The Wine of the Week is not a Wine at All

It's a beer, and a very good one at that. Let's set things straight. I'm a wine drinker, first and foremost, not to mention professionally. Wine has been good to me, pays my rent, will always hold that special place in my heart, etc. But beer is good, too, particularly for a change of pace on a cold winter evening, with beery food, with friends that are going to look askance at precious talk of the aromatic subtleties of your new favorite Chambolle-Musigny. And as many of you know, a well-crafted beer is every bit the food beverage wine can be. So we start this new feature with a glass raised to Super-Baladin Ale, a tasty wheaty aromatic brew that hails from Italy. I had it on holiday in Sicily last October (see previous post) and our beer buyer Daniel was kind and efficient enough to track it down for the store. Think Schneider-Weisse dunkel with a bit of twang, if that makes sense. Keep in mind, I'm new to beer prose, so this might lack my usual rapier precision. To escape a deluge in Ragusa, Megan and I ducked into a modest joint and had possibly the best pizza I've encountered. Possibly, though the pizza we had in vielle Nice last summer certainly places close to the top of the list as well. Anyway, lunch is not a contest. Baladin washed down a magnificent gorgonzola and speck pizza, and a sandwich. Hey, how often are you in Sicily? Megan commented on the excess as well, but all three items were great, so I regret nothing. We walked it off. In summary, seek out Super Baladin (and other great Birrifico le Baladin products) today. In the relatively short field of quality Italian brews, this one's a winner.