This is a UK website, and in the UK there is a beer called Nastro Azzuro which is brewed by the Italian brewery Peroni. But everyone calls Nastro Azzuro “Peroni”. To make things more complicated, there is an Italian beer called Peroni which is rarely sold in the UK. To clarify, this article is about Nastro Azzuro but I will be referring to it as Peroni. I will look at how many calories are there in a pint of Peroni? How much alcohol is there? Is Peroni vegan-friendly or gluten-free? And what beer is similar to Peroni?
There are 239 calories in a pint of Peroni Nastro Azzuro and the beer is 5.1% alcohol. Peroni is not gluten-free, though there is now a gluten-free version available. It is vegan friendly.
In this article, I will take an in-depth look at each of these common questions, try and explain the Peroni/Nastro Azzuro situation a bit better, and also offer you some great alternatives if you are looking for something similar.
If you are in Italy, then this whole article probably makes zero sense. There is a beer called Peroni that is brewed by Peroni. There is also a beer called Nastro Azzuro, that is also brewed by Peroni. In the UK (and many other countries) Nastro Azzuro is called Peroni. So if someone from the UK types in “How many calories are there in a pint of Peroni?” they are guaranteed to mean Nastro Azzuro.
So that is why I have titled this article “Peroni” when I mean Nastro Azzuro. Nobody in the UK knows what Nastro Azzuro is!
Peroni is usually served in bottles, but it can also be found in cans and on draught. There are 42 calories per 100g, and this does not vary between cans, bottles, and draught. Making it very easy for me to work out.
The alcohol content of Peroni Nastro Azzuro is 5.1%, this is the same regardless of whether you are drinking it out of a can, bottle, or from draught. This is not always the case with beers, Guinness for example, can be a different percentage when it is bottled compared to draught.
Peroni Nastro Azzuro is not gluten-free, I know this because Peroni offers a gluten-free version of Nastro Azzuro. Basic detective work tells me that this means that Nastro Azzuro contains gluten.
Yes, Peroni Nastro Azzuro is vegan-friendly. It contains no animal products, does not use any animal products in the filtration process, and no animals are harmed during the production of the beer. Unlike some beers, Peroni do not use isinglass to clarify their beer. Check out my article on whether beer is vegan if you want to learn more.
Peroni is a fairly standard pale lager, which means that there are thousands of similar beers worldwide. This is good news if you love Nastro Azzuro and want something similar. There are a couple of routes you can take.
Either you can look for similar lagers from Italy, or you can search for similar lagers internationally. In Italy, you have got Birra Moretti, Menabrea, or Birra Messina. The last one is a Sicilian pale lager that I personally really enjoy. There are also craft breweries popping up in Italy that offer their own pilsners and pale lagers.
Internationally, you would probably be best going for the original pilsners. These come from countries such as Czech Republic, Germany, and the surrounding countries. Pilsner Urquell is one of the best examples of pale lager around. But many German pilsners are equally good. Check out my article on Beer in Germany to learn more.
Matt Smith is the owner of Beer N Biceps. He has a degree in Sports Science, 10 years of experience working in the fitness industry, and has written for hundreds of fitness websites. He is a lover of good quality beer and believes that drinking in moderation can form part of a healthy lifestyle.