There seems to be a spate of beers around that have been “flavoured” with unusual ingredients, and Badger (Hall & Woodhouse) is getting in on the act. The other day I wrote about their Lemony Cricket seasonal bitter (see It’s still Cricket season) which is flavoured with lemon grass – and actually tastes really nice. I know that before hops were used as a flavouring and preservative in beer, a number of different herbs and spices were used to offset the sweet flavour of the malt. However, in general, I like my beer to taste of beer, without any fancy embellishments – but I’m always prepared to give a beer the benefit of the doubt and give it a try.
Badger dandelion flavoured organic ale 
(4.5%) describes itself as “a refreshing well-rounded ale with dandelion natural flavour”. It has a golden colour and a slightly herby smell. I’m not sure what I was expecting it to taste like – maybe something like the dandelion & burdock pop that I used to drink as a kid – but in fact it has quite a bitter, slightly oily, astringent taste. I didn’t get the “floral hop tones” or the “delightfully grassy hedgerow aroma” promised on the bottle- in fact I found it slightly unpleasant. As I got down the glass, it began to taste cloyingly sweet – and still oily. It was drinkable as a one-off, but I won’t bother buying another.
River Cottage Stinger Organic Ale (4.5%) – Brewed by Badger – “brewed with organically grown hand-picked Dorset nettles”. I wonder whether Dorset nettles are better than nettles from other counties for adulterating beer (you can probably guess that I didn’t like this one either). It’s pale, with a very thin head that didn’t last long. The bottle label says “slightly spicy with a light bitterness and a subtle tingle that comes from the nettles” – definitely light, in fact a bit thin tasting, but does have a bitter finish. I couldn’t detect any “tingle” or any taste that might have been nettles. None of the negative characteristics of the dandelion brew, but nothing to go out of your way for – clearly something of a marketing gimmick to attract the Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall fans.
As a self-proclaimed big fan of Badger beers, I was quite honestly rather underwhelmed by these two offerings – stick to the good stuff.