Baladin Elixir

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Piozzo, Italy

Bottled - GBBF 2008. A very murky light brown coloured beer. The aroma has spritzy yeastiness and some light fruits and decent Belgian styled hoppiness. The taste is yeasty with peppery hops. Highly carbonated and very obviously Belgian in influence.

Bottle that I picked up at GBBF, and drank at Cropredy Festival 2008 Pours light amber in colour with light beige head. Some toffee and banana on the nose not unlike banoffee pie along with some yeast also slight tinge of sourness. Flavour is much the same as the aroma but with a smattering of fruitiness thrown into the equation, nice beer.

Bottled. Honeyish golden colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is spices, alcohol, earth and fruits. Flavour is the same with some fudge and grass. Alcohol gives a nice burning touch in the finish.

Clear amber with medium beige head. Sweet aroma with ripe fruits, caramel and yeasty notes. Sweet yeasty flavor with overripe fruits, caramel and alcohol that kicks in towards the end.

In short: A simplistic Belgian Ale. No complexity, way too much alcohol taste.
How: Bottle. Sample at Mondial de la Bière 2008
The look: Cloudy dirty orange body topped by a very small beige head
In long: Alcohol is very present on the nose and taste. Syrupy like a 15% beer, alcohol present like a 15% beer, carbonation is very soft, doughy yeast with a simplistic taste of citrus and apricots juice and alcohol, no hops presence. Overall sensation of some kind of “shooter”. I was anxious to try to new Baladin lineup and that Elixir cured my anxiousness.

Need a bucket to contain such a huge gushing head over a hazy brownish beer like that. Nose is very yeasty, with a slight scotch character, bit fruity and lot of caramel. Ends with an unpleasant alcoholic note.

Artebirra Pasturana 2008: Wiggs è matto a berla al mattino. Complessità notevole, presenza alcolica non predominante ma armoniosa e sentori molto fruttati... dai non me la ricordo così bene, la riassaggerò. Maledizione sono già le 10..._____l’ho riassaggiata stasera all’Irish: mi sento di riconfermarle il voto.

Purchased at Off License in Rome. Deep golden with a nice layered head. Not the most aromatic beer, it shows only some Belgian character, but the nose is a bit stiff. Flavor is well done, with hints of cinnamon and orange peel spice and a chewy dark Belgian character. It’s not a great ale, but an enjoyable beverage.