Noël Baladin - Birrificio Le Baladin

blakesell

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from the strange shape I don't even want to guess what oz fits in this bottle bottle into a standard pint glass.

This is aged for at least a year, so we'll just call it 2008 vintage.

Appearance - Beer pours fairly thin for a strong dark, a clear brown amber with a pretty small head for what I was expecting after opening the champagne capped bottle (like nothing I've seen before, large size bottle cap with a champagne rubber thing holding carbonation in). Yeasty chunks fall to the bottom of the glass. Lacing is there, but again thin.

Smell - Smells like a Belgian beer. I would love to add some extra adjectives, but it's simple at best. My closest main beer that I've had to it is New Belgium 1554 which is a Belgian dark, nothing strong about it. It smells to be of average strength, which judging by the ABV, is impressive on it's own.

Taste- A rich cola carbonation and flavor, I'm getting a big RC cola flavor, some plum, no very dark fruits, but light dark fruits if that makes any sense. Pulpy ripe fruits, very much like a plum pear combo if that existed. I can't get past the soda and this is not a bad beer, but it is being detracted from by the perceptions that I'm getting here.

Mouthfeel - I may have rated this too high at 3.5 but the number stands. The carbonation is too high and the whole soda feel is simply out of place here. The richer fruits taste great here, I honestly was expecting more and I guess I shouldn't have let my expectations get the best of me here. Medium light in body, high in carbonation, low in overall mouthfeel.

Drinkability- It tastes light overall and a bit syrupy sweet. This isn't bad for the one time offering that I'm going to give it. For the price, it is no where near worth it. As a standard beer if I could get it for $6 a sixer, I still probably wouldn't go for it. but this will go down smooth for tonight. I will not be holding this against Baladin as a whole.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2009 02:26:43 | More by blakesell

Chrily

Norway

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

05-16-2013 12:56:18 | More by Chrily

Beer-A-Lot

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

On tap at birch.

A - Pours a pitch-black color.

S - Grape, sour smells, some bourbon.

T - See smells. Some tar, some slight burning sensation.

M - Chewy, medium body.

O - A potent, bold, almost wine like beer. A bit different, but very solid. Worth a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-05-2013 02:09:29 | More by Beer-A-Lot

hiphops24

New York

4/5  rDev +2%

03-01-2013 02:54:29 | More by hiphops24

mctizzz

New York

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

02-21-2013 01:28:41 | More by mctizzz

GrindFatherBob

New York

2.5/5  rDev -36.2%

01-31-2013 02:04:18 | More by GrindFatherBob

PeteRiz

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

01-27-2013 14:34:39 | More by PeteRiz

TubbyDullard

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +2%

01-23-2013 03:41:26 | More by TubbyDullard

cuy50

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

01-23-2013 03:27:19 | More by cuy50

CrazyDavros

Australia

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours dark brown with a small head.
Nose shows golden syrup, brown sugar, candi sugar, sultanas. Very sweet smelling.
Very similar flavours. Lots of rich sweet notes. Bready malt, golden syrup, dried figs and soft booze.
Needs more carbonation to help cut the overt sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 00:26:51 | More by CrazyDavros

Jason

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

01-12-2013 04:36:20 | More by Jason

doggydaddy

3.75/5  rDev -4.3%

01-10-2013 21:47:14 | More by doggydaddy

smithj4

New York

4/5  rDev +2%

12-24-2012 21:44:13 | More by smithj4

kayrex

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

12-15-2012 19:19:46 | More by kayrex

rolltide8425

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

12-13-2012 15:40:40 | More by rolltide8425

jrfehon33

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%

12-12-2012 23:30:20 | More by jrfehon33

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

10-21-2012 16:50:47 | More by RblWthACoz

JohnK17

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%

10-09-2012 19:13:48 | More by JohnK17

LarryMyers

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%

08-30-2012 01:06:10 | More by LarryMyers

KevinTK

4.5/5  rDev +14.8%

05-30-2012 15:17:48 | More by KevinTK

imperialking

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%

02-20-2012 22:11:45 | More by imperialking

LiquidAmber

Washington

4.33/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a Nostradamus flute glass. Pours a very dark red brown with a two finger fine light tan head with good retention and lacing. Looks nice. Belgian strong ale aroma, dark and light fruit, sweet malt and Belgian yeast a spicing. Flavor of sweet caramel malt, dark and light fruit, a hint of citrus. A hint of cinnamon and cloves. Very nicely integrated flavors and a taste. Skates to the edge of being too sweet, but the flavors carry the sweetness. Medium bodied with sharp, active carbonation. I liked this quite a bit.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 03:20:13 | More by LiquidAmber

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey. Served in a snifter.

Pours a moderate brown color with just a touch of a reddish hue. A bit of head and lacing, but not as much as I'd expect for the style. The nose carries a good bit of Belgian yeast plus a light touch of spice. Nothing too complex or interesting, though it's fairly well done. Flavor is about the same. Not really much of a noel beer. Medium body and good carbonation. Not bad, but not something that I would seek out again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-02-2012 02:26:38 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Beer on tap at Churchkey, beer is brown and mostly clear but no head, low carbonation, no lacing.

Aroma is a little weak, mild spice, some malt, some yeast / breadiness.

Beer is about as thin as a beer can get. I forget I'm drinking while I'm drinking it. Odd, very odd, minimal flavors too, just too watery for me. Decent finish though. I won't have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2012 04:33:45 | More by drabmuh

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a coca cola dark brown color with fairly good head retention and light lacing. Not getting a whole lot on the nose with this one... some light brown sugar and chcolate is about it. The flavor profile replicates the nose, but there's just a lot more richness and intensity than I was expecting (thankfully). There is also some vanilla and cherry, and damn if this isn't pretty tasty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and the finish is fairly long and moderately sweet. The alcohol is very well disguised; there's no way I would guess I'm drinking a 9% abv. beer.

While the pricing on this beer will likely keep me from ordering it again any time soon, this is still a pretty tasty beer from the folks at Baladin.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2012 21:01:37 | More by johnmichaelsen