Italian beer has a lot in common with it’s more famous cousin, German beer.
When you head out for Italian food next take a look around the dining room and see what people are drinking. Chances are you’ll see plenty of red and white wine being poured and enjoyed, but you might also see something you didn’t expect. Beer, especially craft and imported, has been steadily rising in the ranks of what diners choose to pair with their meals. But at an Italian restaurant, why would anyone pick beer over wine?
Pale Lagers
If someone says “Italian beer,” you probably picture the green bottle and red, white and blue label of Peroni. Italy’s oldest brewery shares a name with its flagship beer, a pale lager that weighs in around 3.5% alcohol by volume. Pale lagers are what most patently German-style beers are considered. Well balanced and crisp, pale lagers are cold fermented which keeps the alcohol content down. In contrast, ales, like the beloved India pale ale, are fermented at room temperature and create a distinctly heavier body and taste profile.
Great with Pizza and Crispy Apps
This might sound more like a staple of American cuisine than Italian cuisine, but pizza and beer go together like, well, like spaghetti and meatballs and the Italians have known this for longer than us. The light body of a pale Italian lager is perfect for washing down a nice slice of delicious pizza. Or is that flatbread? Beer isn’t just great with pizza, though. The crisp and clean taste of a pale lager is perfect for crispy appetizers like calamari fritti, brushetta or zuchini fritte.
Enjoy Italian Beer at Basta Pasta
For over 12 years, Basta Pasta has been providing Marylanders with delicious Italian specials cooked from fresh, delicious, high-quality ingredients. Enjoy a taste of classic Italian food with spectacular pasta dishes, unlimited salad and breadsticks, and sumptuous fine Italian wines. To make a reservation at our Timonium location, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 308-0838. To make a reservation at our Fallston location, contact us online or give us a call at (410) 692-5200. To find out more about our menu, follow us on Facebook and Twitter!