CulturAle Press

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS #6:   Birrificio L’Olmaia Christmas Duck, S. Albino, Italy from State Line Liquors, Elkton, Md.

Date:  December 30, 2018

The Story—  This is an Ex Post Facto (sorry) entry for the fifth of our 12 beers of Christmas.   Find earlier posts with these links:  first, second, third, fourth, fifth

We’ve had a number of Birrificio L’Olmaia beers in our favorite Italian beer bars.   They brew well and interestingly.  We found this this Christmas Duck on this side of the pond a few years ago, however.   We think we purchased it at State Line Liquors, just south of the Delaware-Maryland border and just west of I95.   It’s one of the best beer stores in the east and they have an extensive offering of Italian and other imported beers.   They don’t come cheaply, however.   (see below)

The Beer—  Even and vinous dark ale with a fullness consistent with its 8% ABV.  Some residual honey adds some floral notes to a surprisingly mild ale. If you’re rich, it’s yummy in a sort of quiet way.   If you’re not rich, you’ll be clawing at the glass to find the flavor you thought you paid for.

Value —  Fair.  It was less than $20 but not by much.  It’s not the store’s fault, though, and it’s not the brewery’s fault either.   In the US, smaller brewers are taxed at a lower rate per barrel because their costs per barrel are so much higher than the big boys.  In Italy, the small brewers are taxed much higher per barrel because their influence in the government is so much less than that of the big boys.   We hope that will change when the government wakes up to the fact that the more that one thousand craft brewers in Italy provide far more jobs than the big brewers.   Yes.  We hope for a lot these days.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

It’s The Season!!   Through January 6th (Twelfth Night) we’ll give your this year’s list of the Twelve Beers of Christmas.  We’ve tasted close to 200 beers brewed for the season; they’re not all good elves, but a great many are as talented as Rudolph for getting us through a foggy winter’s night.

We know, we promised a count down to the New Year with descriptions of some of our favorite beers from the last five years.   In those years we’ve published Drinking in the Culture, and gotten a good start on a drinking/sleeping guide to the Mid Atlantic and a guide to great beers is supposed “bad beer cities” — the tourist meccas of Europe. But goodness, Grinch, what about all the holiday beers??  So we’ll detour and pick up the top ten list in the new year.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is iour response to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”