Xyauyù Etichetta Oro (Gold) - Birrificio Le Baladin

Damian

Massachusetts

4.93/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Drank from a 1 pint 9 fl. oz. corked bottle purchased at Julio's Liquors, Westboro, MA
Brewed in 2006
Served in a snifter

Deep, dark, hazy mahogany and completely still. A few tiny bubbles dotted the liquid but they quickly disappeared. The beer looked shimmery and viscous when help to the light. The liquid left a clear film on the glass. No legs, yet close.

The aroma was magnificent and reminded me so much of an aged sweet sherry. Potent yet smooth and refined. Strong, sweet grape notes. Very raisiny. Lots of dark fruits and berries. Heavy dose of brown sugar sweetness. Hints of almonds. The lightly oxidized notes really put this beer into the sherry-like frontier. Just amazing. There was a touch of alcohol warming as well. All in all, I had a really difficult time believing it was actually beer.

Port and sherry-like notes dominated the flavor profile as well. Strong grape and brandy flavors on the front end. Lots of raisins, plums and dark fruits. Good amount of brown sugar-like sweetness. Touch of maple syrup. Slight oxidation notes. Even though this beer was aged in stainless steel, I swear that I picked up some oak as well. Touch of booze, grape must and residual sweetness on the finish.

Even with the complete lack of carbonation, the liquid was creamy and plush. Though the beer contain a significant amount of residual sugars, it did not leave a sticky film on my lips or a cloying sweetness on my palate like other aged berleywines have.

Xyauyù Etichetta Oro (Gold) cost me $42, and it was worth every penny. Its similarities to aged sherry are remarkable, yet this beer manages to maintain a certain amount of drinkability and lightness that is absent in the actual spirit. If you want a unique and unforgettable beer drinking experience and you appreciate extreme beers, I advise you to spring for a bottle as well.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 06:09:52 | More by Damian

Rempo

Indiana

4/5  rDev -8.7%

05-11-2013 11:15:08 | More by Rempo

TheBeerAlmanac

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev -3%

04-01-2013 13:46:20 | More by TheBeerAlmanac

CTJman

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

03-30-2013 17:16:20 | More by CTJman

Dope

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

2009 vintage, 14% ABV

A: A nice clear deep burgundy. No head, no lacing, completely flat. Didn't mark it down too much because this is intentional. Color is nice though.

S: Surprisingly mild given the 14% ABV. Very sweet, lots of syrupy caramel. Mild dark fruits, maybe a hint of raisin and fig. No booze at all. Really nice, hard to describe but basically like smelling the sweetest sugary syrup you could find.

T: Super sweet through and through. Some dark fruits up front, nothing heavy but bits of raisin, cherry and fig. Maybe plums too. I keep getting random hints of other fruits too, pomegranate sometime? Loaded with caramel and brown sugar. Even maybe maple syrup? Maybe even some honey? Hints of toffee on the back end with a little molasses. No booziness which is amazing. Strong, sweet flavors from start to finish.

M: Very thick, very syrupy. No carbonation does not help this. Like drinking maple syrup from the bottle.

O: This is one hell of a beer. Does not taste like any other beer (only Utopias comes close). Very complex and flavorful. Try this one with an open mind. The syrupy, flat nature takes a little getting used to. It's extremely sweet too, starts to get hard to drink eventually - I'm glad this is "only" 16.9 ounces and not a 750ml or something. I've had a 2004 copper version of this and it was a little mellower and simpler. This one is sharper (maybe due to less aging) but with more complexity too. An amazing brew no matter how you approach it; clearly a masterful creation and it stands alone.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 02:27:40 | More by Dope

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

16.9 oz bottle, bottled in 2009, poured into a snifter.

A- Pours a clear, dark brown, has no carbonation or head, looks pretty much as described.

S- Rich, sweet, delicious aroma. Lots of caramel, vanilla, madeira and port, and caramelized dark fruit. This is my favorite part of this beer. The aroma is just highly complex and rich, it smells great.

T- Similar to the aroma, lots of caramel, vanilla, sugar, caramelized dark fruits, and maybe a bit of chocolate. There are also nice accents of port and madeira, as well as some leathery oxidation.

M- I really wasn't sure how well this would work with no carbonation, but the beer is full-bodied, with a smooth, silky feel and a dry finish with a nice amount of boozy warmth.

O- I've never had a beer quite like this, but this was really, really delicious. I was hesitant about the cost, but this is certainly worth it, pick this up if you have the chance.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 06:30:40 | More by WillCarrera

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle poured into HF stemmed glass.

A- Pours a reddish brown that is perfectly still without any carbonation, head, or anything. Mostly opaque with some light transparency around the edges.

S- Complex and fairly boozey smelling, but the booze smell is pleasant almost like a fine sherry mixed with aromas of vinegar, grapes, plums, cherries, light molasses, and figs. I really like the smell on this, but the booze does get to me a bit.

T- Sweet caramel, brown sugar, plums, cherries, light molasses, finishes with more molasses, dark fruits (cherries, plums, grapes), figs, raisins, and brown sugar. Sweet lingering aftertaste of aforementioned tastes. Taste definitely isn't as boozey as the smell and in my opinion definitely the best aspect of this beer.

M- Surprisingly light with almost a slight watery aspect but in my opinion it fits perfectly with the flavors of the beer and brings them out nicely. No carbonation to speak of. Very easy drinking with pretty much no abv burn.

O- I really liked this barleywine and the oxidation definitely makes it very interesting. It's fairly complex with a lot of dark fruit qualities that provide a nice sweetness. At 13.5% it is insanely easy to drink and the only part in the beer you really notice it in is the taste. I love how you can re-cork the bottle and drink it later, this is definitely a beer that is meant to be sipped and enjoyed in fairly low servings. Maybe not worth the $45/500ml bottle price tag, but I definitely recommend checking this beer out if you get the chance especially if you like complex beers.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 00:18:08 | More by jaasen64

DonFrap

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -42.9%

01-28-2013 03:23:46 | More by DonFrap

Auror

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

01-27-2013 19:03:28 | More by Auror

rodkin

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

01-25-2013 05:26:13 | More by rodkin

Mbrown44

Delaware

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

01-16-2013 01:41:06 | More by Mbrown44

westcoastbeerlvr

California

4.75/5  rDev +8.4%

01-13-2013 04:15:30 | More by westcoastbeerlvr

Liquoric3

Germany

4.2/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2008 vintage 500 ml bottle label says 14,5 % vol.

brownish, reddish, caramel colour with no head or carbonation

First thing I get is honey then some crystallized fruit , plum and melon, some sugar and a hint of oak. Can`t smell any hops. Wow I could smell this one the whole evening.

Taste is very sweet, honey flavour, caramel, raisins and some other dried fruits.
No alcohol presence, well hidden. Nothing there to balance the sweetness.

I really enjoyed this one but the taste was a little bit too sweet for me . 250 ml was more than enough and for 30 Euro it was rather expensive not sure if i would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2013 18:38:29 | More by Liquoric3

kdb150

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

12-28-2012 20:37:58 | More by kdb150

Etan

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

500ml bottle, purchased at La Cave a Bulles in Paris. 2004 vintage, into a snifter.

A: Pours a clear reddish-amber, no head.

S: Vinous aroma - crushed grapes, molasses, some pleasant heat and cooked sugar.

T: Lots of dried fruits (peach, prune), sweet grapes, liquor-like warmth, raisins, drying honey.

M: Thick yet fluid, not syrupy. Flat.

O: Gold has a lighter feel and is a bit less syrupy, and more dry, than Silver and Copper. At this point this is my favorite of the three. A unique and masterful beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2012 06:26:11 | More by Etan

pixieskid

France

4/5  rDev -8.7%

09-26-2012 08:40:00 | More by pixieskid

Dan25D

California

4.75/5  rDev +8.4%

08-07-2012 07:00:55 | More by Dan25D

NarcoSolo

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%

01-20-2012 01:24:49 | More by NarcoSolo

largadeer

California

4.5/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

'06 vintage shared with Alex (masterski) in Chicago last year. Yeah, took me a while to get these notes up.

Clear reddish-amber, has an almost purple tint. Perfectly still. Beautiful.

A lot of honey and port on the nose, wonderfully oxidized. Very sweet, which is amplified by the lack of carbonation. Dark fruit, a slight sting of alcohol. A touch more oxidized than the silver, which does replace some of the sweetness with more earthy, nutty oxidized notes.

Sweet honey and carame on the tongue, port-like oxidation, faint nuttiness, dark fruit. Full bodied and rich, but not cloying; ends somewhat dry. No noticeable alcohol, and no off-flavors from oxidation. Very drinkable. This is as good as it gets for aged beer, as far as I'm concerned.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 06:50:37 | More by largadeer

StevenBilodeau

Connecticut

4.53/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

By looking at the presentation of the bottle alone my expectations were pretty high. My experience with Birrificio Le Baladin has been pretty good, along with much of the stuff from B-United. This bottle, the '06 was fantastic. Looking at this exotic beer in its glossy small and decadent bottle started what became an amazing tasting.

It poured a dark amber gold. The nose was sweet... fermented fruits, fig... hazelnuts, with a slight syrup-like quality.

The flavors were mirror. Fermented fruits, fig, caramel, hazelnut and honey like notes were intertwined with it's thin, but mead like body.

Overall, this is a rare treat; and should be consumed by true beer lovers. The beer is artisan to it's style, and pleasures the senses. To beer nerds, geeks, snobs and in general... the beer lover's paradise in the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 04:37:53 | More by StevenBilodeau

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4/5  rDev -8.7%

12-31-2011 18:34:14 | More by coreyfmcdonald

jophish17

Georgia

3/5  rDev -31.5%

12-31-2011 05:18:11 | More by jophish17

WeisGuy

New York

4/5  rDev -8.7%

12-18-2011 18:28:32 | More by WeisGuy

Rochefort10nh

New Hampshire

5/5  rDev +14.2%

11-26-2011 23:51:11 | More by Rochefort10nh

CleanTaps

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +14.2%

11-26-2011 04:00:30 | More by CleanTaps