Super Bitter
Birra Baladin

Super BitterSuper Bitter
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Birra Baladin
 
Italy
Style:
Belgian Pale Strong Ale
Ranked #57
ABV:
8%
Score:
88
Ranked #13,165
Avg:
3.96 | pDev: 9.85%
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
38
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 19, 2023
Added:
Jun 09, 2013
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  11
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Darker brown mostly clear body with a finger of off-white foam. Aromas of caramel malts with citrus especially orange, bread crumb forward yeast, and mild spices with floral accents. Taste is much more malt forward with big caramel malt, toast, and dry earth tones. Mild spiced yeast and floral hops join in later in the sip in a complimentary way. Feel is more ESB like than BPSA, with more malt and rising yeast that is clearly the second fiddle, soft and chewy overall. Highly drinkable
Dec 19, 2023
 
Rated: 3.84 by shelby415 from Oregon

Feb 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by shigg85 from Japan

Jan 08, 2022
 
Rated: 4.13 by Dentist666 from Russian Federation

Sep 02, 2021
Photo of Silke_Neryn
Rated by Silke_Neryn from Sweden

3.91/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
The only question is why it isn't regarded as the (super) ESB it is.
Aug 08, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.81/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
330 ml bottle, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV is 8%. Hazy orange to brown colour, large white (or slightly off-white) head. Pleasant aroma of mild spices, brown sugar and malts, hints of dark fruits. The flavour is mid between dry and sweet, with the same elements as the aroma. Moderate bittering hops in the finish. Nice beer.
Jan 07, 2021
Photo of mushroomcloud
Reviewed by mushroomcloud from Texas

3.87/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
33cl bottle with a best by date of 02/2021 (opened 5/9/19 in Radda in Chianti).
Amber beer, good clarity and a 1" beige head with good retention.
Caramel malt and sweet oranges. Brown sugar and spice.
Leads with a deep malt flavor, sweet and caramelly. Leafy hops midway and a hint of the oranges from the aroma. Leafy tea flavor that's unique and appealing.
Medium to full body, low to medium carbonation. Sweet finish but not a bad thing.
Nice beer, nice sense of place and will be a great memory for me.
May 09, 2019
 
Rated: 3.75 by kdown from California

Apr 10, 2019
 
Rated: 3.79 by Smakawhat from Maryland

Sep 13, 2018
 
Rated: 4.13 by BenHoppy from Michigan

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by crewfan1952 from Ohio

Apr 04, 2018
 
Rated: 3.75 by Hayley_86 from Netherlands

Mar 03, 2018
Photo of Bruno74200
Reviewed by Bruno74200 from France

3.5/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Not very appealing with all the proteins floating around the amber body. A big caramel presence, nice at first but begins to be clothing quite quickly
Oct 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.27 by matuto from Brazil

Oct 04, 2017
 
Rated: 3.7 by gianluca88 from Italy

Sep 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.8 by NightINgale from Russian Federation

Jul 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by crob3888 from California

Jun 07, 2017
Photo of doktorhops
Reviewed by doktorhops from Australia

3.71/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Next up in the mixed 5 beers given to me by the Australian distro of Birra Baladin for the purposes of me liking/reviewing is: Super Bitter. From what I understand Birra Baladin already had a brew called “Super Baladin”, they then decided it wasn’t bitter enough (or something) and rejigged it to be more bitter and released it as “Super Bitter”... at least without any research or confirmation I am totally assuming that is what happened - Dr. Hops, always reporting the real news! You all should know by now that I am super objective in my reviews and would never ever give any beer a good review based on getting it for free - that is why I was surprised by how good Birra Baladin Nazionale was. Am I expecting this to be as good? Not really... let’s see.

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a Duvel tulip.

A: Cloudy and reasonably opaque Russet body with a thin, tightly compacted, 1 centimetre Ecru head that slowly dissolves leaving a ring. For an 8% ABV brew the head is pretty good... very dense too, expecting a creamy mouthfeel. 9/10.

S: Citrus/caramel characters front and centre. The aroma suggests some sort of IPAesque bitter onslaught, however I could be wrong. Further whiffs include: Bready/floral and lemon notes. Not quite as outstanding and peculiar as their Nazionale, my score reflects this. 7/10.

T: Once again Baladin have thrown me a googly (cricket term: Google it) with a brew that is unlike anything convention has taught me to expect. Yes it has that citric/caramel overtone, however there’s something funky in there as well... hard to describe... sour (maybe rotting) fruit, hints of spice too... bready yeast and a slight floral touch. There is a light alcohol note in the background too, nothing to be alarmed about. Finish manages to be dry with a mild bitterness, and aftertaste is fruity. 7/10.

M: Medium bodied with a nice dense carbonation - yes it has the creaminess I was expecting. 8/10.

D: It’s a Belgio-Italio-American car crash of a beer that again sets Birra Baladin apart from the others (yet at the same time drawing parallels with Birra Del Borgo). Did I like it? Not as much as Nazionale, however it does need to be tasted to be believed IMO - it’s an odd journey into a realm I’ve not discovered and for that I appreciate it, however Nazionale is where it is at for me with these peeps. Birra Del Borgo still edge it in the Italian brewer of my heart stakes. 8/10.

Food match: Stew or a nice Ratatouille with braised beef here.
Apr 03, 2017
 
Rated: 4.71 by StrangerBrews from California

Dec 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.83 by Dazka from Italy

Dec 10, 2016
Super Bitter from Birra Baladin
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 38 ratings