Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Peroni Brewery, Rome, Italy

The Peroni Nastro Azzurro has given me some hope that I can enjoy a beer containing Saaz hops. I enjoyed a few of these Peroni's the other night at dinner and I found the beer did resemble the dreaded Pilseners I've had, but it didn't have that hoppy overbite that I previously attributed to the Saaz hop. It was a more constrained flavor that I found, with a hint of citrus flavors. The beer has a 5.1% ABV. The beer apparently battles Moretti for dominance in Italian restaurants as the Italian beer to have. Although, as far as marketing purposes, I give the nod to the mustachioed Moretti. The Peroni gets a 3.0.