Baladin Xyauyù Etichetta Rame (Copper Label)

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Barley Wine
Piozzo, Italy

Serve in Snifter

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Bottle from State Line. Pours turbid copper with minimal off-white head. The aroma is caramel malt, raisins, figs, mild spices, berries, and cognac. Tastes extremely sweet, in fact, the initlal dregs are very cloyingly sweet and I found it hard to continue until I let this one warm up a bit. By then, the heat vapors had emerged somewhat, so I drank it as a sort of Irish Mist/beer hybrid. The taste profile isn’t bad, but it was hard to get past the cloying sweetness. I think mixing this with a Cantillon would cause the Earth to explode or something.

UPDATED: DEC 20, 2005 The pour shows clear orange, flat and headless. Upon first sniff, whiffs of vegetal alcohol take over the nose, strongly woody and orangey. Huge fruitiness adds a truly sherryish nature in the form of concentrated pumpkins, melon and mango. The cask wood influence is neat, adding an oily, rich and meaty influence that is attenuated a bit by soy sauce hints. Sweet candi sugar is also hurt a bit by the vegetal saltiness. For 13% though, its alcohol is very well contained while the bitterness remains totally under control. Flat and slick bodied, very full. Interesting and original take, fully grainy and extracted, but not among my favourites. Thank you Lorenzo.

Bottle at Funky Buddha/Case and Keg tasting. Copper color, no head. Aroma is sweet as hell. I get syrup, sugar and brandy. Flavor is really sweet. This is a sipper and good thing it wil store in the liquor cabinet for quite some time. Flavor is loaded with sugar, honey, syrup, port wine. Thick and rich.

2004 Vintage 500mL bottle. Poured a still, transparent ruddy brown with very fine particles suspended in there.. nothing doing for head, but it left some lovely legs on the glass. The aroma was just enchanting.. brandy sugars, vanilla, and dark fruits meld expertly into sweet, lightly-toasted oak and caramel.. came across as rather innocent, but darker, more powerful forces were apparent... almost came across as more of a fine liqueur than a beer.

The flavor picked up where the nose left off.. syrupy dark fruits with a Port wine feel lead off with caramel, molasses, and mild herbal notes across the middle.. sweet and warm finish hid the alcohol very well. Syrupy-thick on the palate with mild, complimentary spices and only warmth from the alcohol.. flowed nicely across the palate. This was quite a treat, but I think it’s going to catch up to me in about half an hour.

Bottle. Sampled at dark lord day luckily as i never wanted to pay the price tag. Smells so sweet, like liquid candy and ripe dark fruit. Plum rasin, and glucose is everywhere in this beer. Thickly coats your mouth with lots of fruit sugar.

Bottle shared with tarheels86 and his better half. Dark copper color, no carbonation, completely flat. Aroma of caramel and strong alcohol. Thick and syrupy, extremely sweet, like flan on steroids.

Bottle. 2004 . 12% Clear ruby amber, high viscosity. Rich, alcoholic nose (highly refined), wood (oak touches). Oily, very low carbonation, good clean alcohol. Sweet yet smooth. Balanced at such extreme. High quality sipper.

Bottle. No head (still). Body is hazy dark amber. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, molasses), with notes of walnut shells, sherry, maple syrup, raisin, wood, alcohol. Flavor is heavily sweet. Finish is moderately sweet, lightly acidic. Medium to full body, oily/syrupy texture, flat carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Don’t know quite what to say...try as I might, I can’t find anything particularly enjoyable about it. The fancy bottle and high price don’t sway me...to my senses it’s little more than an old, syrupy sweet, flat, oxidized beer.

JJPm’s summer party 07. Pours a mostly clear light amber, almost flat and no head. Aroma is full of sherry oxidation- very solvent-like, some junmai daiginjo sake and cedar notes as well- tons of alcohol burn in the nose. More alcohol- gin/vodka notes, very sweet but more sherry sweet than caramel sweetness, light spices and pepper but that may be from the alcohol tingliness. Oxidized paper in the finish with a sweet alcohol bite. Too over the top and the forced oxidation obviously hurts the beer.

bottle, thanks to bu11zeye, medium amber with short lived foam, aromas of graham crackers, prune, honey, flavors of honey, toffee, fruit, ambrosia, very nice finish