Italian Beer Series: Bozner Bier (Bolzano)

The Alto Adige part of Italy still follows Reinheitsgebot, so I expected (ignoramously) their beers to be traditional to a fault. Bozner is very much that, but their execution makes for very good brews. The helles is golden and cloudy and produces a nice head. The aroma is nice and citrusy, and taste is fruity and grassy. The dunkel is dark and opaque, producing a medium off-white head. The aroma and taste is of grains and earth, largely defined by their extreme balance and smoothness. What is missing from both beers is the general lack of dominance of hops both in aroma and taste, which I think does not hinder the beers one bit. I think both are some of the nicest "traditional" beers I have encountered in Italy, and I'm looking forward to going back to Bolzano to try these again and their weissbier and bock, which I didn't have time to try.