pils so far away from the beers that I love. AND I’M SUPER OUTSPOKEN ABOUT IT! But maybe there are gateway brews to get me back to those as I have heard so many times that lagers are the favorite beers of brewers and the hardest to achieve as there is no latitude for error!

I was walking the World Showcase with friends. While wandering, some of the members of our group noticed a wine cart in Italy that was selling something with Limoncello and they were in. Now, I had never considered Italian beer as it’s not pizza, pasta, or calzone! But since I was making a purchase, I thought I would add something for myself and grabbed a “La 150° Ambrata”. I had never heard of it, so at least it was something new!

“La 150° Ambrata” is listed as a Red Lager. It is Amber in color, though the light tones still allow you to see light through the pint. There are some darker malts used to achieve the color, which also provides a nice sweet yet bready flavor. And with 30 IBUs, the hops play nicely with that malt, creating a nice balance that lets you know you are drinking something substantial. Yeah, Red Lager!

Wait, what’s a Red Lager? That’s a Marzen? How do we know Marzen? Oktoberfest! But this is an Italian beer brewed by Birra Menabrea, not a German roll-out-the-barrel Octoberfest. Also, it’s not July when those hit the market as they keep coming out earlier and earlier every year. Marzens have traditionally been brewed in spring, with darker malt and more hops than traditional lager to help the flavor stick till it was drunk in the fall. But really, Marzen is a dark lager brewed by lager brewers. And while this is not a German Marzen, Piedmont the home of the brewery, is a northern Italian region that borders Switzerland, which borders Germany, and geographically, Europe as Epcot shows are countries just footsteps away. So, with many of us having our favorite American Octoberfests, do we not have room in our hearts for Italy?

Speaking of Birra Menabrea, it was established in 1846 in the foothills of the Alps. It is still run by the great-great-great-grandson of the founder, making it a true legacy family business. Birra Menabrea is Italy’s oldest brewery.

With a ABV of 5%, this was super drinkable strolling around the World! The biggest lesson we learned, Disney PhotoPass photographers are more than happy to take pictures with you and your beverages. They will set you up for a cheers picture. However, they won’t create a Magic Shot for you where Olaf joins you for an adult beverage!

Who Drinks This?: I have often complained that there Octoberfest season is too short! Americans, we love and drink barrels and barrels of Samual Adams Octoberfest. If you like the Sam Adams flagship, reach for a Yuengling Octoberfest, it’s just a little more flavorful and biscuity! But if at home, you enjoy the fall beer season, at Epcot a visit to Italy will let you love that style all year long, even if you are not in Germany! “La 150° Ambrata” is also a beer for beer snobs, who need to work their way towards lighter styles, one space on the color wheel at a time!

Grazie!

Beer Review - Dragon Scale

The goal of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort is that you are in a world of magic…so no regular, muggle-made, junk can creep into this world. Everything you see is unique to the theme and setting because you’re a Wizard (insert name here), meaning no Big Named Beers for you! Evanesco Budweiser!


 

A Pint of Dragon Scale

Accio Dragon Scale!

Dragon Scale, a wizarding beer, can be found throughout the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Recently, I had one at The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley in Universal Studios Florida. I was instantly hit with the red color, which reminded me of the red eyes of the Ukrainian Ironbelly, the largest and most ferocious of dragons. But sadly, this breed’s scales are not red but gray. The color is nice, with you being able to see through the glass to reveal your favorite witch or wizard sitting across the table. The potion, described as a red lager, in the magical plastic pint, tasted miraculously like beer.

When I say beer that tastes like beer, that’s my general description of a common lager. It is what one has come to expect from those days of mindless drinking before our alcohol intake became a cool new annoying hobby. And here, it does taste like a beer but slightly elevated. The malts to create the red color, give off some grainy flavor that is quite pleasant. But it is a lager that tastes like a solid, drinkable, crushable lager that still has enough flavor wizards who turn their noses up to beer that cannot be named are not allowed to mock you. With an ABV of 5.3%, it is also possible you might have a few. It is super approachable, as long as you like the taste of, well, beer. It has no hop bite at all. So it should be approachable for many.

All kidding aside. It is hard to make a good lager, especially for a craft brewery, which really needs to get the liquid out of tanks and into the hands of wizards. But the potion masters seem to have put it all together. A wizard brewery hidden in the muggle world named Carib Brewery USA, makes this concoction over at Cape Canaveral. Hmmm, that’s an odd name. Oh, because it’s not a small craft wizard or witch. No, Carib Brewery is a Trinidad-based brewery that used to have contracts with InBev, the makers of Budweiser. They purchased the Florida Beer Company in 2016, and it is clear they have brought the lessons of making large-scale lagers outside of the US at their production site in Florida!

Honestly, I’m not a lager-loving wizard. But drinking a Dragon Scale while sitting in a themed restaurant, and carrying your first wand at your side, Maple and Unicorn, just seems magical. Just remember to drink and apparate responsibly!

Who Drinks This? So you’ve been in Universal’s theme parks all day. You got yourself a refillable cup, congratulations on earning house cup points for showing that wisdom. You’ve been filling it with Bud Light or Coors Light of the Muggle World. Now that you’re in a magical place these brands are no longer an option! This is a beer for you! You just need to understand that the color does not mean the beer is going to be too dragony and adventurous!