Re Ale Extra - Birra Del Borgo

NOLANDMAN

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +26.9%

12-06-2012 02:17:27 | More by NOLANDMAN

ConnoisseurOhio

Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +21.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

My first review on beer advocate.

First i would like to say I have enjoyed this beer from their regular bottle which ran around 19 dollars and from the bigger bottle that ran around 37 dollars. I enjoyed the smaller bottle more simply because the flavors seemed more concentrated, the mouth feel was much creamier and the nose seemed to be more floral.

The beer pours a perfect two finger head and resembles a solid reddish golden. Exactly like the picture on their website every pour.

The smell is robust and very appealing, cascade hops elevated on the top of a slight caramel and light apple or apricot being slowly heated on the stove. Very good.

I normally am not a huge fan of the taste of american IPA's. This opened up the world of IPA's for me. I can only describe it as fresh creamy floral activity exploding on my palate and cleansing everything that was before, finishing crisp and clean and slightly dry but not an uncomfortable dry. Amazing .. just perfect.

The mouthfeel i can only compare to that of a weihenstephaner. Except cleaner, crisper and creamier at the same time. It goes in your mouth and expands into creamy frothiness. So delicate but big. I would have to say this beer in the smaller bottle has the best mouthfeel i have ever encountered.

This is an experience worth having. I have tried many IPA's and for me this is the pinnacle of an IPA. It does not go overboard with the hops and every other aspect of the beer is spot on fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2013 16:09:02 | More by ConnoisseurOhio

ADTaber

South Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.5%

05-13-2013 23:19:39 | More by ADTaber

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

04-26-2013 15:30:05 | More by Jason1337

Wiggedout40

Georgia

4.65/5  rDev +18%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer was recommended to me as a good Italian IPA by a local beer store while on vacation in Italy. It was a great find for me. I love IPA's and this is great one. It truly brings out the fruitiness of the cascade hops used to make it.

A: The beer pours with a thick white to beige head that settles slowly and leaves some lace on the class. The beer itself is golden to amber in color.

S: Upon first opening the bottle (which was room temp) I smelled apricots above all along with the piney notes characteristic of IPA's. The apricot aroma persisted even after being poured.

T: There are subtle hints of apricots, peaches and the bitters of the hops which mix well together. The bitters linger on the palate but are not harsh.

M: The beer is well carbonated giving a somewhate rough mouth feel in the front of the sip but finishes smooth.

Overall: I wish I could pick this up locally. I am a fan of IPA's and this is by far one of my favorites. I would definitely have this again (several times) if given the opportunity. Definitely worth a try if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2013 00:30:07 | More by Wiggedout40

MadScientist

New York

3.35/5  rDev -15%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

My friend picked up a discounted case and share a bottle with me. The only date on the bottle is 01/2014 which is long time to let a hop centered beer sit on the shelf; I'm hoping that this is a beer from the future and not an old bottle.

A: A hazy light amber beer. I was warned about is one foaming over but no such problem here. The head is long lasting off-white foam.

S: moderate citrus hops with a citrus peel character,the hops aren't muted and aged but their not bright and fresh either. A light malt sweetness and a slight bit of alcohol sweetness as well.

T: The flavor is again more citrus peel than citrus. It's a but unusual but not bad having a moderately strong hops flavor and hops bitterness. The malt brings a light clean sweetness. The balance is moderately bitter. The finish is off dry with a citrus peel bitterness for an aftertaste. There was is a light bit is diacetyl.

M: A fairly creamy beer with medium-full body and moderately-strong level of carbonation. A moderately-light slickness coating the palate.

O: An interesting take on an American IPA not that the craft beer scene isn't littered with slightly off IPAs. The diacetyl gives the impression of English yeast while having American hops sort of confuses the English style from the American.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 00:01:29 | More by MadScientist

LafInfluenced

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

02-26-2013 00:43:25 | More by LafInfluenced

asafarc2

Rhode Island

4/5  rDev +1.5%

02-20-2013 02:42:37 | More by asafarc2

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75

An Italian-American IPA for an Italian American boy?

A-This brew pours a lightly hazy dark copper color. Head is a lopsided brigade of large bubbles skirted along a tuft of foam. Head leaves big, bubbly ghosts of lacing.

S-Quite interesting. Plentiful amounts of floral hops. Hops are also herbal and of dried grass with a tickle of candied citrus in the very back. I definitely get some honey, bread and caramel. Well balanced with a unique hop expression.

T-The flavor is more of the same but the hops really stress a long floral finish. Flower petals, dandelion stems and perfume. Spicy hops march the malt onto the palate. I also get a cool, over-steeped tea element as well. There is plenty of balance between the hop and the malt. They play together pleasantly.

M-Great feel. The carbonation sneaks up on me. The feel is creamy with relatively mild bitterness. The finish is bittersweet and it lingers for quite a while.

O/D-One of my first Italian crafts. Definitely my first Italian IPA. I enjoyed its complexity and eccentricity. It is a far cry from the aggressiveness of your textbook West Coast IPA; I find it to lie somewhere between an East Coast IPA and an English IPA. Pretty cool nonetheless. Price-tag hurt a bit, however.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 01:51:24 | More by VelvetExtract

outoffocus

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

01-20-2013 18:55:11 | More by outoffocus

PhotoMattT

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.5%

01-13-2013 21:51:44 | More by PhotoMattT

westcoastbeerlvr

California

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

01-11-2013 18:01:03 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

pin

Australia

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

12-14-2012 02:08:10 | More by pin

smo

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +1.5%

12-03-2012 02:52:14 | More by smo

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.85/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 11/20/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub in Pawtucket, RI, served in a tulip glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick but spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains honey, citrus, caramelized malts a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of honey, citrus and caramel. Then a thin malt character comes in. The hops presence is decent and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, decent kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer but in a style where there are so many very good alternatives it’s hard to justify the high price.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2012 19:58:06 | More by TheManiacalOne

Burt

Rhode Island

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

11-24-2012 21:03:33 | More by Burt

sneaks2210

New York

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%

11-14-2012 21:48:25 | More by sneaks2210

Beeradelphia

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +1.5%

10-24-2012 03:44:08 | More by Beeradelphia

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.63/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours gold/amber with a massive head.
Nose shows grapefruit and pine, along with a load of spicy hops. Also a bit of faint malt.
Similar flavours, more spicy hops and grapefruit. Not very aggressive though. Underneath is some biscuit-like malt. Mild bitterness.
Nice moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 08:41:04 | More by CrazyDavros

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Into a tall glass. Three fingers of head, big and frothy. A hazy, dark straw colored body.
Smells like lemon and pine, and a floral note. Which was a nice surprise.
A solid malty taste, toned down pine bitterness. Tasty.
Silky texture, moderate carbonation with a fizz.
This is a good beer. For an American IPA it does not have the characteristic bitterness, or maybe I'm used to higher IBU for IPAs. In any case, it's still enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 00:44:57 | More by Fatehunter

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -4.8%

10-09-2012 19:44:48 | More by JohnK17

windyy

4/5  rDev +1.5%

09-14-2012 04:08:40 | More by windyy

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pint at Beer Deluxe. From notes.

A - Poured ultra hazy copper with a two finger fluffy beige head. Decent lace and a half finger retention.

S - Juicy tropical fruits. Sweet fruits and a nice hop punch. Quite lovely to explore.

T - Juicy tropical fruits. Piney with grapefruit and seemingly less juicy and tropical.

M - Good carbonation with a light to medium body and a decent bitterness.

O/D - A nice IPA. Enough tropical fruit flavour but a bit rougher than the aroma leads you to believe. Good.

Serving type: on-tap

08-23-2012 14:10:16 | More by tbeckett

samEBC

Belgium

4/5  rDev +1.5%

08-16-2012 20:33:10 | More by samEBC

heresy22

California

4.25/5  rDev +7.9%

08-07-2012 17:25:14 | More by heresy22