Muddy, raisin-brown beer with orange hue and arrogant carbonation pushes forward a creamy, tall, moussy head that shoots up to four fingers. The long-lived retention keeps the beautiful lacing alive for a long time. Caramel malt dominates over oat flakes, cookie and a pinch of cereal. I like the olfactory feeling except that it's considerably tame. The palate gears discreetly in a slightly bitter direction. This sweetheart offers lofty caramel malt, a bit of cookie, grass, chestnut and a nuance of alcohol that renders the cocktail a bit stingier after swallowing. The body is light-medium to medium. The ABV is 7 %, so I anticipated something like that. Alcohol steps up unfortunately more bravely in the finish, otherwise the previous caramelly medley prevails also up to the end. The mouthfeel is relatively light, moderately crisp and slightly tangy. It's also frothy and still quite smooth.

My Calabrian beer escapade continues. This "big cat" comes from Vibo Valentia. Once here, I resort to local brews. Of course. 👍🏻 The beer is basically transparent and colors copper. Rich carbonation is the father to a cream-yellow, dense moussy head that elevates up to one finger. Retention is truly long. Medium-sweet malt, biscuit, a bit of apricot and a silent sigh of banana can be listed as the parameters of the scent. Since this is supposed to be a Belgian Blonde, the direction is obviously right. Yes indeed! Now that I sip the beer, it gives those flavors that I expect of a Belgian Blonde: a bit sweet-leaning malt, orange, some biscuit, faint mango and a suggestion of cantaloupe. Nice! I checked the label and it witnesses no candi sugar or any other type of sugar. That's welcome! The slight sweetness comes, therefore, from natural sources. The body is light. The finish twists modestly more bitter but remains, generally speaking, on the same line as before. It has medium duration. The mouthfeel is subtle, velvety, smooth and effervescent. I would argue that it's also a tad Belgiany, which is a compliment for a non-Belgian beer. Good stuff! 👍🏻