Minobii
Leech Lake Brewing Company

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From:
Leech Lake Brewing Company
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.38 | pDev: 15.09%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jul 24, 2013
Added:
Dec 11, 2010
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ZAP:
Photo of ZAP
Reviewed by ZAP from Minnesota

3.54/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
A-Copper colored...flat looking on the pour. A very weak homebrew like head appears for a second after a vigorous pour and then fades quickly.

S-This brewery reportedly ONLY uses fuggles hops and while I find them inappropriate in some beers this is a perfect fit with the ESB. Gives off a real earthy/spicy impression. A hint of spicy booziness too.

T-Fruity and earthy flavor to this. Apples, pears..very light caramel like maltiness that could stand a bit of a boost. Overall a nice tasting beer.

M-Carbonation is low and that gives this a thinner body feel than perhaps the malt load and ABV would suggest. I'd call it on the light side of medium at best. Texture feels a little watery. A little spiciness on the finish.

D-You don't see too many ESB's made by local breweries and I'm glad to this one in the LL lineup. A little hot and spicy at times but it is 7%. Would like to see a bigger body and stronger malt presence but overall a drinkable ESB with some characters. The fuggles really work nicely in this beer.
Dec 11, 2010
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.5 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jul 24, 2013
 
Rated: 2.5 by dragomni from Minnesota

Jan 27, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by Cramerican from North Dakota

Jul 10, 2012
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 3
22oz bomber into pint glass. no date.

Look is a unfiltered(bonus points) amber, with no head minus a small pond-like film. Smell is light grains, wheat, fruit tones, banana, apple, and an odd plastic tinge. Taste is wood, alcohol, bitter/earthy hops bordering on medicinal, hints of dark fruit, raisins. The only problem here is the total lack of carbonation. It tastes like a homebrew that was opened early. That along with the alcohol coming through seriously hurts the drinkability. Hopefully I just got a bad bottle.

I don't think I can rate this accurately, seems like a bad bottle. If this had proper carbonation it would be delicious.
Jul 07, 2012
 
Rated: 2.5 by optimator705 from Minnesota

May 29, 2012
Photo of budgood1
Reviewed by budgood1 from Minnesota

3.69/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bottle.

pour out a bright sunset orange/gold colour with an active off white head. froth sticks and stays with a great deal of festive lace. fruity nose with dose of earthy/dank herbal hops. flavour profile has uniqueness to it...the spritzy, belgian like feel throws down some tart apple and pear flavours. herbal hoppiness melds well with the hot and spicy aspects of this ale. some lingering bitterness. ESB?? this has a strong belgian golden ale sort of character to it with all the fruity esters and peppery, boozy notes. sturdy body with that carbonated mouthfeel again. nice drinkability, if in fact i'm sampling a belgian inspired concoction.

overall, again, i'm totally confused by this LL offering. i'm supposed to be drinking as ESB and instead am offered up a lively, belgian type elixir. i'm beginning to wonder if the brewmasters at LL are a bunch of raving mad lunatic brewmeisters, or am i getting infected beers that just happen to turn into something that's morphed into something that it shouldn't be??
Feb 11, 2012
Photo of FightingEntropy
Reviewed by FightingEntropy from Minnesota

4.12/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On a road trip to Grand Forks to see my nephew, we picked up some beer at Happy Harry's. Among the northern samplings, I picked up the full array of Leech Lake bombers since I've only been able to get samples at Autumn Brew Review that last two years. Minobii was the highest rated sample of my two opportunities, so hopefully it's a good place to start the Leech Lake reviews.

Big fluffy off white head piles up high on the second pour. The beer is a hazy copper ale with golden highlights around the edges. Big, spicy nose that radiates yummy notes that are almost Belgian-like inside of a creamy lace. Peppery spice, lemon, mineral and light malt underneath. Spice and carbonic bite gives the taste a strong bite, and the light caramel and biscuit malt plays underneath. While a light looking beer, the mouthfeel is full and delicious.

Checking the BJCP guidelines, it seems to be a bit out of style. Hops and spice are too high, but I don't think I care--I like this beer. Reading the label, the Fuggle hops are to style, and I can taste the flaked maize and brown sugar. 7.5% alcohol is also above the style guidelines, but that's where the brown sugar went too.

Again according to the label, Minobii is Objibwe for "drink and be merry". An appropriate name for this very tasty beer. Might not be an ESB by the numbers, but--oh well.
Feb 01, 2012
Photo of maximum12
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota

3.38/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Excited to see bottles of Leech Lake finally hitting the Twin Cities, at least in one location. Enjoyed visiting their tap room & been looking forward to bigger samples. And here we are. 22 oz. bomber into a pair of pint glasses.

Pour is a tangerine-infused yellow, with red-lining carbonation & bits of solids in the mix. Initial smell is foul; but a couple minutes at rest seems to improve matters. Earthy hops, mundane, diffuse fruits, with a touch of dankness that I don't find appealing. Not much here.

Minobii ESB elicits puzzlement. Unlike the nose, the first smell out the bolt hole is a spicy lick that sets my lower lip buzzing. Caramel, medicinal herbs chime in. More of that late fall, wet earthiness. That rare beer that presents almost nothing in the way of malts: they're not bearing much load. It is easy to drink, partly because I keep finding weird new corners & pick it up to sip frequently.

Nice complexity, strange mix of flavors, easy to drink. Nothing like any ESB I've had, this is a pretty good beer, but the lack of deep malts holds this one back.
Nov 24, 2011
Photo of jera1350
Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Golden orange in color with a thin soft head of suds. Some nice lacing.

Honey and graham sweetness with some diacetyl. Light earthy hop presence as well.

Graham cracker from the malt, some hop bitterness and a rather strong alcohol presence dominates the finish. Almost like someone dumped a shot of booze in my glass. A little grass and grapefruit peel in the aftertaste.

Smooth and soft. Almost medium bodied I would say. Pretty dry finishing.

A decent beer, but that alcohol presence takes the drinkability down a several steps. A fair stab at the style.
Aug 27, 2011
Photo of Bighuge
Reviewed by Bighuge from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Hazed light copper Thin off white head. Minimal lace left behind.

Aroma: Dank feel to it. Herbal and earthy hop presence. Sweet malts.

Flavor: Candied malt flavor. A little bubble gum too. Slight hop bitterness. Herbal hop flavor. Interesting flavor for an ESB. Enjoyable flavor.

MF/DK: Smooth feel to it. Lightly carbonated, light-medium body, somewhat creamy and easy going overall. Solid beer, even if not what I'd expect from an ESB.
Jan 08, 2011
Minobii from Leech Lake Brewing Company
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 11 ratings