Baladin Nora Sour Edition

Formerly brewed at Le Baladin
Style: Sour Ale
Piozzo, Italy

750 ml bottle from Green’s in Atlanta. Like the regular edition I found in Chicago, I had to grab this in honour of my daughter Norah. And I’m rating this on the occasion of her 2nd birthday. Hazy golden yellow colour with a fully lasting creamy, fizzy, and rocky off-white head. Tart lemon, grainy, citrus, and lightly metallic yeasty aroma with intriguing spicy notes - myrrh, I assume. Tart lemon and grapefruit, orange, yeasty, lightly spicy, lightly grainy and biscuity malt flavours with a lemon and grapefruit pithy bitter finish. Light bodied, juicy, thirst quenching mouthfeel. Refreshing feel and tartness of a gueuze but not quite as dry, which leaves some maltiness that adds an extra dimension in the flavour. Very different from my experience with the regular version, but this one is even better.

RBSG 2007 Grand Tasting. Hazy orange body with a small frothy white head. Sour fruity aroma with some caramel. Sweet fruity caramel flavor with a spicy hint. Very carbonated.

This ale pours a light yellow gold color from a 750ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is citrusy, fruity, spicy and a touch tart. Medium bodied ale. Malts are fruity and sweet. Hops are spicy and floral. Spicy and a touch funky. Soft carbonation. Nice balance. The sourness is subtle and mostly in the background. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Big carbonation; yellow gold color. Saison like spice aroma and taste. Green grapes, flowers, straw and champaign like in palate. Had from bottle at Stone Sour fest. Very interesting and pleasant. The description I have says: 6/8% - sour edition of an Egyptian Ale recipe.

2005 bottle drunk at Vignola on 8/18/07
What is obviously a well-conditioned and unfiltered Belgian beer, shows a bit of reserve with its now 2 years of age. None the less, a two-finger head is formed, beige in color, which recedes to one-finger and then cover from there, leaving sticky, though light lacing. The body is a copper-amber with some lighter golden hues and light, fine-bubbled carbonation. Clear, with sediment left on the bottom.
Intricately fruity in the nose, it daintily releases notes of pear, light pineapple and peach, with typical lime and other acids from the brett. Specks of aromatic malt sugars add light caramel-topped biscuit notes, while there is a decided note of honey to soften things. Through and through, the nose remains heavily bretty, moderately tart and thus amply dry. Perhaps not quite as strong as some of the best brett beers, but it’s not always about strength. No alcohol or flaws are noted. Some earthy/bready notes are found, upon warming, giving the beer more of an aged feel, yet also increasing its complexity and rustic charm.
Brett acids greet the palate, carried on by near champagne-like carbonation, though not in great quantity at this point. Sugared peaches, apricots and bitter marmalade hints on the finish all mimic the aroma, and create a lightly tart, fruity bouquet of esters and acids that seem deliciously suited to the spritzy carbonation and low malt sweetness. Biscuity malt scratches the palate lightly after the acids have passed over; you might say adding too much dryness/hardness, but light caramel and honey add back some softness, as the beer warms and the carbonation eases in to a less sharp mouthfeel. I found it to be a wonderful, easygoing drink, without anything being even remotely overdone. This is certainly not going to give you your brett fix, if you are a hopeless addict (like myself), but you have to respect its obvious craft.

Sampled at Stone’s Sour Festival, July 2007. yellow with a solid white head. Aroma is very peppery, like right out of a grinder. Flavor strats with the spicness but finishes with a clean fruityness. A very interesting beer, compliment edby some of Stone’s spicy house chips, delivered by Greg Koch himself!

NorCal tasting July 07 - This was a beer that I was looking forward to trying, since the regular Baladin Nora I was a big fan of. Aroma of tobacco leaves, pepper, mint, dill and some light fruityness really carried the aroma to the next level. Add the subtle sourness of the nose and it was really interesting. Appearance was a hazy yellowish-orange with a huge head which melted quickly. Flavor was a very delicate sourness, lemongrass, pepper, caramel-sweet to balance the sour and a nice fruity character. Overall a very nice beer.

2005 bottle, aged nearly 4 years. Pours a hazy golden-amber color with a spongy, pure white head. The foam settles slowly to a pretty, pronounced ring, but leaves little to no lacing behind. Upon the first waft of the tart, musty, spicy aroma, I can tell I’m really going to enjoy this beer. Notes of white pepper, bold new oak, fresh cedar, wildflower tea, and dried orange zest provide for a funky, feral spice profile, while notes of hay and candied pale malts add contrasting dryness and sweetness. Flavors aren’t as well defined, but still provide excitement with notes of peppery cedar, candied orange peel, wet straw, chamomile, and floral hops. A tart, bretty, funky punch comes through, and is intensified by the mouthfeel. Tart, zesty, effervescent, and refreshing, the moderate body makes for a near perfect summertime palate, and not a hint of alcohol is detectable. There’s a little bit of Fantome Dark White and maybe some Hitachino Classic in this brew, both of which are a very good thing. This is a nice beer. Right up my alley.