Baladin Super du Baladin

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

Bottle. Thanks to mybestfriend. Cloudy orange/pale brown colour with an off-white head. Aroma: Cinnamon, marsipan, apricots, pineapple, play-doh. Flavor: Fruity and yeasty with notes of apricots, marzipan, spices, caramel, light alcohol.

Absolutely perfect appearance here: starts a clear vibrant amber/orange color that becomes increasingly cloudy the further through the massive bottle you get (litle yeasties everywhere), huge creamy head - one of the creamiest non nitro heads I’ve seen, leaves attractive lace all over the glass. Aroma is light and dry, the pervasive yeast profile yields lots of esters taking form as apple, grapes (green), and a nice spicy undertone. The flavor is more intensely grape with some currant and dry grassy character, the apple seems to have taken a back seat to the spicier aspects here but is still quite noticeable. The fruity sour characteristic kind of rolls around in contrast to the cutting aspect of the spicy yeast on the palate, keeping it interesting to the last yeasty drop.

Spicy cinnamon, bright ginger and apple must in aroma. Those flavors subtle in flavor. More moss and almond present. Dry, mossy and warming. Alcohol present but not in an offensive way. Kind of like that girl who you think might have the same shoes as you at a party. Subtly cloudy/apple cider hue. The adjective I would give to this brew, for some reason or another, is "friendly." Give it a try, don't let the price tag get in your way.

Goddamn, this brewery is really pissing me off. After the disappointment of their Noel, I thought the Super would be the best to try next as it seems to rate pretty high here, but dammit, it sucks too. Perhaps even worse than Noel. In fairness it could be the travel I guess but why export beer if it isn’t going to travel well, and there was definitely no sign of oxidation. Pours very cloudy and has a LOT of yeast at the bottom. Aroma is yeasty and phenolic with some dirt and perhaps apricots poking in behind there somewhere. Flavour is again yeasty but not as bad as it smells. Admittedly there are some positives hidden away behind the yeast (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel) but it’s nowhere near enough to save this beer. The lady liked it because "it didn’t have a bad aftertaste" - I disagreed. This brewery owes me forty bucks I reckon.

28 Jan 2005 - Good spiritous hop fruit aroma. Orange brown colour, cream coloured head, sheet lacing. Good hoppy complexity, medium malt and simplistic flavour. Tangy nice mouthfeel. Not a great a bitter celery bitter finish.

Bottle. Orange-brown/amber with a thin head. Light peach sourness with citrus. Great flavor with cranberry, orange, grapefruit, and peach. Thick palate for the style. Bubbly and nicely textured. Cherry and raspberry notes open up as it warms. Very nice.

Pours a cloudy amber color with foamy white head. Nice fuit aroma of apple, pear and citrus. Very crisp belgian style ale. Lots of crisp fruit notes such as aple and pear as well as a slight sour taste.

Hazy orange/amber with lots of sediment and active carbonation. Thin but lasting head, minimal lace. Aroma of leather, oranges, spices, flowers, must and others. Thin to medium bodied, creamy texture and feel that boasts some nice flavors. Hints of citrus mixed with belgium yeasts (quick flash of orval), underlying malts (not too well defined) and lots of hidden complexities, maybe a bit of horseblanket? Alcohol is evident but just a character enhancer, its a bit thin but this is quite enjoyable.