Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/17414
Birra Moretti: Italianissima F ounded in 1859 in Udine, capital of Italy’s Friuli region, Birra Moretti has come to exemplify a relaxed yet sophiticated attitude that’s typically Italian. The man in the green hat on the label—a patron at a Friulian trattoria who was photographed by Commander Lao Menazzi Moretti in 1942 and became the company’s icon—represents the authentic and tradi- tional character of what’s in the bottle. The original Moretti Premium Lager, at just 4.6 percent abv, is an ideal sidewalk café beer at any time of day, while fra- grant double-malt Moretti La Rossa is a high-octave (7.2 percent abv) edition with resin-like color and supple balance. Ironically, Total Beverage Solution—the adventuresome Mount Pleasant, SC–based import company that brings Moretti to the States, along with Germany’s Weihenstephan, Belgium’s Affligem, France’s Fischer and England’s Greene King beers, among others—started as a dotcom. Since the company’s creation in 2002, founder Dave Pardus has seen it transition from a direct-to-consumer internet sales portal to an important player in the field of beer, wine and spirits importation. Today, Total Beverage Solution (TBS) is one of the fastest-growing private compa- nies in the U.S. As a key product in the TBS line-up, Birra Moretti is helping the com- pany keep its edge in the arena of premium niche beers. In Italy, Pardus reports, Moretti is neck-and-neck with Peroni, a brand that is currently the Italian beer market leader in the U.S. But given Pardus’s track record (he was once part of the team that turned Guinness into a household brand in the U.S.), the leader should be looking over its shoulder as Moretti closes the gap. Total Beverage Solution aims to surpass one million cases of beer volume in the near future, and with the 900,000 mark already reached—and with cool, collected players like Moretti on its team—the goal is in sight. Weihestephan and Birra Moretti are imported by Total Beverage Solution. Heineken Illuminates the Night Heineken USA announces the launch of the Heineken STR bottle, an upscale aluminum bottle that when viewed under the black light of a club illuminates to reveal a previously hidden pattern of stars and trails. The new bottle design is another innovative first from Heineken and offi- cially launched in September with bi-coastal events in Los Angeles and New York City. Consumers can also experience the limited edition Heineken STR bottle first-hand at high-end establishments in select markets nationwide. october 2010 / the tasting panel / 57