Birrificio Italiano - Super Baladin

Just outside of Torino, Italy, in the village of Piozzo (population 1,000), lies Le Baladin directly across from the town hall, an extremely unusual brewpub and microbrewery. “Baladin” is a French term referring to a “traveling minstrel.” The owner, Teo Musso, thought that this would be a fitting name for his brewery as the townspeople are known for moving around, especially between Italy and France. Upon visiting the brewery and meeting Teo, one finds that he is a very entertaining minstrel and has, thus, chosen the perfect name for his place. Teo studied at some of the best small breweries throughout Europe in order to learn his craft, and loves experimentation and never works by the books.

The Super Baladin is the masterpiece of the brewery and is most often the favorite among the customers at Le Baladin. It originated from an old recipe created toward the end of the 9th century following the style of the Belgian abbey beers. It is similar to a Belgian triple. The twist with this beer is that an English yeast strain is used for primary fermentation. Afterwards, it is bottle-conditioned for two months using a Belgian strain.

A dark amber colored beer with good clarity. Aromas of warm flowers, apricot and banana, and bitter almonds are evident. Similar flavors of apricot, almond cake, citrus fruits, and rich malt come through strongly.

This beer matches perfectly with ripened cheeses such as Port Salut or Trappist styles. It is also wonderful with almond sweets like a dry almond cake. Super is also good for “cuisine à la bière”