Baladin Nora

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Traditional Ale
Piozzo, Italy

I didn’t really care for this beer. It had an oddly perfumed aroma, and a combination of yeastiness and cerealness in its flavor that I couldn’t get into. More over, the excessive amount of floaties in this beer gave it a strange and unpleasant mouthfeel that was at the same time both slick and gritty. Appearance was a hazy tan, with some light and dark specks in it which reminded me of eggnog. Aroma was perfume-y, and the first thought that hit me was "lavender." Taste was faint at first, intensifying as it warmed, and the emerging flavor was cereal-y and yeasty in a way that was unpleasant to me. The mouthfeel was a bit gritty due to the floaties present, but also a bit slick and slimy feeling. I was not a fan of this beer and would not recommend it.

Thin grayish white head doesn’t last. Orangey hazy body. Strange perfumy fruity herbal aroma of licorice and cough syrup. Dry licorce taste with herbal and fruity notes, again kind of like cough syrup. Dry mealy herbal aftertaste. Strange, but not bad. (0.75l bottle at Isola della Birra, Milan.)

Pours hazy orange with a two-finger white head that leaves a good bit of lacing. Floral, honeyish aroma reminiscent of Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch. Big spicy background with a bit of citrus. Flavor is quite citrusy and spicy, much like a good Saison. The ginger comes through in the aftertaste. I have no idea what myrrh tastes like. Soft on the palate. Like a slightly de-carbonated Saison.

Lively sparkling. Yeast and spices - pepper, ginger, vanilla. Fruity, sligtly sour in a Belgian way. There is a maltienss from the Egyptian grain which probably accounts for some of the spiciness, too. A good beer and an interesting one.

Bottled 75cl. It pours a hazy orange beer with a big, nicely remaining whitish head. The nose is of apricot. Slightly peppery, hints of lemon and lots of grapefruit. Unfortunately there are some metallic elements in the aroma. Watery and acidic. It reminds me a bit white wine. A very dry beer. Pepper, nasturcium, grapes and white bread on the palate. The finish is extremely dry. Easy drinkable and interesting.

75cL bottle, bright golden color with a nice looking ring of foam. Aroma is funeral home-esque, not in a bad way though, just in a that’s the way the spicing reminds me of. Note to self, quit licking toads before drinking. Flavor starts out with a good deal of spiciness, yup, ginger, the aftertaste is what’s getting me though. Apple pie. A good apple pie at that with a good pie crust. Glad I tasted it and glad it wasn’t me that shelled out the $29 for the bottle.

Date: 07/02/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting, Cellar Party

hazy yellow, sweet lemon aroma, big creamy body, sweet tart lemon flavor, nice light bitterness in the finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3.2/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: *4

Bottle. Nose is peach, lemon, spice-- all soft; balanced of sweet and sour notes. Unique appearance, opaque pale orange with tons of dark specks of sediment that don’t really move much. Loud crackling with a swirl. Flavor is unlike anything I’ve tasted in a beer. Somewhat dry but tremendously balanced, and very smooth mouthfeel that crackles on the tongue sporadically and unoffensively. The taste is hard to describe. It’s definitely enjoyable, leaning toward the sweet side, vaguely familiar but out of reach. Light alcohol notes in the finish.