Birra Menabrea
Biella, Italy
Imported by The Arsenal
San Antonio, TX
Available: NJ, DE, PA, RI, CT
Biella is located in the Italian region of Piemont.
Alcohol (wt.): n/a
Alcohol (vol.): 4.9
Color: n/a
Bitterness: 21
Original Gravity: 11.81% by volume
Final gravity: n/a
Malts used: n/a
Hops used: n/a
A beer called Flying Carpet should have a Turkish coffee character but this Italian lager is one of the palest I have come across: an entrancing and appealing gold/yellow with a lively collar of foam. It has a rich sweet corn aroma followed by juicy malt, a gentle hint of hops and light citrus fruit in the mouth. The short, dry finish is dominated by the juicy malt but there is a pleasing tang of lemon fruit and a building hop bitterness. A good refresher.
"Flying Carpet" a Piedmont beer from the foothills of the Italian Alps. This is a pleasant and refreshing beer, balanced with a gentle "kiss" of hops, and backed up by a good malt effort. An easy beer to drink.
When someone mentions Italy’s Piedmont region and drink in the same sentence, I usually think of a fine Barolo or Barbaresco wine, not beer. But these fine wines will not quench my thirst on a hot day like this beer does. It is crisp and clean on the nose and palate, with a delicately honeyed malty foundation and a pleasingly dry finish. The fresher, the better.
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Fred Eckhardt lives, writes about and drinks beer in Portland, OR. He is the author of The Essentials of Beer Style and Saké.
John Hansell is an equal-opportunity drinker. He writes about beer, wine and spirits. He is the creator, publisher & editor of Malt Advocate, a magazine for the whisky enthusiast.
