12 oz metallic looking can. Thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to have a crack at this one. Any wispy head that was there on the initial pour dies really quickly above a fizzy looking, golden colored body. Pretty poor looking. No apparent nose, even on warming. Tastes are the usual combo of vegetal sweetness, high carbonation and a malty blandness that is distinctive only in relation to its non-descript nature. Not really much here that is too offensive, however it really only says macro...
Notes on beers in the style
American Pale Lager
Mountain Creek Classic Lager
12 oz can thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this one. The latest in a huge parade of Minhas mediocrity. This time the pour gives a pretty serious initially head, but it collapses to give nothing in terms of lace or retention. Body is a golden color with a disappointing lack of carbonation - weak to be honest. Pretty offensive, sweet, grainy corn hits the nose and palate and never gives anything more than that. Vegetal notes and a more than average sweetness drives home the adjunct...
Huber Premium Beer
12 oz can, many thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this. Retro style can which is attractive - good times. Slightly hazed with a macro colored pour, the beer appears similar to a macro adjunct with perhaps a notch above in terms of color and head. lace and retention are still huge issues though. Nose and tastes deliver a macro adjunct experience as well, but it is less sweet and offensive than many in a similar group. Fairly neutral in the final analysis, but not really offensive or...
Shiner Blonde
12 oz can courtesy of Kevin - many thanks. Well, it is what is. No more, no less. Typical, light straw colored pour with perfect clarity, low carbonation and, virtually no head and zero retention and lace. Could be one of a million different macros of the same ilk, but the color is getting close to completely non-existent. Pale as plae can be. Nose gives a touch of grainy alcohol. Tastes are a largely neutral sweetness and almost nothing else. Character is firmly at zero, but no skunk and...
BrewFarm Select
12 oz can, many thanks to Kevin for the opportunity to try this one. Golden, clear, macro-like pour with a decent, fluffy head. Some retention and some attractive lace but otherwise largely unremarkable. Grainy, buttered toast on the nose with some slight grassy hop aroma - not much at all, even on warming. Tastes offer an organic-like experience with a clean bill of malts making up the majority of the tastes. Some more light hay and grass but it never really adds up to much. Not much depth...
Totally Naked
12 oz single, many thanks go out to Kevin for the chance to try this beer. Pour is a well carbonated, totally clear light straw color with a huge, fluffy and sticky head. Lace is pretty good too. Color is a little light, but otherwise looks pretty good. Nice carbonation leads to a lively mouthfeel. Nose is a little corny and vegetal to be honest, and does not inspire much confidence. The tastes are citrusy. Some lemongrass but it is quite watery. The back-end and finish are very short, but it...
Michelob (Original Lager)
12 oz slender contoured bottle (I seem to remember these bottles being fatter over the years, but I doubt I've drunk a Michelob in 10-15 years so I'm a bit out of touch). Pour is vivid, golden yellow with no sustainable head but some wispy lace left on the glass. As far as I can tell there is no aroma. Light metal bitterness that smooths out pretty quickly to give a sweet middle and ending. The sweetness remains evident in the aftertaste. Alcohol tastes breaks over the rear of the tongue to...
Session Lager
11oz stubbie from Fresh Market as a part of their $8.99 mixed sixer. A recent entry to the ATL/GA market with the new wave of Full Sail beers. I like the stubbie presentation - old school and no pretence. Pour has golden (better than macro) color that has serious depth. Good carbonation, decent head nice clarity. Looks solid. Some vegetal nature in the nose, but it drinks MUCH cleaner than the nose would suggest. Simple, clean corn-like taste. Finish is clean. Tidy beer. Expect little and...
Coney Island Sword Swallower
22oz bottle, from Reilley's HHI. Golden honey colred pour with a small head and a small amount of lace. Sweet nose with a mild skunkiness to it as well. Sweet malts up front with a slight cloying feel. A rather astringent bitter finish that is quite metallic. Almost Saaz like in the ending. The bitterness lingers significantly. Reminded me of a Czech Pils but with more sweetness and a little less class!
Hurricane Reef Caribbean Pilsner
Not sure how "Caribbean" fits in with "Pilsner", but hey, there you go! 12oz single from Total Wine, Kennesaw, GA, USA. 07/08/2008 as the Best Before Date on the neck of the clear bottle. Pour is as expected; a dark orange, urine colored liquid with a large fizzy head that lasts for about 5 seconds. No lace. Nose reveals VERY little other than a touch of skunk. Not offensive, rather simply bland and nothing there. Highish carbonation greets the tongue on the first taste. After that it's...
Longboard Island Lager
Relatively new to GA (within the last few weeks), I've now managed to try this, my second of the Kona brewing beers. I actually quite enjoyed the Fire Rock Pale so I thouhgt I would give this one a spin. 12oz bottle purchased as a single from Total Wine, Kennesaw, GA, USA. Golden macro-like pour with a bubbly head. Head is gone quickly to revel virtually no lace. Sweet but clean nose. Drinks really quite hoppy (at least within the parameters of the style). A saaz type bite in the finish, but...
Red Tail Lager
Single from Michaels. Light amber pour with a strange combo of great clarity at the bottom of the glass, but surprising cloudiness at the top. Odd. Head is scant, lace is nowhere to be seen. Mild whisky notes, very smooth, quite drinkable. Strangely this has a liquor based taste, a little oak, a little vanilla and really quite tasty and sweet. Surprisingly rich. Has an English Pale Ale feel about it. Odd beer. If anything reminded me of an old ale or a vanilla or oaked beer! Very perculiar.
Saranac Lager
Average all around, with the aroma being the weakness. Real golden yellow pour with some decent head and some lacing. Despite the All-Malt status, lots of corn and vegetables are apparent in the nose, some skunk too, not very good at all. Tastes are bland but refreshing. Decent balance with some hops in finish against the malt backbone. Very slight lingerig bitterness in the aftertaste, but wholly uninspired. Absolutely middle of the road if somewhat watery and light on taste. Lawnmower...
Alpine Glacier Lager
Some chill haze against the backdrop of a golden body with some scant head, a little lacing but very poor stickability. Well, this is a very, very basic macro type lager. Grain tastes and smells dominate but it is still pretty drinkable. Clean taste and some refreshing quality. A tiny, tiny hop bitterness in the short finish, but not much. Very little to report here, lawnmower qualities and quite drinkable. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. A nice addition to the fridge in the...
Kingfisher Premium Lager
The only place I drink this is in Indian restaurants and it does make for a simple, heat quenching, late night accompaniment to spicy food. It’s clean, refreshing and simple, just the kind of thing that you want to go with your hot food under these circumstances. I find it difficult to review this because my expectations surrounding it are very low; I just expect it to do a simple job that it continues to do well. On the grand scale of adjunct lagers I like it. Is it a great beer? No, but it...
Clipper City McHenry Lager
This is a 100% forgettable, non-descript, adjunct that has only one redeeming feature - it's no worse than many other similar beers. The standard pale yellow, instantly disappearing head reveals the usual corny, grainy aroma and taste. I would find it impossible to distinguish this from hundreds of other adjuncts or macro lagers. Since this is a being brewed by a smaller brewer, it's a shame they have chosen to take the low road and not take the time and trouble to create something worthwhile....
Moosehead Lager
An unspectacular beer that manages to do what it is supposed to do and little more. On the up side, unlike many of its counterparts, it manages to pull off a very crisp, clean feel and remains non-offensive. When I break open a bottle of adjunct/macro/cheap North American lager I'm looking for a beer that will quench thirst, give a clean taste and not be skunked. That's about the size of my expectations and Moosehead just about manages that. Outside of that, almost nothing to report, the beer...
Palmetto Lager
Smashing beer. This is a simple, no nonsense refreshing lager that I really, really enjoyed. Good looking pour with a thick frothy head that had excellent retention. Exceptionally clear, golden coloration and a crispness that really caught my attention. Very smooth, no bitterness or dryness on the way down, just a solid American lager. Great summer refresher. Good value too, definitely worth picking up a six pack when in the Carolinas.
Kirin Ichiban
Not bad. Pretty much a standard macro look, but better than average taste and drinkability. I don't smell much, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, at least I'm not getting an overpowering alcohol or grain whiff. Pours with a slightly better than average head and retention and goes down quite smooth. Golden in the glass with a clarity about it. Malts mainly dominate, but I don't know that this looks or tastes much like a Pale Ale as the database suggests. Looks more like a pale lager to...