Birrificio del Ducato L'Ultima Luna

Birrificio del Ducato L'Ultima Luna

A Barley Wine aged 18 months in French oak wine barrels previously used for Amarone della Valpolicella wine.



Barley wine di grande carattere, maturato per 18 mesi in barriques di rovere francese usate per invecchiare vino Amarone della Valpolicella. Di color ramato intenso con riflessi rossi, al naso è straordinariamente ricco e complesso, sprigiona profumi di frutti rossi (marasca e ribes) e vaniglia, con sentori di sottobosco e reminescenze vinose. In bocca è caldo, di gran corpo e privo di gasatura. Una birra al di là di preconcetti e luoghi comuni, dedicata all’uomo di domani.



Alc. 13,0% 26°P



L’Ultima Luna è la birra che ho ideato per celebrare la nascita del mio primo figlio, Matteo. Ricordo che durante i mesi dell’attesa ho pensato a lungo alla birra che gli avrei dedicato, volevo che fosse profonda, complessa, evocativa e che si potesse destinare ad un lungo invecchiamento. Decisi di utilizzare botti usate di Amarone (uno dei miei primi amori in campo enologico), ma riempite solo per 2/3 del loro volume, in modo tale da favorire l’ossidazione della birra con l’aria (un omaggio al mio passato in Andalusia, ai vini ossidati di una terra in cui ho lasciato un pezzo di cuore). La birra (se così la si può ancora chiamare) avrebbe dovuto originariamente invecchiare 9 mesi, ma con l’esperienza ho capito che l’invecchiamento minimo per questa birra è di 18 mesi. In etichetta ci sono delle citazioni di Dalì e Saint-Exupéry, l’immagine del bambino che solleva surrealisticamente il mare è un chiaro riferimento a Matteo. Quello che mi affascina in questa birra è l’eccezionale complessità degli aromi terziari (cuoio, crosta del formaggio, madeira, legno, mandorla tostata) dati dall’ossidazione, una cosa che mi piace fare è lasciare le bottiglie aperte e berle dopo circa 3 mesi per innalzare il livello del godimento.
3.6
161 reviews
Roncole Verdi di Busseto (PR), Italy

Community reviews

3.7 Franchement pas convaincu. Elle n’est pas mauvaise, mais pour du 13%, un soi disant barley wine vieillit en fut d’Amarone, franchement bof bof. Nez : super tentant, très rond, riche, beaucoup de caramel, d’armagnac, de fond vineux, de pêche, un peu de pruneau, un zeste agrume. Bouche : la déception, un vin assez pauvre, porté sur le boisé soit, mais sans profondeur ou complexité aromatique. Assez acide, relativement sec. La longueur est très portée sur l’armagnac et laisse un goût de reviens-y. Sinon, manque de corps, de caractère, même si on pourrait parler de finesse.
3.8 bbe 2035 bottle ramato carico rubino piatta marsalata frutti rossi leggero etilico spirito discreto corpo
3.7 Bottle from demolenbeershop. 2010 vintage. No hissing sound at all as the cap goes off. And no head at all. Murky dirty orangebrown colour. A bit flat mouth feel and sometimes. But the nose is nice with lots of sweet tones of raisins, grapes, honey, barrels and most of all a really sweet vine hard to say if it´s white or red. It´s probably past it´s best days and it not as potent as the 135 abv would suggest. Combines really well to strong cheese or to any cheese which is good cause by it´s self it´s to sweet. Nice all together.
4.1 Bottle nr 0315. Hazy, brownish, colour. Almost non-excistent carbonation. Very powerful aroma. Plums, vanilla, raisins, wine, almonds, dried apples. Very rich! Caramel, vanilla at first. Some spiceness in the middle. Notes of sherry in the end. Heavy bodied, oily, silky, creamy, luxurious, non-carbonated, really enjoyable, aristocratic barley wine.
3.7 Backlog from a recent bottle share. 330 ml bottle, Riserva 2010, purchased on sale at Supermarket Liquors. Hazy reddish amber appearance. Aroma of fruity/vinous esters, caramel, light toffee, light alcohol and light vanilla. Similar flavor, heavy sweetness with a smooth, creamy feel. Full body with soft carbonation. Interesting, probably past its prime, though.
4.0 Vienna Craft Beer Fest 2015. Poured a deep amber color with a very small sized head. Sherry, raisins, some wood, fruity, and some ashy
3.9 0,1l from tap at Craft Bier Fest Wien, shared by a friend. nice smell of sherry, coconut, spices, some alcohol, dried fruits. very nice smell. full body, soft carbonatioon, slick mouthfeel, soft oily carbonation. tastes alcoholic, sherry, spices, dried fruits, wood. finishes with alcohol and notes of dried fruits. very nice beer, a bit too sharp alcohol, but lovely sherry and notes of dried fruits.
4.1 Beerfest Vienna. Hazy Amber color with minimal white head. Strong aroma of malt, candies, cherry liqueur. Very complex taste of cherries, wood, malt, candies. Nice one.
3.1 At Craft Bier Fest Wien. Quite intense with pronounced basic woodiness. Lots of tannins and poorly drinkable. Somewhat astringent. Rough alcohol. I do not like it very much.
4.2 Purple color with no head. Aroma is amarone, raisins, tartness. Taste is some malts, nuttiness, amarone again, raisins. Like a very good dry sherry. Awesome, a real slow sipper. A masterpiece.
3.5 Bottle at Todd’s share. Pours a muddy brown with very small head in a small snifter. Powerful fruited aroma of overipe dark fruits like prunes, plums, nectarines, raisins, and apricots. The taste was super sweet overipe fruits mention in the aroma and dark candy sugars. Cloying. Some sweet roll aspects with spices as well. Medium to full body and very low carb. It smelled good but since the finish was so sweet it was a little rough.
4.3 A sugary alcohol smell with a hint of dried raisins. Its brown color with its still taste makes it one of a kind. The taste also have some raisins and molasse taste with alcohol. Drink it with care and make it last. Cheers!
2.7 Barley wine from the rotter this one is from dasilky. Pours poop pond brown with no head offered. Sweet grapey port wine. Grape drank. Dimetap. Potent sweet plummy figs. Touch of metallic acidic character. Perhaps a bit too sweet and medicinal.
2.9 Murky brown with floating bits and no head. Seems very sweet, smells like fruit compote and spices (allspice mostly). Taste sweet and fruity, almost no carbonation, strong alcoholic feeling going down the throat. I usually love Ducato, but this left me unimpressed. It IS five years old, so maybe that’s part of it, would love to try a fresher, or possibly just later, sample.
3.6 shared bottle, sample, poured a murky dark cola to brown colour with a small off head. sweet raisins, dark red fruits, cherries, vanilla, sweet butter notes, spanish wine, oak, sweet toffee, bread, low carbonated, very smooth finish for 13% abv
3.2 330ml bottle. Hazy, reddish chestnut coloured pouring produces some fugacious, macropored bubbles. Intense, sweetish malty aroma, lots of almond, marzipan, sherry, Amaretto, Moscatel, Marsala, some little by little pervasive Marmite-like spiciness. Taste is mildly spicy, a touch of soup cube and lovage, hints of Marmite, some sherry, Marsala; slightly dry, papery, cardboard finish, warming alcohol paralleled. Viscous texture, flat, insipid palate. Slow sipper necessitating a process that must be described rather as arduous abolition than reiterated regalement.
3.1 Dark brown with no head, flat. Amarone wine, wood, dark caramel, very ripe dark fruit. A little bitterness at first, then mainly sweet with a weird finish. No carbonation, tiny body. No really great.
4.0 33 cl bottle @ tiong Riserva 2010, 24 mesi in botte. Lotto 01 03 64, UL 30M 11. Bottle nr. 1584. Aroma is very strong on sherry – even more than some sherries themselves. Also some licorice, porto and alcohol. Flavour has licorice, sherry, woody tones and sweet cherries. Quite pleasant but also quite far from a beer. Feels like a sherry.
3.7 330ml bottle from De Molen Beershop Riserva 2010, bott. n. 1584. Da consumarsi preferibilmente entro il: 01 03 64 (wtf?!) LOTTO: UL30M 11 - Pours dark brown with no head. Aroma of toffee, syrup, wood, oak, vinous notes, loads of sherry, caramel, raisins, ripe fruits and madeira. Taste is sweet, syrupy and woody with loads of oak, vinous notes, sherry, madeira, hints of caramel, toffee and berries. Finish is smooth, but very sweet and complex with some vinous notes, oak, wood, vanilla and toffee. Quite heavy and sweet. An extremely slow sipper.
3.2 0.33 l bottle, thanks hanniku! Reddish brown color. Thick sweet aromas of oak, raisins, almonds, toffee and bourbon. Thick oaky flavor with raisins, honey, blackberry, bourbon, almonds. Thick woody mouthfeel. Controversial, aroma feels dessert wine or bourbon, but flavor is dryer with detracting malt and red wine flavors.
4.6 Smells like cigars, wine from plums and vanilla in one. 5 years, dark caramel with no bubbles. Just delicious.
3.9 330ml bottle, vintage 2010, dark brown, clowdy with small yeast particles, completly no head. Aroma of vanilla, raisins, soy souce, black tee and vinegar. In taste balanced medium sweetness and sourness with very delicate bitterness. Alcohol slightly noticable but not disturbing and warming. Very thick and oily texture with almost no carbonisation.
3.7 Bottle, courtesy of a kind soul... shared in a location remote of my dining room. Pours basically still with a very deep mahogany color. The aroma is musty and mushroomy. It’s got some light brine and a bit of white grape. It’s actually akin to a Fino Sherry. The flavor is spicy and lightly sweet but musty, dry, & briny with some light chocolate. Again, this registers as more familiar to a sherry of Fino or Oloroso style than most beers I’ve ever tried.
3.5 Bottle shared at Chriso’s post GBBF minidig, 16/08/14. Aroma is nice mellow caramel, nutty, some hot alcohol, cognac barrel. Ruby red / caramel coloured pour with a low off white head. Flavour is composed of liquorice, caramel and nutty, smooth caramel, nutmeg. Palate is viscous, warming alcohol, solvent. A bit rough round the edges.but pretty mellow.
3.1 330ml bottle Appearance: opper amber with no head Aroma: unsweetened cocoa powder, some dark fruits such as dried plum and raisin and oak Taste: Sweet, cocoa powder, raisin, red ruit, light spices, and a hint of oak. No carbonation. I guess we have to take the barley WINE part literally.
2.7 Tester, Erzbierschof Tab. Riecht fast gar nicht. Sehr speziell malzig , dickflüssig cremig. Süss. Komisch. Not my style, sorry.
3.7 Brune laiteuse aux reflets bourgognes disparates, aucune mousse ne se présente à nous lors du versement. Visuellement, on a l’impression de boire du vin rouge. Au niveau des autres sens, nous ne sommes effectivement pas trop loin du liquide de Dionysos. Des notes vineuses évidentes émanent du verre et se conjuguent aux prunes confites et au sucre candi. D’autres fruits confits apparaissent en bouche et apaisent l’acidité rappelant toujours le vin rouge. Par contre, plus la bière tempère, cette acidité prend le dessus. Avec son absence de carbonatation et sa madérisation avancée, cette bière partage de nombreux points communs avec le vin de Madère. Spéciale, mais délicieuse. À siroter doucement.
4.3 Draugt at Borefts ’14. Dark amber with almost no head. Full body with low carbonation. A very sweet and thick brew. Dark fruits, wood, nuts, spices, brown sugar, booze and raisin. A very pleasant special brew.
3.7 Bottle shared at Chriso’s post GBBF minidig, 16/08/14 from Domus Birrae. Lightly hazed chestnut brown with no head. Nose is nutty, dark toffee vibes, brown sugars, big walnut whip presence, spice, light chocolate. Taste comprises big sherry notes, booze, oaky, more of that walnut whippage effect, figs, dates. Full bodied, soft carbonation, light warming alcohol in the close. Nice slightly aged barley wine, mellow and tasty.
3.2 Bottle - Vintage 2012 - Vinous and barrel notes, plum and some booze. Hazy copper with no head. Vinous and big oak notes. Body is a bit thin. This has picked up so much of the barrel that it no longer resembles a Barleywine.