Baladin Xyauyù Etichetta Rame (Copper Label)

Brewed by Le Baladin
Style: Barley Wine
Piozzo, Italy

mmm mmm mmm, My most expensive beer at 28E or ~£20 I was worried about this at that price but i loved it. Deep ruby coloured, rich liquer like tracle rum nose, think viscous syrupy sweet with a little smokeyness, little woody treacle, with hints of sherry and a little spirit like evaporation on the pallate. Acording to the bottle its also best before "the end of the world"

2004 bottle. Pours a tea color, with no head or lacing. Perfectly still. Nose has tons of big oaky notes, maple syrup, caramel, a slight burn, dry maple and a very subtle nuttiness. Flavor is badassness. Very sweet bite to start, with a lovely burn in the finish. Maple syrup, brown sugar, very complex and very awesome. Velvety smooth. Very balanced. Just amazing. Tastes and feels like a sessionable Utopias. Hard to say if it’s worth the price, but damn is it good.

Lovely stuff. Smells of port or sherry, and this feeling of aged fortifies wine is present i the flavour, too. To be slowly sipped - one glass per person is adequate! This is like capturing the spirit of beer. The label says 12%, it has the warming feeling of 30%. Dried fruit - prunes and cherries, a lovely sweet and sour aroma lingering. A perfect end to a beer evening - this is as good as it gets!

16oz bottle, thanks to Kevin for bringing this one. Pours a burnt mahogany. Looks like a tawny port. Holy god does it smell like one to. Unfortunately this beer has a bit of a cork taint, only a little. But the dusty wood and rotten apple at the nose of the bottle is a telltale sign. A shame as that mutes the flavor somewhat. Nose in the glass has green apple, huge fig and raisin, tons of caramel and cinnamon, cherry, vanilla. Christ its a complex nose, shame about that cork taint. The flavor is a hands down 10 though even if it is muted by the cork taint it still amazing. This is basically like a tawny port in a beer bottle. Huge deep chocolate, caramel with rather intense brown sugar and green apple notes. Some maple creeps in and a bit of vanilla toffee in the finish. Wow, what a beer. I didn’t expect this to be as good as it is. The Italians are really kicking ass if the recent beers I have had from there are any indication.

i just love this ’beer’ so rich and powerfull. It’s a pity is so hard to find!!

2005 bottle. Copper color, only a few bubbles on top. Wonderful woody sherry aromas, hints of marcipane, plums, chocolate, just a fantastic sensation. Sweet chocolate flavours, wood and vintage port appearing, chocolate again towards the finish. Wonderful balance between fruit and chocolate, sweet, but still restrained. Soft, oily, velvety texture. Tastes more like the best of vintage ports than a barley wine.It was expensive, 20 euro at Salone del Gusto for 500 ml, but worth every euro.

Sherry-like aromas, oaky with a lot vanilla. Pours reddish amber. Smooth and sweet, very oaky, cherries and dark fruits, port-like flavors with vanilla and sweet malts. So so smooth. Awesome beer!!!

Un assaggio offerto dalla Casa, a Piozzo; versa senza traccia di schiuma, colore ambrato con riflessi rossicci. Aroma con note di legno e miele, sapore dolcissimo ma non stucchevole, ricorda del buon porto. Sarebbe davvero da togliersi lo sfizio e concedersi una bottiglia da meditazione ogni tanto. Eccezionale.