Tasting

What does beer from Lombardy taste like? With a Tipopils in front of you, the first thing you do is smell it—and that's half the pleasure. In the glass sits a bright, golden color, topped with a white head. The nose finds blossoms and herbs, the palate a dry, lean Pils.

Three breweries serve as good examples. Birrificio Italiano represents Italian Pils with its Tipopils. Birrificio Lambrate represents the first two beers of 1996 with Montestella and Porpora. Birrificio Milano, founded in 2014, represents the newer Milan beer scene.

A Pils belongs in a tall, slender glass or a tulip glass that concentrates the aroma. Served cold, at around six to eight degrees, it unfolds its aroma best. Too cold, and the aromas stay locked away; too warm, and the bitterness turns flabby.

At the brewpub, the beer is usually poured fresh straight from the tank. When pouring it yourself, tilt the glass and let the foam rise last. A firm head of about two fingers' height protects the beer from the air and locks in the aroma.

A set sequence helps when tasting. First look at color and head, then smell, then take a small sip and hold it briefly in the mouth. Following this approach, you'll quickly notice whether a beer leans toward blossoms, bread, or citrus, how long the bitterness lingers, and whether the beer finishes dry or round.