The Phil-osophy of BeerLagers
Lagers are a relatively new offering in beers. The beer has a cold fermenting process which avoids the pasteurizing and makes it easier to transport. All of mass market pilsners are examples as well as Bock beers.
Denotes one of the original 30 Beers
Abita Bock
I was not as thrilled with the Bock as I was with the other Abita beers. I am starting to think it's just me and not the beer. It has a good strong flavor but just not for me.
Augustiner Brewery Maximator
This is an outstanding Dopplebock. Strong hearty flavor, with hints of fruit, chocolate and malt in a very nice blend. Pleasantly sweet aftertaste.
Bitburger premium
pils.
I have to say that this is exactly what you might expect from a good German pilsner. None of the bitterness that occasionally accompanies a pilsner. It also has a flavor that is not present in mass market pilsners.
Bohemia Beer
Smooth with a nice finish, not as rich as most stouts. Great German-esque beer from Mexico.
Bergoff Famous Bock Beer
Very hardy, full flavored bock.
An Authentic Belgian Trappist brewed beer. Actual Monks making actual beer, and cheese. Great flavor, mildly fruity tasting, also very sweet. It's worth a few tasting. I got it one night at dinner and it took a bottle or two to really get in to this beer. It went really well with the huge steak I had that evening.
Crooked River Select Lager
Formerly known as Black Forest Lager. Smooth Golden Lager.
Cusco Cervesa
from Cusco Peru.
" A premium beer from the high Andes". Smooth and crisp but with a somewhat bitter after taste. I still prefer Negro Modelo or even Dos Equis to go with my burrito or fajitas.
Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager
Nice and rich strong lager, I will definitely get this again. Held up well on the Second try with a big meal. Goes down smooth and doesn't get in the way of the food.
Dos Equis
Great lager to have with a big ol' burrito and some chips and salsa, ( funny how that works out!! ) Goes down smooth and not too heavy so you can fill up on the food. I will say that if you are just picking up a six pack there are other choices that are as good; ( or better ) and less expensive.
Dundee's Classic Lager
I am a big fan of the Dundee's Honey Brown, so I guess I expected better, the Classic Lager seemed pretty ordinary.
Dundee's Honey Brown.
Not a huge hit with some of my other beer geek buddies. I like it as a everyday, around the house type beer. You know, mowing the grass, working on the car, building a fence etc.
Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
I will avoid the obvious dog related descriptions other than to say this is not a dog. I really liked the flavor, strong but not heavy. Good for tossing back a few.
Goose Island Oktoberfest
Great Oktoberfest! Full flavored with a nice malty taste. One of my favorites from Goose Island.
Goose Island Pils
A nice pilsner. Might be a bit of a shock for the for the uninitiated, but they should come around pretty quickly to this great pilsner that shows what a pilsner can be.
Gordon Biersch Marzen
I thought this was an average Lager with a somewhat sweet taste and a mildly hoppy finish.
Great Lakes Brewing Co. Elliott Ness
Apparently one of the relatives of the Great Lakes family worked for Elliott Ness. So that prompted them to name this fine lager after him. I also sense the irony of naming a beer after the patron saint of Prohibition
Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel Weisse
Very strong Dark Wheat. Very different from their Weiss Dark. A bit more body and flavor. Not as smooth, but not in a bad way.
Hacker-Pschorr Weiss Dark
"Traditional Dark Wheat" All of the flavor and body of a dark beer with the smoothness of a lighter beer. These guys have been at it since 1417, they are definitely doing something right.
Harp Lager
What can I say? It is a nice smooth ( if somewhat hoppy ) tasting Lager. Some say it's primary purpose in life is the "tan" part of black and tan, or half and half, depending on what side of the channel you are from.
Heineken Special Dark Beer
Rich full flavor. Good stuff. Somewhat different than what you might expect compared to regular Heineken. Not so different however that the regular fans wouldn't like it.
Hue Beer
from Hue city Vietnam.
I can't explain in words how bad this beer was. Imagine the worst American light beer brewed with dirty river water. If you know the Monty Python Australian wine reviews I think you will get the picture.
This is another beer that has one of those fanatical followings in its region and beyond. I found it to be very drinkable and smooth. No real flavor or body, just a thirst quencher. I understand that part of its popularity is its price and I totally understand the appeal and am happy when people shift away from the big breweries and try something different.
Labatts must be the Canadian word for Budweiser. Tastes better than Bud but you get the idea....
Larossa Birra Moretti
Very full, rich dark beer. It is great companion with a big plate of pasta but only have one. More than that and you won't have space for dessert.
Leinenkugel's Big Butt Doppelbock
This was a bit of a surprise. I wasn't aware it even existed. Nice full taste, love the rich malt flavor and clean finish. Not too filling, you could drink a few of these without a problem. I do have to say that while it is a good beer, it is not really a bock beer. I seems to lack the body of a true Bock beer.
Maibock Hofbrau
We spent an entire evening sampling and studying this beer. Now I wish I could remember what we decided. But Seriously.... I really like this beer. It has the whole hop / malt flavor blend down pat. Very smooth finish, no bitterness or after taste. HOWEVER, I would seriously recommend monitoring your intake on this one. Rumor has it that it is up around 14% ABV. We suspect it is closer to 9% ABV, but still plenty high enough to cause problems.
Michelob Hefe Weizen, Honey Lager, Pale Ale, Black & Tan and Amber Bock.
My mother always said if you can't say anything good don't say anything at all, BUT.... Michelob decided to jump on the Microbrew bandwagon with a number of beers. They are but pale ( pardon the beer pun) comparisons to the beers they are emulating. Let me list just a few of the problems I have. Black & Tan ( in a bottle?? ). The Honey Lager has none of the sweet finish of a Honey brew. A Pale Ale that is a weak, watery mess. I am appalled at the number of restaurants and bars that have Amber Bock on tap as their token "specialty brew".
For the record I think the standard Michelob Premium beer is fine.
Michelob Marzen
Once again I find myself in a position to incur the wrath of a giant brewery, but I can't really come up with a reason for this beer. I have not found any redeeming qualities of any of the Michelob micro-brew knock offs. This is a watery lager with a wheaty, almost yeasty flavor.
Old favorite, Good solid lager. Skyline chili and Molson, great combo!! Some like Labatts better, I disagree.
North Coast Brewing Scrimshaw Pilsner
Not a big fan of pilsners and this one did not do anything special for me. Very mild taste with not much in the way of flavor.
Pete's Wicked Helles Lager
So apparently "helles" is German for golden or pale. This lager is a good one if you are hanging around drinking beer all day. Not to heavy, not to hoppy or malty. An all around good thirst quenching beer.
Portland Brewing Honey Beer.
I have rarely met a Honey Beer I didn't like. Nice sweet taste the honey is not over the top, and has a very smooth finish. The Portland Brewing stuff has all been great!
Red Rock Pilsner Lager
Good smooth Pilsner. Nice upgrade, grab this instead of just having Budweiser or Miller by default.
Sam Adams Boston Lager
Easily the best example of American craft brews. I don't think I can add to all the awards and reviews out there other than to agree. I was amazed to find out that this was the first American Beer to pass the Reinheisgebot German Purity Law of 1516.
Sam Adams Oktoberfest
A good Oktoberfest with a sweet / malt blended taste without the alcohol flavor of some Oktoberfest brews. Great amber color with a sweet finish.
Somewhat average lager. "Lite" beer taste with no bitter aftertaste.
Sapporo Premium Draft
Nice light tasting, mild flavor, smooth texture. Little bit of a bitter finish but nothing dramatic. This came in a 22 oz. steel can so I ended up with a "Fosters effect" ( the last few ounces tasted like the can! ). So I would recommend drinking faster or getting the smaller containers.
Sapporo Reserve
So this also came in the big huge can. I never really put my finger on it but I did not like this beer. Not bad tasting, flavor was OK. Just not for me.
Sweet malty taste balanced out with a hop finish, nice taste but overall just OK
Very full taste, a little bitter but not in a bad way, more like a coffee bitterness.
Great session drink. I could have sat and downed these all night. Definitely a step up from a typical American Macro Brew. Nice fruity taste and not too bitter of a finish.
Scrooge & Marley New London Lager
One of my Christmas gifts this holiday season was this 12 pack of beers from Scrooge & Marley. This (fictional) brewery only sells this seasonal holiday gift pack . The New London Lager is a straightforward American Lager in the style of a Macro Brew Lager. Very drinkable, smooth finish, nothing fancy. Not to say there are not many much better lagers available, this is a nice average entry in the category. I think the whole variety pack is a fun conversation piece at a holiday gathering more than a serious attempt at craft brewing.
Shiner Bock
I finally got a chance to sample this legendary beer from Texas. Shiner seems to have developed a cult-like following in the south. It was a easy to drink beer. Goes down smooth, no nasty surprises in the aftertaste. You could sit and drink these all night ( and I did ) My only real complaint is that isn't really a true Bock beer. It does not have any of the traditional taste and flavor and body of a bock beer. Not to say it is a bad beer, it is just not a true Bock. I do applaud the folks at Shiner that have gotten legions of fans to drink this instead of Miller, Bud etc.
Stella Artois Premium Lager
I found this to be slightly bitter almost skunky going down but surprisingly little aftertaste. Not terrible but not something I would search out again. I expected something better from a higher priced import.
Tabernash Pilsner
Wow ! A pilsner I like. Nice mild flavor smooth texture.
Tucher Pilsner
A decent pilsner with an mild taster overall. Ended up with a pronounced bitter finish, possibly a bad bottle or starting to go.
Tabernash Oktoberfest
Another fine Oktoberfest, not an over the top malt flavor, good balance, nice finish.
Xingu Black Beer
For a dark looking heavy-ish beer it goes down smooth. I had never had a Schwarzbier before and was prepared for more of a Porter style beer. This was good but not great.
Yuengling Traditional Lager
This Lager has a very mild taste that goes down smooth. No problems putting a few of these away in one sitting. I thought it was better than the typical American Lagers, but also not the best Lager either, just a good beer that is very consumable.