Minnesota Special Bitter - Badger Hill Brewing Company

match1112

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Minnesotaryan sent this bad bay as an extra, and for that I thank him!

a: crystal clear dark amber body. finger and a half of thick creamy dirty white head slowly settles to a quarter inch cap that stays till the end. Plenty of spotty lacing is left behind.

s: bread, spice, floral notes, a touch of bananna and some earth tones.

t: has a wow factor to it. big bready body with touches of spice and flowers, guessing that's from the hops. Slight citrus twang on the finish.

m: real creamy, medium body, excellent carbonation and a bone dry finish.

o: really, really like this take on a ESB. Easy to drink and great to look at.

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2012 21:46:21 | More by match1112

CCutch

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

05-29-2013 17:13:44 | More by CCutch

MinnTwins

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

05-27-2013 02:49:43 | More by MinnTwins

jimmah120

Minnesota

3.84/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 5

12oz bottle with no date, into hourglass glass. there is a code on the back.

very foamy, semi hazy, medum amber tone. smell is very faint wheat. taste is bitter, leafy, off hop notes that remind me of homebrew. some sweet malt, but mostly malty in feel. waaay, way too much carbonation.

reminds me of home brew in a appearance and taste. still, tasty stuff and cheap.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2013 04:44:40 | More by jimmah120

capuchinpilates

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

04-10-2013 18:23:35 | More by capuchinpilates

bigbeers84

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-08-2013 05:30:00 | More by bigbeers84

sparx1100

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

03-28-2013 02:14:16 | More by sparx1100

roostor07

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

03-20-2013 21:11:01 | More by roostor07

irrgalaxy

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-18-2013 00:38:57 | More by irrgalaxy

inbierveritas

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

01-27-2013 05:14:44 | More by inbierveritas

garymuchow

Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -23%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Start isn't so good. I'm catching a strong vegetable quality, especially right away. It seems to diminish in time and move towards a not unpleasant crisp malt character and a very faded hop.
Couldn't pour the whole bottle into a shaker glass as the head was too big. Very clear body and a nice amber color.
Interesting hop malt mix that resembles nicely an ESB. I do catch the vegetable in the taste. Subtle, but definitely there. Nice hop flavor towards the finish and stretches into a long and good bitter finish.
Soft carbonation and moderately light feel.
I've had all three beers now from Badger Hill. Seems like a work in progress. This one isn't quite there yet, but there are qualities I like. I wish them well.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 22:13:28 | More by garymuchow

dmueller

Illinois

4/5  rDev +7%

01-01-2013 02:31:26 | More by dmueller

ssimpson89

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

12-27-2012 22:24:26 | More by ssimpson89

ponbon63

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

12-15-2012 07:12:27 | More by ponbon63

bluetrevian

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

12-12-2012 00:21:30 | More by bluetrevian

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another newish Minnesota brewery I've been wanting to try. Tasted 23 November 2012, reviewed from notes.

Pours a medium amber, almost clear but hazy enough that I can't quite see through it. One finger of yellowish off-white head, good retention, and really nice lacing. Good-looking beer.

Smell is malty, complemented by a vegetable hop crispness. Lightly toasty, with an herbal overtone. Has a soft, lightly bitter sense that's almost chemical.

Taste is clean, malty, and mildly bitter. Nothing jumps out at me; has that same herbal sense, which, combined with the bitter, gives it the air of a bitter herbal liqueur. Not bad.

Mouthfeel is interesting - quite slick, almost oily, which feels like it's lifting off my tongue. Medium-low carbonation, and could use some more.

A decent beer, just what I'd expect for the style, but nothing more. Toasty malts, mild bitterness. Most notable characteristic is the herbs, almost like a bitter liqueur.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 07:00:50 | More by zeledonia

maximum12

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz. single picked up recently.

Pour is polished oak, on the light side, no knots, no haze, clean. Nose is a bit weak & as such my attention wanders. It might be a bit nutty, bready, bitter, or something else. All those things come in & out of the light, but it's the hop bitterness that is the mainstay.

Minnesota Special Bitter need some Mr. Clean applied. Just like my sample at the brewery, there's a rasped edge of moist dankness to this, an underlying dead-leaf note that corrupts the rest of the taste. Nice hop kick, floral & bitter, baked bread, acorns. But that undercurrent really hurts the taste & how much of it I want to drink. Not only that, it's becoming more pronounced as the beer warms.

Without the spring leaf pile, this would be a winner. As is, decent enough. I'd love Badger Hill to get this one right, because an excellent local ESB would be marvelous, but this one still needs a Brillo pad taken to it. Too dirty.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 01:43:49 | More by maximum12

NilocRellim

Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The beer had a nice yellow/golden colour, which had a nice haziness to it. The head was minimal and average. The smell had a little more hop-nose to it than I expected from an ESB. There were also notes of citrus, nuttiness, and yeast. The taste was not as bitter as expected and much more balanced. There was more of a hop taste than expected, but not intense at all. The yeast taste that comes with bitter beers was not over-the-top either. It was surprisingly balanced and not as strong as expected.

Would I get it again? Yes.

Serving type: on-tap

11-30-2012 06:06:06 | More by NilocRellim

NuclearDolphin

Minnesota

4.15/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Pint Glass

Appearance - Darker Orange and hazy with tons of carbonation initially before it becomes mild. Head width pours in around 2 fingers and has some soapy retention.

Smell - Floral Hops, Bready/Biscuits, Orange Peel, and Malts. Has a slightly resin scent to it; Interesting...

Taste - Floral Hops, Resin, Citrus, and Yeasts. Surprisingly Hoppy considering my past experience with ESB Ales. Still very tasty to drink with a more robust flavor as it warms up.

Mouthfeel - Moderate body with mild carbonation. Slightly crisp but not what I would call refreshing. It had a very slight creamy feel to it though.

Overall - It's always fun to explore the ever-expanding Minnesota craft beer scene and beers like this prove to me why. It's easy to enjoy, quite good and provides a unique twist in ESB style ales. I look forward to trying out more from Badger Hill in the future!

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 03:19:44 | More by NuclearDolphin

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had a pint at Republic at Seven Corners. Appeared a clear orange-red with a thick off-white head. Interesting beer, it's got a very nutty—like walnut and almond—malt character with a sweet, candy yeast character from what I assume is an English ESB yeast strain. While the beer itself isn't thick or feel sweet, that candied herb taste probably isn't for everyone, but I was glad to raise a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

11-21-2012 22:51:38 | More by tempest

doucmehu

Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

11-16-2012 21:50:01 | More by doucmehu

ddavison

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

11-10-2012 23:57:09 | More by ddavison

Mdog

Minnesota

3.53/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Deep amber, good head.

Smell: Yeasty, belgian style.

Taste: Dry, Belgian-IPA like. Black pepper. Mild fruitiness. Dry, citrus astringency.

Overall: Seems more like a Belgian IPA than an ESB to me. Yeast notes definitely remind me more of Belgian beers than English. It does give a shot of good bitterness, and some different flavors to make it stand out from the crowd. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 23:16:56 | More by Mdog

minneapolitanjim

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +7%

10-25-2012 23:00:00 | More by minneapolitanjim

morimech

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours an attractive pale copper color (darker than amber) with just over a finger of head that had good retention. The head settles to a thin cap. Moderate amount of spotty lacing is left down the glass.

When I think ESB, this beer will not come to mind. Weird aroma. Floral but it smells almost like a cleaning agent. Anticeptic. Really have to dig to pick up the malty notes. When I do that is what saves the aroma. The malt gives some caramel, bready, and nutty notes.

Seems way hop dominate for and ESB. Drinks more like an IPA. Not well balanced despite the label claims. Quite bitter. Not a fan of the hops used here or in the execution. Get more of this anticeptic/band-aid taste and not enough of the malt. Too bad because what malt flavor I get, is very good and reminds me of British beer.

Carbonation is too low. The body feels deep enough but just undercarbonated.

My first experience with Badger Hill and I was letdown. I would try this beer on-tap sometime and I will try other styles of their beer as it becomes available, but like their brewing partners Lucid, they are on probation with me.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 20:19:33 | More by morimech