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Any beer lover can tell you their favorite brews. Any beer lover can also tell you that they love trying new beers and watching their list of favorites grow. Here, we give you a rundown of our favorite beers from around the globe. You should definitely try every single one of them.
Adepta Black and Adepta White, Italy
From Italy we get two low-fermented beers brewed by the firm Adepta: Adepta Black and Adepta White. Both are comparable to a fine wine or high quality champagne. Adepta Black is the ideal beer to accompany cheeses, white meats and game. It is made with 100 percent Pilsner Bavaria malt, Wyeast and spring water. Meanwhile, Adepta White is perfect as an aperitif, with seafood, sashimi and tempura vegetables. With a refreshing taste and light body, it delivers the perfect balance of malt and hops. Adepta production is limited to 23,000 bottles per year.
Cerex Iberian Ham Beer, Spain
Cerex, a boutique beer producer from the small town of Zarza de Granadilla (Caceres, Spain), is the brainchild of two young agronomists whose love for innovation led them to create a premium beer called Andares. It is an India Pale Ale: full bodied, voluminous and with a bitter-sweet, balanced flavor. It is the first beer made using Jamón Ibérico de Bellota from Extremadura (Iberian ham from Extremadura), one of the most coveted Spanish hams. Water, barley malt, Iberian ham, hops, and yeast are the only ingredients, and due to the laborious and expensive production process, the first edition of 60 bottles was limited and numbered.
Each Andares bottle includes a wax seal and comes in a wooden box containing the typical ham holder (jamonero). The label shows its Spanish origins and has an imprint of an Iberian hog. The first edition was so successful it sold out within days of its launch.
Fuller’s Past Masters Double Stout, London
This strong and delightful Double Stout (a black highly fermented beer, dense, creamy and with a fruity acidity) comes from an original recipe dating from 1893. Its main ingredient is supreme quality barley, carefully malted and dried the same way it was done in the 19th century. It is dark brown with thick foam, fruity aromas and smoky notes of coffee and bitter chocolate.
Abashiri Blue, Japan
The Abashiri brewery from Hokkaido, Japan, has released a fascinating beer with an eccentric blue neon color. The blue pigments don’t come from the use of additives, but from the addition of Chinese yam in its preparation. However, color is not its only peculiar trait of this brew. The glacial waters that often reach the beaches of Hokkaido are an essential component of this Japanese beer. The result is a fresh and tasty drink to complement Japanese cuisine.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire, England
Beer is a centuries-old tradition in the British Isles, and Shepherd Neame is one of the country’s most representative breweries. Among their most famous, and best-selling, beers is the Spitfire ale: a tribute to the Spitfire fighter aircraft and to the heroic pilots of the RAF (Royal Air Force) who, during the Battle of Britain flew to defend their country from Nazi air attacks during World War II.
Moody Tongue Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner, United States
Moody Tongue Brewery, in the United States, creates pilsner-style beer which includes Australian black truffles, the Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner. Each year about 500 bottles of 22 ounces are produced, and their release generates so much expectation that the marketing is done by a lottery that determines who will be the lucky customers who can buy it. It is a very aromatic drink that brings forth a lingering taste of the black truffle, which blends perfectly with the roasted malt typical of the German pilsner.
Westvleteren XII, Belgium
Westvleteren XII, the Belgian beer prepared by the expert hands of 26 monks living in a monastery, is recognized as one of the most exclusive in the world, with prizes in various competitions both in Europe and in the United States. Currently, Westvleteren produces three types of beer, Westvleteren Blonde, Westvleteren VIII and Westvleteren XII, the most famous and prestigious of all. Westvleteren XII is so coveted, that in order to buy some it is necessary to book in advance and can cost up to $ 75 per unit. The Westvleteren XII is a dark brown color. It has a delicate and persistent foam and aromas of caramelized malt, plum and vanilla. On the palate it is complex, sweet, but also slightly bitter. ■