ALDI has built much of its now towering UK business on swapping premium brands for its normally high-quality own-label versions.

These dupes have sailed too close to the wind on numerous occasions, with the German budget supermarket’s version of M&S’ Colin the Caterpillar cake seeing the two brands face-off in the high-court, a case that was eventually resolved by an undisclosed agreement.

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Despite looking similar, the aim is to make these copycat products taste somewhat as good. So how does Aldi’s version of the premium Italian lager Peroni Nastro Azzurro, called ‘Rossini’, stack up?

Thankfully Real Ale expert Simon Martin is on hand to drink us through the facts and the fizz.

Price

Pricewise, as would be expected, the Rossini comes in considerably less at £1.49 for a 500ml bottle or the equivalent of £2.98 per litre. At the time of writing the same size bottle of Peroni in Tesco would cost £2.35 or £4.70 per litre. However both supermarkets have various offers, deals and membership discounts so do keep your eyes peeled.

Looks

No surprises here to see that the bottles look very similar, after all (we suspect) the Rossini is a copycat of the authentic ‘all crafted with Italian passion and flair, using only the most superior ingredients’ Peroni lager.

Strength in numbers

Both beers measure up here at 5% ABV. But if you need something with a bit more punch then check out the UK’s strongest beers.

The all important taste test

Peroni: “A nice bitterness coming through on the Peroni. It’s got a really nice bitter hoppy kind of punch to it.

“If you like spicy peppery, a bit of sweetness from the malt, with lovely kind of bitter balance on that back end.” Said Martin

Rossini: “I reckon that’s brewed in France, that has that has all the hallmarks of a French lager.

“Really light, really quite refreshing, nicely carbonated, a little bit of sweetness to begin with, but a bit drier.”

So both beers stack up as a decent drop according to real ale expert Martin. But did he have a favourite?

“I’m gonna give it to the Rossini, just. It’s just that little bit more crispy and that little bit more dry that I like in a lager.

The Peroni is slightly sweeter. This is literally it’s so close I mean, blink and you miss it close.

“Aldi you’ve done a really good job here to replicate Peroni. It’s a really well well brewed beer.”

So there you have it, the Aldi copycat takes it – and saves you money.

It won’t be the first time they’ve nailed a home brand product, but you can be sure the Italian brewmasters have a few choice hand signals for the German budget supermarket.