Baladin Nora

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Traditional Ale
Piozzo, Italy

(Bottle, GBBF, London, 7 Aug 2008) Dark amber colour with brief, white head. Fruity nose with apricots and orange. Fruity, malty taste with notes of apricots, orange and spices. Low bitterness, medium body. not overly sweet. Definitely different, but a nice and very spicy beer.

Hazy Orange. Small, fast head. Aroma: Fruits, spice. Flavor: Fruits, coriander, wheat. Dry, sweet finish. Not bad for Italia, better known for its wines.

Bottle. High creamy and loasting white head. Hazy orange body. Perrery and fruity aroma. Spicy flavor that I cannot quite figure out. Pepper, oregano and nutmeg. Little hops bitterness. Low carbonation and a long spicy aftertaste. Do not think that I have ever tasted anything like this. Thank you. Interesting.

75cl bottle from Willow Bend Liquors (Tampa, FL). Pours a hazy dark golden caramel color with a huge frothy off-white head that settles slowly. Nice lacing on glass. Aroma is interesting with strong ginger notes, spice, flowers, a strong pine note, and a pungent, earthy character as well. Flavor is very interesting as well with notes of sweet malt, slightly tart and sour with a strong incense-like character. Very complex ale. Difficult to detect all the flavors in this one. Generally medium body with slightly sweet and tart finish.

The old ale pours a medium orange gold color from a 750ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy quickly dissipating head. The aroma is interesting, floral and spicy and slightly bready. A medium to light bodied ale. The malts are caramel and dark fruits. The hops are more spicy and herbal than hoppy. Nice beer. I can see this one being I love or hate it thing. Light and refreshing, with some very lively carbonation. The spices really contrast the malt sweetness. Starts fairly sweet, but somewhere about the middle it turns crisp and dry. Lots of citrus, lemon and herbal notes. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is crisp and dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Pleasant surprise. I knew the brewery but I did not know how wide their range was in Italy. This had a complexity from an unusual grain and a spice I originally attributed to wheat. Gold / orange / amber pour, great head, great lace. Complexity in nose and in taste, from unusual grain and the additional spicing. Good mouth feel, complexity builds, with notes of casual Saison yeast.

Had on tap at Bir & Fud in Rome on 7/6. Pours golden amber with a huge white head. Nose of yeast with distinct sour niotes. Taste is complex, with notes of a saison (yeast, some souice) and a sour (tart apple). One of the more unique beers I’ve tried.

Upon opening, there is a distinct aroma of grapes and tart apples. The flavor is that of a tangy apple. There are also hints of a yeasty banana. Nice mellow beer.