Additional notes 10/01/24 and pictured

As I noted below, this is not the beer I remember from what now is about 40 years ago. That beer, with its white foiled neck presentation and its ‘high for then’ ABV seems a long way from this, It’s now marketed as a Pilsner rather than a Euro Strong, but what that actually means in terms of brewing, the recipe or the process, I have absolutely no idea.

It’s actually not bad at all. It’s not too skunky or too sweet and it drinks fairly easily. Nostalgia? Maybe, but I have no particular objection to this beer in 2024. I’d rate it higher now than I did in 2005. Go figure.

Original note 08/24/05

I have a soft spot for Elephant since nearly twenty years ago I used to think of this as something special. As a poor student who knew better, but would often have to drink low quality macro’s at 4-5% ABV, the opportunity to quaff something nearly twice the ABV was always an enjoyable one. Also enjoyed rinking Giraffe at the time too! I seem to remember an earlier incarnation of this beer being sold in England in the late ’80’s as being higher than the now advertised 7.2 ABV. Anyone know?

Anyway, I digress, back to the beer.

Desperately disappointing on revisiting this. A bland macro type lager with only a few redeeming features. Not skunky, very malty, good ABV and a tiny hop bite in the finish. Outside of that nothing that a BMC couldn’t deliver.