Beerman in London, Part Six

The waiter poured me just a couple of inches in a labeled, snifter-style glass and stopped.

"For emergency," he said with a laugh.

This was not the Peroni we usually see in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Peroni Gran Riserva is intended to be more upscale than the Peroni Nastro Azzurro we always see at Carrabba's.

I had Peronia Gran Riserva at Ask, an Italian restaurant (with great food!) next to the genius Design Museum.

It was even served in a snifter-style, labeled glass, and was 6.6 percent alcohol. That might be due to the double malting -- "birra doppio malto" -- claimed on the label. Either way, the malting certainly brought out a distinctive, sophisticated taste, smoother and heavier than the Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

For one 12-ounce bottle, Peroni Gran Riserva was about 3.70 pounds, compared to 3.30 pounds for Peroni Nastro Azzurro, if memory serves.

I don't think we have Gran Riserva in Myrtle Beach, but if we do, try it.