Rock'N'Roll
Birra Baladin

Bottle. Pours a translucent orangey amber with a creamy head.
Smells of dried grass and silage. Barley water and mixed spice are present.
Tastes quite peppery amongst mace, wheat and dried banana.
A clean cut feel with medium carbonation and body.
Not a style I am used to but I found this quite nice.

Purchased at Nardi's Cellarbrations in November 2023 and drunk in March 2024.

L: Brilliant gold, with a cm-high, moussy, bright-white head. Massive amounts of tiny bubbles stream up the glass. This could be used as the archetypal beer image.

S: Quite yeasty, almost like very overripe fruit, but with citrus and stone fruit thrown in. It's a weird smell, and I'm torn about whether I like it.

T: The taste, like the nose, has me struggling to determine whether I like it. There's a musky, heavy, overripe fruit note and then a long, chalky citrusy and grapefruit pith note, like it's had a massive amount of cascade hop dumped in it, vegetal matter and all, which for all I know it has. It finishes long and very sweet but has retronasal pepperiness, too.

M: The mouthfeel is full, and carbonation and carbonic prickle is low. There's a chalkiness in the taste, which also comes through in the mouthfeel like I'm chewing an antacid tablet.

O: I think I've realised by the time I finished this that I don't particularly like it. There's a chalky feel and taste that I cannot put my finger on, which is slightly off-putting. The long, sweet finish becomes too long and too sweet towards the end. Sorry, but it's a no from me.

Cheers!
#480

 

Birra Baladin "Rock'N'Roll"
330 ml brown glass bottle
€7 @ Burgus 116, Vernazza, IT

Notes: Hazy deep golden body beneath with a short head of white foam. Average to better than average head retention and lacing. Citrusy, herbal, and lightly piney in the nose over a lightly sweetish and bready malt base. The flavor reveals the malt to be a touch biscuity and more caramelish than the aroma lets on. The citrusy, herbal, and piney hops remain along with an odd touch of peppery spiciness. Firmly bitter at around 50 IBUs. Very dry finish. Medium bodied with a gently bristling, fine-bubbled, natural carbonation that warms in the mouth to become smooth.

330 ml bottle, as Baladin Rock'n'Roll, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 7.5%. Hazy golden colour, large white head. Interesting and pleasant aroma of spices / pepper and yuzu fruit. The flavour is medium sweet with spices / pepper, citrus and herbal and earthy bittering hops. The alcohol is noticeable.

 

 

 

 

 

33cl bottle with a best by date of 1/2021. Opened 5-10-19 in Florence, Italy.
1" dense, creamy white head with great retention on a clear, deep golden ale.
Perfumy, floral nose. Some fruit and tea leaf character as well.
Tea and orange marmalade character. White pepper. Hop driven but in an English way.
Soft mouthfeel, medium carbonation and a dry, persistent lightly hoppy finish.
Good stuff.