Birra Moretti L'Autentica

 

          Located in the Italian city of Udine, Birra Moretti’s history dates back to the late 1850s when the region was still part of the Austrian empire. At the time, the company was known as the Beer and Ice factory, with the first bottles of beer coming out for sale in 1860. The company was established by a young merchant from a wealthy family by the name of Luigi Moretti. According to legend, it was Luigi’s nephew who took a picture of a man enjoying a beer in 1942. Allegedly it is that man who graces the labels of Birra Moretti’s labels to this day.

I still recall the first time I had a pint of Birra Moretti while on vacation one summer in Sandpoint, Idaho. My father and I decided we were in the mood for Italian food one evening and found a promising restaurant with a view of the river. Having some time to kill before supper, we took a seat at the bar and decided to try some Italian beer before our dinner. Birra Moretti L’autentica is crystal clear and pale amber in color, sort of the color of ripe hay. Moderate bubbles of CO2 rise through the glass, supporting a fluffy, bone white head with decent retention.

          Interestingly, L’autentica’s nose boasts an up front sweetness that somehow reminds me of those lemon flavored hard candies. Beneath that I find just a hint of soda crackers, not pronounced enough really add anything to the overall profile. But there it is nonetheless, if you go digging hard enough for it. The rest of L’autentica’s aroma is pretty straightforward, smelling only slightly of adjunct before falling into a nondescript finish.

          L’autentica’s flavor profile seems to have more going on than the aroma did. It’s rounded and sweet up front, before moving quickly into a soda cracker flavored dryness. CO2 does a decent enough job carrying flavors across my tongue, such as they are. Sweetness comes out a little more in the center, giving me a bit of lemon candy like I found in the nose. Those flavors of lemon drop leads into a dry, lasting finish where I find just a hint of grassy European hops before fading away.

          At the end of the day, I’m giving Birra Moretti L’autentica 6.5 out of 10. As far as lagers go it’s inoffensive enough, and indeed perfectly drinkable in its own respect. The only reason I’m not putting this beer over a 7 out of 10, is that it just doesn’t have very much going on, even for a lager. I found the aroma especially to be too simple and straightforward for its own good. If there had been more bread or soda cracker or something in the aroma, I think L’autentica would be a better beer.