Hopped craft beer: the Arrogant APL by Norah's Farm
VaiGustando's hopped craft beer comes from the Norah's Farm farmhouse brewery, in Pedemontana Veneta: the N-BEER line that gathers the most characterful beers of the range, the hopped and special beers. On this page you'll find our selection — the Arrogant APL Beer, the only can in the selection, at 5,20 € — also available in the box of 4 cans at 18,50 € for those who want to save.
It's an amber beer in APL (American Pale Lager) style, with a bold hopping that the malt's caramel balances without dampening: a tenacious, compact head, floral, citrus and red-fruit notes, for a strength of 5,5% vol. From the same family also comes the Aloysia, an out-of-style blonde beer flavoured with an infusion of lemon verbena (erba Luigia): a hazy blonde colour, a refreshing, herbaceous taste, a dry and bitter finish, a lower strength (4,5% vol).
Hopped and special beers at a glance
Our Hopped and special beers labels
Norah's Farm's hopped and special beers available on VaiGustando, from Pedemontana Veneta. Click on a can for the full product page and to buy.
What a hopped beer and a Herbal Beer are: the most characterful of the range
Although the family name recalls the ales (top-fermented beers), both the Arrogant APL and the Aloysia are bottom-fermented N-BEER: the yeasts work between 7 and 9 °C and full maturation takes at least 5-6 weeks. What makes them "hopped and special" is not the type of fermentation but the intensity of the aroma. The Arrogant APL Beer is an amber beer in APL (American Pale Lager) style: moderate malt (●●○○) and a bold hopping (●●●●), for a strength of 5,5% vol. The taste recalls notes of caramel that balance the bitterness of the American hops, with floral, citrus and red-fruit notes; the head is tenacious and compact.
The Aloysia, on the other hand, is an "out-of-style" blonde beer: decocted wheat, American hops and erba Luigia (Verbena Odorosa – Aloysia citriodora) in infusion. Light malt (●○○○) and more restrained hops (●●○○) compared to the Arrogant APL, for a strength of 4,5% vol. The colour is hazy blonde, with a white, creamy head; the taste is refreshing and complex, with the herbaceous and citrus notes of the erba Luigia and a dry, bitter finish.
Norah's Farm: the farmhouse brewery of Pedemontana Veneta
Norah's Farm is a farm in the Pedemontana Veneta, in the heart of Veneto, which alongside growing cereals runs a farmhouse brewery where the N-BEER are born: bottom-fermented craft beers, with yeasts working between 7 and 9 °C. Full maturation takes at least 5-6 weeks, at the end of which the yeast residues settle on the bottom — hence the name of the fermentation.
The N-BEER are packaged in a recyclable can, light and able to protect the beer from light and oxidation, to best preserve the aromatic notes until opening. Zero-mile barley and wheat, no chemical additives, colourings or preservatives: the same terroir philosophy that, in the Aloysia, extends all the way to the erba Luigia infusion.
The profile in words: what to expect in the glass
The Arrogant APL Beer pours a full amber, crowned by a tenacious, compact head. The nose recalls caramel and American hops; on the palate the malt is balanced by a firm bitterness, enriched with floral, citrus notes and a touch of red fruit — an intense profile, made for those who look for character.
The Aloysia appears hazy blonde, with a white, creamy head. The nose is herbaceous and citrusy, dominated by the erba Luigia; the palate is refreshing and complex, with a dry, bitter finish. Two beers, two registers: the Arrogant APL amber and decidedly hoppy, the Aloysia lighter, aromatic and herbaceous.
Pairings: what to eat with a hopped or herbal beer
These are beers of character: on one side the American Pale Lager, amber and with a bold hopping, where the malt's caramel balances the bitterness and the floral and citrus notes of the American hops; on the other the Herbal Beer, in which the erba Luigia infusion brings a herbaceous, citrusy profile over a dry, bitter finish. In both it's the pushed aroma — hops or herb — that drives the pairing: they call for flavourful, fragrant dishes, because the bitterness cleanses the palate of fatty and spicy flavours better than any smooth beer. That's why they are at their best with spicy and hot cuisine, with fried food and street food, and hold up to flavourful cheeses. The rule is to go along with their intensity: the bolder the dish, the more these beers find their balance.
- Spicy and hot cuisine: ethnic, tex-mex, oriental
- Fried food and street food, burgers and grilled meats
- Sushi and flavourful fish dishes
- Flavourful cheeses and savoury snacks
- Aperitivo aromatic and full of character
In short: the hopped APL holds up to fatty flavours and grilled dishes, with the bitterness that cleanses the palate; the erba Luigia Aloysia, more citrusy and aromatic, is the special one for aperitivo and fragrant cooking. Both are served cool, around 6-8°C.
How to serve and store hopped and special beer
Serve these beers cool, between 6 and 8 °C: not too cold, to let the floral and citrus notes of the American hops in the Arrogant APL and the herbaceous, citrus ones of the erba Luigia in the Aloysia open up. A wide glass, such as a mug or a tulip glass, helps concentrate these intense aromas.
Store the cans in the fridge, between +6 °C and +8 °C, away from heat sources: the can packaging, light and recyclable, already protects the beer from light and oxidation on its own. Once opened, it should be drunk on the same day.
Price guide: single can or box of 4
The Arrogant APL Beer comes in a 0,44 l can at 5,20 €, or in the box of 4 cans at 18,50 €: a saving of 2,30 € compared with 4 cans bought individually (20,80 €).
The same family also includes the Aloysia, the herbal blonde beer, at the same price of 5,20 € (0,44 l): at the moment it isn't among the cans available in this selection, but it remains in the Norah's Farm catalogue for anyone looking for the most aromatic and herbaceous beer of the range. You'll find the up-to-date prices and the buy button in the product pages above.
More craft beers to discover
Keep exploring Norah's Farm's beers: the pale and blonde ones, wheat beers (Weizen and Blanche) and amber and dark ones (Bock). Or browse all the craft beers.