Beer won’t be the first drink that comes to mind when you imagine sipping on something boozy beneath the Italian sun. This is, after all, the land whose soil nurtures grapes for Prosecco, Chianti and Primitivo; whose people sip on Aperol and Campari spritz like it’s going out of fashion; whose morning commuters aren’t impartial to adding a shot of Grappa or Sambuca to their coffee (the so-called Caffé Corretto) – much to the detriment of the Italian economy.
As exciting and innovative as Italian cocktails can be, sometimes nothing beats an ice-cold beer. Here are 10 Italian beers to try the next time you visit the Bel Paese.
Peroni
Few things besides calcio (football) and the Church unite Italians like Peroni. Italians are a fragmentary folk, who more often identify with their city or region than with any national “Italian” identity. But getting p*ssed on Peroni somehow manages to bridge North and South.
Which makes it all the more surprising that Peroni is, in fact, owned by Japan’s Asahi Breweries. Oh well, you can’t have it all. Peroni lager has been “Made in Italy” since 1846 and, today as then, uses only barley malt, maize, hop pellets and hop extract. The original Peroni, recognisable by its red, white and gold branding, is a cool 4.7% ABV and, back in 2019, was one of the five most popular beers in the world.
When in Rome, make a pit stop at L’Antica Birreria Peroni between Piazza Venezia and the Trevi Fountain. Here at this pub-meets-food-hall, you can try five types of Peroni on tap: Peroni, Peroni Nastro Azzurro (Blue Ribbon), Gran Riserva Double Malt, Gran Riserva Rossa, and Gran Riserva Bianca.
Enjoy Peroni and much more on a Rome Tipsy Tour
Nastro Azzurro
Known by non-beer aficionados as “fancy Peroni”, Nastro Azzurro has been getting people sloshed since 1963. It was inspired by the SS Rex Italian ocean liner that won the Blue Riband back in the day. Like the beer, the liner ship was stylish, speedy, smooth – until it got bombed to sh*t by the Allies in WW2 and sunk off the coast of Slovenia.
A well-poured Nastro Azzurro is golden-hour vibes with a frothy white head. Its main notes are citrus zest and herbal hops; its first sip is clean, refreshing, and made for sun-soaked piazzas and sweaty, sun-baked kissed afternoons. Nastro Azzurro goes well with just about anything — pizza, curry, seafood, or even a salad if you’re feeling virtuous or suffering through your 30s. Light, elegant, and effortlessly cool, Nastro Azzuro is one of the best Italian beers for an evening aperitivo, or for when you’ve f*cked yourself on Negroni and need to slow down.
Messina – Cristali di Sale
Birra Messina is Sicily in a bottle, with a pinch of sea breeze and a sprinkle of rebellion, with Sicilian sea salt from Trapani thrown into the mix. And no, it’s not weird. It’s wonderful.
Founded back in 1923, Birra Messina has survived decades of brewing history and even a Heineken buyout in the 1980s. Heineken flexed their corporate muscle to move production to the southern Italian region of Puglia. But the story of Birra Messina has a happy ending. In 2019, the cooperative struck a regenerative deal with Heineken, allowing them to produce Birra Messina Cristalli di Sale using Trapani sea salt, and gain national distribution via Heineken’s network, doubling production and reviving the brand’s hometown footprint.
None of which you’ll care about while sipping this beer in the sun. But hey ho – in today’s world of mega corporations stripping wealth from local businesses, you take the wins where you can.
Birra Messina Cristalli di Sale is a seductively good lager beer, with a golden pour and a creamy, frothy head. But the magic starts the moment it hits your nose. Warm bread, malt, a whisper of ocean air, and a subtle kick of salt on the palate. Pair it with grilled seafood, olives, or Sicilian pasta alla norma, or sip it solo under the Italian sun. It’s unexpected in the best way — and proof that sometimes, all a beer needs is a little salt to shine.
Treat yourself to a Florence Tipsy Tour
Menabrea Bionda
If Italy’s big beer names are the loud ones at the party, Menabrea Bionda is the one who shows up late, says almost nothing, and somehow ends up going home with your date.
Brewed in Biella, a picturesque town in Piedmont at the foot of the Alps, Menabrea is the oldest continuous brewery in Italy. And with age comes experience. This blonde lager is brewed with Alpine spring water so pure it probably qualifies as holy. In the glass, it’s straw-gold, radiant, Jamie Lannister before he lost his hand, with a fluffy white head that says, “sip me slow.”
On the nose, you get a honey-glazed malt, warm bread crust, and a bouquet of floral hops. It starts sweet and smooth, then pivots with a citrusy bitterness, like a polite slap across the face from a well-mannered sommelier. The finish is crisp, clean, and classy — unlike the sister-sh*gging Jamie Lannister after the end of the first episode.
Menabrea is hoppier than your average Italian lager, with a little more bite and a lot more nuance. Grilled fish, creamy pasta, or Alpine cheese all go great, but Menabrea doesn’t need food to shine. This is the kind of beer that doesn’t shout – it speaks fluently in style.
Montecassino – La Birra dell’Abbazia
At the Monastery of Montecassino, perched high above the hills of Lazio, they’re not just praying — they’re pouring. Birra Montecassino is brewed in the shadow of one of Europe’s most historic abbeys. And yes, it’s every bit as soulful as you’d expect from Benedictine hands (or at least Benedictine oversight) as one of the world’s tastiest monastery-made products.
For pilgrims of flavour, this top-fermented Italian ale is a must. It’s made using local (presumably Holy) spring water and traditional ingredients, creating a beer that’s amber-gold, slightly hazy, with a thick, creamy head.
Montecassino’s beer is not about smashing pints and getting lairy; it’s about slow sips, silent contemplation, and ocassionally naming old football players. It’s not flashy. It’s not trendy. It’s made by monks for f*ck’s sake. But it tastes inspired with patience and purpose.
Baladin
If Peroni and Moretti are the godfathers of Italian beer, Birra Baladin is their hipster nephew who studied abroad in Brussels and came back with radical politics and a homebrew kit. Born in 1996 (basically yesterday in beer years), Baladin quickly made waves with a bold mission: craft Italian beer with Belgian soul.
Perhaps their most famous is Isaac, their OG creation from 1997, named after the founder’s son (adorable). It’s a pale, hazy gold wheat beer with just the right amount of cloudiness. On the nose you get equal notes of grain and citrus with a bit of spice. The taste is zingy, slightly tart (thanks to Italian barley doing its thing), and full of gentle sparkle. Sure, the high carbonation won’t be everyone’s jam, but if you’re into bright, refreshing beers with a bit of personality, Isaac’s your guy.
This isn’t your standard pizza lager: it’s creative, modern, and unapologetically different. Perfect for those nights when you want to savour your beer and enjoy quality over quantity.
Ichnusa Non Filtrata
This unfiltered lager wears its roots proudly — made in Sardinia and as rustic as a shepherd’s lunch. Ichnusa is hazy in the glass (thanks to the natural sediment left behind), with a deep golden hue that hints at the full-bodied, textured experience to come.
Take a sniff and you’re hit with toasty grain, fresh bread, and a little yeast, like a village bakery bathed in the sun. On the palate there’s a honeyed malt, earthy yeast, and a richer mouthfeel than your average Italian beer. We especially appreciate Ichnusa’s latest campaign “Se deve finire così, non beveteci nemmeno’, which, despite being a mouthful, spreads a good message: don’t toss your bottle onto the streets; clean up after yourself, or don’t drink in the first place.
Unfiltered and unapologetic, Ichnusa pairs beautifully with cheese, salty snacks, or a sunset in Sardinia. Just be sure to choose your Sardinian cheese carefully: you don’t want to end up with live larvae-filled Casu Martzu — unless you’re feeling brave.
Kick back with fun, like-minded travellers on a Rome Tipsy Tour
Angelo Poretti
Angelo Poretti? Isn’t that just an Italian guy’s name? Well, yes it is. A beer-loving traveller, no less, who created this beer in 1877 and named it after himself. The raving narcissist.
So fine, Angelo. Let’s play it your way. In the glass, Angelo becomes a rich golden hue, shedding all semblance of being a human being and adopting a soft, foamy head. Aromatically, he smells nothing like a late nineteenth-century traveller, but is floral and citrusy, clean and crisp. Drink from the body of Angelo Poretti, like the vampire that you are, and you’ll get a gentle malty sweetness, a hint of biscuit, and just a touch of bitterness to keep things interesting.
Angelo is an easy-drinking Italian lager that goes great on his own, or with anything from pasta or pizza to patio snacks.
Moretti
Fronted by a guy who looks like he might have been in the Mafia, Birra Moretti is the charming old soul of Italian beers with stories to tell and a killer pasta recipe. Brewed (mostly) the same way since 1859, this classic Italian lager is a nod to old-school drinking — and yes, the moustachioed man on the label is very much part of the charm. He’s been sipping that pint longer than most of us have been alive. And he’s still standing, so what’s your excuse?
Visually, Moretti’s got a richer golden glow than your average lager, with a creamy head that hints at something just a little deeper. On the nose? Think fresh grains and grassy hops — a gentle hello before the first sip. The taste is smooth and mellow with a biscuity maltiness that makes it feel a bit heartier than Peroni. It’s still refreshing, just with more body. Floral and herbal notes linger in the background, adding complexity without making it fussy.
Moretti is your go-to with meaty pastas, sausages, or Sunday ragù. It’s the beer you drink when you want to chill, but also low-key impress your palate.
Raffo
Straight out of the Southern Italian city of Taranto, Birra Raffo is Puglia’s hometown hero — the beer that nonna would give her blessing if nonna were still alive and ever drank beer. It’s been fueling coastal sunsets and late-night card games since 1919, and while it’s now part of the Heineken family, it still holds onto that fiercely local soul.
Pour it into a glass and you’ll get that classic golden glow with a tight white head. On the nose? Nothing too fancy — a little grain and a little malt. Because Raffo isn’t trying to impress you. It’s trying to refresh you.
On the palate, it’s clean, lightly bitter, and dry, with just enough flavour to fly solo or pair with Pugliese focaccia. It’s not artisanal. It’s not trendy. But it hits the spot, especially when the air is hot, the snacks are salty, and you’ve just said “vabbè” (ok) for the fifth time today.
