PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

I had single-handedly killed a bottle of wine when some friends invited me to meet them at Utopia, and although I’d never stepped inside the East Village restaurant, the chianti buzz obliged. Now, common sense would dictate that I should have stuck with wine—but common sense was nowhere to be found. Instead, the waiter startled me by passing me a beer list. Beer list? They don’t have those at my usual stomping grounds, but I took it—didn’t want to  pooh-pooh the joint when I’d just walked in. I scanned the menu, and like a flickering neon light, it hit me: Moretti, a beer I’d enjoyed in Italy just the month previous. I ordered one. I ordered another. The lightness sat well with the chianti—already mulling in the pit of my stomach—and the oohs and aahs from friends inquiring about my beverage made me feel like a cultured sort of guy, which I like to pretend to be. Pretty soon I was a full-fledged wannabe Italian, drinking imported beer like it was nothing. After a few drinks, I told everyone within earshot all about how in Venice, the word “beer” is synonymous with “Moretti” and how much better oat sodas are in Europe. On and on I went about how clean Moretti tastes, like it doesn’t have any harmful ingredients added. Did I know what I was talking about? No, but Moretti definitely is much smoother than many American beers. Of course, the beers didn’t taste as good as they did in Venice, but that’s an unfair comparison to make: Everything’s better in Italy.

UTOPIA 445 E FIRST ST | LONG BEACH 90802 | 562.432.6888

Tags: Drink of the Week, East Village, Long Beach, moretti beer, utopia