Baladin Xyauyù Etichetta Rame (Copper Label)

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Barley Wine
Piozzo, Italy

Serve in Snifter

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2005 Bottle Vintage; Sampled January 2009
A wine bottle that, unsurprisingly, has no carbonation. As I pour this beer notes of sherry and prunes are noticeable. The beer has not head and has a deep, dark-red / purple-plum color with a touch of brown around the edges. When held up to the light the beer shows a clear, bright ruby hue, but there is a ton of floaties in the beer, despite resting comfortably for at least a month. This has lots of fruity notes that are reminiscent of Brandy (dark grape notes, concentrated berry notes and a jam-like red wine character). There is a nutty note here as well as the soft sherry notes, but I wouldn’t say that this is overly oxidized; it is a very impressively smooth oxidation. The alcohol provides some warming to the nose.

The beer is quite sweet. It finishes with a solid fruitiness that reminds me of Port. Flavors of prunes, raisins, dried blackberries, . In the finish there seems to be a touch of herbal hops and a faint bitterness that doesn’t really become noticeable in the finish until long after the beer has left my mouth (giving a chance for the sweet fruit notes to die down a bit). Thee is a light nuttiness and a hint of sherry, but this was a bit more prominent in the aroma. A touch of orange zest (more like Grand Marnier) joins the other more dark fruit driven flavors. While the sweetness provides lots of viscousness to this beer, the lack of carbonation tends to keep the body light some how; despite this the beer is most definitely a sipping beer though

This is one of those beers that you would be hard pressed to guess is beer in a blind tasting. This tastes so much like a fortified wine (like Port), and it drinks just like one as well. I really enjoy a good Port from time to time, and I am really digging this right now. This is very interesting, it isn’t overly complex though as really the sweet, dark, oxidized fruit flavors tend to dominate. I’ll admit this wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but this is quite good.

Poured with no carbonation, which is the way it was intended. Pours out a rich amber. Smell is sweet, I get no alcohol, just a pleasant sweetness of honey. Tastes of honey and fruit, very rich, perfect desert beer. Loved the xFume, but I think this one is more drinkable due to the lack of peat. Amazing.

16.9 oz bottle, 2006. Clear brown with a trace of foam. Nose is caramel, alcohol and wood. Medium body with soft carb. Taste is honey and dates, mostly sweet. Hints of pear, apple and raisin. Quite fruity and meadlike but lacking depth.

Pour is a deep caramel garnet, unfortunately marred by a host of tiny black flecks floating in the liquid -- fortunately they are undetectable in the mouth. The smell is rich fruit, caramel, honey and a hint of harsh fusels -- the taste is stewed plums, cherry, leather, wine, raisins, and tobacco. Alcohol is extremely well hidden behind an mouth-coating sweetness. Texture is thick and port-like... in fact, everything is very port-like. Not a bad thing, and really remarkable for a product made without grapes. I love the showcasing of the qualities of slow oxidization.

Huge thanks to bucketboy for opening this bottle at Barrel Aged Sexual Chocolate. Served in a Deschutes tulip, courtesy of Lunch, who was sleeping in his car at that point. 2005 vintage. Pours a moderate copper-bronze color with a very thin head of bubbles that quickly receded. The nose brings forward a really nice balance between caramel and dark fruits along with some sherry in the background. The flavor melds everything together really well, and the oxidation process has really done wonders to this beer. Beautiful sherry-like flavor along with some caramelization and just a touch of alcohol. Light to medium body and very smooth. Low carbonation. Really a delight all around. Thanks again, Joe. Serving type: bottle

A beer i have wanted for quite a few years .. . Pours a thick black brown, no carbonation and only fleas of foam .. . sherry, maple syrup, and prunes dominate, with tar and more dark fruit on the finish .. . a fantastic beer! .. . its funny how Italy produced such a wonderful beer like this but produced such a piece of utter shit in the form of mario balotelli...

Bottled (2nd CS/ES Beer Gathering, thanks SV!). Slightly hazy reddish amber colour with a small off-white head. Aroma is alcohol, some madeira wine like notes along with wooden and vanillaish notes. Flavour is sweet malts, vanilla, mild spicyness, madeiralike, spicy and also has quite much alcohol filling it up. Yet very balanced.

Meraviglia assoluta, aspetto splendido, al naso alcolico, frutta matura, Teo è riuscito a tirar fuori da una birra sensazioni altrimenti riservate al vino. Corpo pieno, meravigliosa.

Tap at Open Baladin. Still, clear almost cognac looking orange-brown. Aroma is sweet and more sweet grapes with some very big maltiness, but only a slight hint of booze. Sweetness comes through in the taste first, some cordial-like flavors of cherry and prune. Very port-like. Syrupy body, bit of a chore to drink.

4th January 2009
A 2004 bottle at 13.0% abv. Cloudy brown beer, no head and utterly devoid of carbonation. But it works here. Remarkably sweet barleywine. Sweet caramel and toffee with an undercurrent of Porty red fruits. Soft sweet finish. The abv only manifesting as a warming afterglow. Unique beer!

Bottle. Pours murky brown. Nose and taste of toffee, sweet caramel, tea, dark fruits and nuts. A bit watery at times.