Xyauyù Fumè Riserva 2011 - Baladin
Tasting, Context & Expert Reviews
4.5 / 5 on UNTAPPD
Tasting Notes
Appearance & texture: Xyauyù Fumè visually presents itself more like a true digestif than a beer: a deep amber-brown robe with copper highlights, completely devoid of head and carbonation. The liquid is clear and oily, coating the glass like an old port wine. Several tasters indeed describe a syrupy texture reminiscent of a long-aged fortified wine.
Aromas: On the nose, it’s an explosion of malty and woody richness. The smoky peat from the Islay whisky barrels dominates immediately, evoking a campfire on a Scottish moor. These powerful notes of peat and smoke intertwine with sweet touches of brown caramel, honey, and dried fruits (raisins, figs, prunes), the result of controlled oxidation and long aging. Additional layers of leather, walnuts, and blond tobacco add even more complexity to the aromatic bouquet.
Flavors: On the palate, the attack is intensely smoky and peaty—some reviewers even compare it directly to a glass of Islay Scotch, the resemblance being so striking. One perceives burnt wood, earthy peat, and a faint medicinal note recalling coastal whiskies. Then, almost immediately, a malty sweetness comes to balance it all: an avalanche of melted caramel, toffee, brown sugar, chocolate, and candied fruits floods the palate after the initial shock of the peat. These successive layers of sweet and smoky constantly evolve during the tasting, at times even revealing surprising nuances (an adventurous taster noted a salty touch reminiscent of soy sauce). The whole delivers extraordinary complexity where malts, oxidized fruits, and peated smoke dance in harmony.
Finish & alcohol: The finish of this tasting beer is long, warm, and intriguing. Remarkably, several tasters mention that the aftertaste surprisingly vanishes rather quickly despite the intensity of the flavors, leaving them eager to dive back in. Others, on the contrary, describe a prolonged sweet-bitter persistence where residual sugars and peat blend into a masterful balance. At ~14% ABV, Xyauyù Fumè is as strong as a fortified wine, yet the alcohol is so well integrated that one reviewer marveled, “it drinks like 7 or 8%.” The ethanol only truly manifests at the very end with a gentle, comforting warmth, never burning—an impressive feat of balance for such a smoky, high-gravity beer.
Context & History
Xyauyù Fumè – Riserva 2011 is brewed by Birra Baladin, the iconic craft brewery of Piozzo (Piedmont, Italy) founded by Teo Musso. This visionary brewer describes his Xyauyù creations as “birre da divano”—literally “couch beers,” to be savored slowly, comfortably seated, much like a cognac or a late-night port. Launched in 2004, the Xyauyù series represents the experimental flagship of Baladin: these are high-gravity barley wines deliberately exposed to oxidation, then aged for months in tanks or barrels to develop evolved aromas reminiscent of oxidative or dessert wines. The result is what Baladin calls “salon beers,” at the crossroads of beer, wine, and spirits.
The term Fumè means “smoked” in Italian. It refers to the variant of Xyauyù infused with smoky flavors. The first incarnation, initially called X-Fumè, was released in 2007 through the infusion of Lapsang Souchong black tea (a traditionally smoked Chinese tea) into the base barley wine. In 2012, Teo Musso took the experiment further: he sourced casks that had previously held Islay Scotch whisky (famous for its heavily peated malts) and aged his precious brew in them for a year, imparting natural and intense smoky notes. Thus, the name Xyauyù Fumè was not new, but this time the smoke came from peat-soaked oak rather than an infused ingredient.
The Riserva 2011 edition is the fruit of this innovative approach. Brewed at the end of 2011, it underwent a controlled macro-oxidation process and then aged twelve months in ex-Islay whisky barrels. It was bottled without any refermentation (hence the absence of foam) in 500 ml bottles, capped and wax-sealed for long-term cellaring. The careful presentation reflects its prestigious status: each bottle is sold in an elegant black wooden box, with a spare cork included to allow resealing and enjoyment across multiple sessions. Considered one of Baladin’s greatest achievements, Xyauyù Fumè earned an exceptional score of 95/100 (“World-Class”) on BeerAdvocate and the maximum 100/100 on RateBeer. It regularly features among international beer competitions, for instance taking 3rd place in the smoked beer category at an Italian contest. Due to its complex production, this beer is brewed only in limited, vintage-marked quantities: the 2011 version analyzed here is part of the prestigious Teo Musso Riserva, alongside other vintages (2014, 2016, 2018, etc.) that followed.
Reactions & Impressions
Enthusiastic testimonies around this exceptional beer abound. A seasoned taster confided: “I’ve had a little under 900 beers now, and this is by far my favorite… if I won the lottery tomorrow I would purchase 500 bottles of this and never leave my couch again.” Another, after drinking it on draft for 8 years, described it as “amazing, unique and incredibly executed, a candidate for beer of the year for me.” For many, it’s a total taste revelation.
Comments often highlight its balance and smoothness despite its aromatic power. “Insanely priced but it’s a true gem, sweet but so smooth and velvety, smoky and deeply fruity… an incredible joy to drink,” summarizes a delighted fan, emphasizing its velvety texture and deep fruitiness beneath the smoke. A specialized blogger noted that it’s “the most peat forward beer I have ever had… and easily one of the most complex.” In other words, no other beer had ever offered him such pronounced peat, nor such complexity. This degree of depth and intensity fascinates drinkers in search of extraordinary flavors.
However, some more mixed opinions exist. A regular follower of the Xyauyù series admitted a hint of disappointment with this version: “this Fumè variant… was somewhat disappointing… [it] definitely masked the fruity, oxidative notes that were so prevalent in the others.” In short, he regretted that the smoke overshadowed the oxidative fruit nuances he valued in the other vintages. Another reviewer, otherwise a fan of smoked beers, also felt that “I love smoke but I think it was a little overdone” in the 2011 edition, judging the peat slightly excessive, even if still “very good.” These critiques underline that Xyauyù Fumè’s aromatic intensity can be polarizing: it likely requires a true appreciation of smokiness to be fully enjoyed. Nevertheless, most feedback converges on its uniqueness and remarkable technical mastery, making it a memorable tasting experience.
This article is the result of an in-depth analysis of multiple sources :
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