Super
Birra Baladin

Some sediment in the pour, I have another bottle and will hold that off next time. Murky. Almost a dirty purple.

Nose is sweet malt. Oxidized hops. Cardboard. Leather. Brown sugar.

Taste aligns. Soft carbonation. Sweet, oxidized. Clean finish. Coats the palate a while.

 

250 ml bottle, from Vinmonopolet Kvadrat. ABV is 8%. Murky brown colour, large off-white head. Moderate aroma of malts, yeast and banana. The flavour is very sweet (too sweet), with notes of brown malts, caramel and squashed bananas, minimal bitterness. Drinkable if you have a sweet tooth, but not a beer I’ll buy again.

 

 

Had Super in a beautiful square in Torino in 2015 and I got the photos to prove it!
(Not a classic BSDA... more lively, a nice redhead, less intense)

 

 

Decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) bottle into a Teku glass at Scalini Osteria in Bronxville, NY; production information not clear to me, but code stamp 019/180-5 (produced some time in 2019?).
A: Pours a hazy amber color with ochre highlights, a one finger, off white head, spotty cap retention, and limited lacing.
S: Slightly tangy/tart. Aromas of caramel, honeysuckle, and whiskey, largely.
T: Semisweet and slightly tart. Flavor from caramel, molasses, cocoa, honey, and definitely whiskey. A bit boozy, actually. Bitterness sufficient to keep it from becoming too sweet.
M: Medium bodied with strong carbonation. Creamy and smooth.
O: This is a really flavor forward interpretation of a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Lighter while retaining complexity and stood up to/complemented Osso buco extremely well. Really enjoyed it.

 

The slightly hazy reddish dark amber colored beer pours out into a Duvel glass with a 1/2” finely bubbled light tan head that recedes very slowly to a cap and then to a thin island of foam on the liquid while leaving a ring and some patches of foam on the sides. Sipping creates a couple of arches and several patches of foam that cling to the sides of the glass.

The aromas include some fruits and some biscuity malt. The fruits include some apricot, some green apple, banana and orange. In addition, there’s also some vanilla, some almond and some floral character.

The flavors are much as expected from the nose with the biscuity malt, the almonds and the fruits showing up front. The fruits include apricots, green apple, orange and banana. In the background there’s both some malt sweetness and some light earthy, grassy bitterness from the hops.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied and smooth with some finely bubbled light carbonation. The fairly long finish begins as the fruit flavors and malt sweetness slowly begin fade, to be followed by the vanilla and almonds that also fade to leave behind the very light earthy, grassy bitterness that eventually closes the show.

Overall I’d say this is an enjoyable and drinkable beer. The aroma/flavor profile is complex and interesting. The light bitterness is just enough to ensure that the sweetness does not cloy. I’d be happy to have this one again.

 

 

 

We are right in the heart of the 2018 Winter Olympics & as such, I am delving into my foreign/import stash to venture into worldwide territory.

From the bottle: "Amber Beer"; "Floral"; "Bottle-conditioned".

I Pop!ped the cap & began a slow, gentle pour into the awaiting glass. Knowing that it was bottle-conditioned, I left some of it in the bottle for a final pour after the bulk of the review was completed. Unbidden, it formed a dense, one-finger cap of foamy, tawny head that simply refused to dissipate. Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was very sweet, obviously malt-driven, with notes of almonds and bananas. Mmm. Mouthfeel was creamy & full. The taste was not as sweet as the nose had led me to gird myself for. Instead, the nutty almond-like taste was prevalent with just a touch of banana-like sweetness. It was obvious that the yeast had done its job. I have to say, I think that it should be identified as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, given its coloring and the way that it fits this site's style description. Finish was dry, quite nutty, slightly musty from the yeast & very tasty. As to that last, I found myself drinking through it rather quickly, perhaps more quickly than I should have at its ABV, so be warned that it also has that quality. The last pour from the bottle was muddy, as expected. i adhere to a "Waste not, want not" mentality, plus I find that the lees keep me a regular guy. The nuttiness was a little more pronounced on the nose. The taste was both nutty and bananas & that was making me crazy! Ha. That marks a good place to stop.

 

Reminded me of a barleywine.