Rating: 2.3

I had heard only a little about this beer before visiting Morocco & got to try some of the stuff in Agadir at an English themed  pub. Working out at just over £2.50 for a 330ml bottle it was slightly more expensive than some of the other beers available in the pub & quite frankly I didn’t think it would be worth the extra money but gave it a go none the less. Again, as with most other local beers the label design was stuck somewhere in the 1980′s with nothing more than some bold colours for strips & ‘Stork’ printed across the middle. As you have probably guess, I wouldn’t be drinking this beer all that often even if it was widely available in the UK. Lacking in most things but still ranking a head of most of the other Moroccan beers I have tried. Not to be recommended.

Appearance (2/5): Pale straw in colour but not overly light, with a thin bubbly head that turns to a soapy lacing after about five or ten seconds.
Aroma (5/10): A mix of sweet grain & faint smelling hops that hint at a syrupy aroma. There is some corn & various other adjuncts present, including vegetables & more grain. Not terrible & definitely one of the better smelling Moroccan beers.
Taste (5/10): A mix of sweet adjuncts and corn that has a little bit of a hop like taste to it, all of which matches the nose quite closely. There is also some grain in there too.
Palate (2/5): Sweet & somewhat smooth with a bit of a dry, sticky finish that is a surprise after the initial refreshing taste to it. Not really all that great but drinkable.

Overall (10/20): A lot sweeter than most of the other Moroccan beers I have tried & slightly better than most of them too, although not by much it must be said. It is a drinkable beer but not one I’d hope to drink again, nothing more than your standard macro lager & certainly not impressive.

Brewed In: Casablanca, Morocco
Brewery: Société des Brasseries du Maroc
Full Name: Biere De Luxe Stork Première
First Brewed: Brewery from 1919
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.7%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: Marrakesh, Morocco
Price: 32 dirham (approx. £2.56)

Rating: 2.3

Again another beer that I sampled on my travels in Morocco recently, coming across this one in a French styled restaurant in Agadir. It was a beer that I later found to be quite common in supermarkets around Marrakesh but not so common in the city’s bars and nightclubs, of which there wasn’t too many. Perhaps the reason it wasn’t the most common of the Flag beers had something to do with the words “for export only” written on the side of the bottle. In what was becoming a bit of a theme for Moroccan beers, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to or expecting much from this beer & I don’t think matters were helped much by the fact that the label on the bottle was again dull & boring. Never the less I was trying a beer that I probably won’t get the chance to try again so I felt I had better make the most of it.

Appearance (2/5): A crystal clear, light straw looking beer that has a thin bubble like head which barely qualifies as a head. The lacing is bone white in colour & begins to fade after a few seconds.
Aroma (4/10): Skunky grain & some vegetable adjuncts are what I get from this beer initially. There is a little bit of corn & your usual macro pale lager aroma which is faint to sweet overall.
Taste (5/10): Matching the smell there is a skunky taste right off the bat & this is blended with some corn & various cheap adjuncts such as grain & corn. Very little going on here & again it is much like many macro pale lagers I have had before it but an improvement on the smell at least.
Palate (3/5): As expected this is another very light bodied beer that is smooth for the most part with a little bit of grain sneaking in towards the end. It is slightly dry in the finish but refreshing none the less, although that may be due to that first beer feeling you often get.

Overall (8/20): A standard macro pale lager that is definitely nothing special & wouldn’t deserve another tasting anywhere else in the world although in Morocco that isn’t the case. It is better than the Flag Spéciale version I reviewed earlier but again not by much.

Brewed In: Casablanca, Morocco
Brewery: Société des Brasseries du Maroc
First Brewed: Brewery from 1919
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.7%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: La Four De Paris, Agadir, Morocco
Price: 24 dirham (approx. £1.92)

Rating: 2.25

This was the second new beer I tried whilst in Marrakesh, Morocco recently & in the bar I tried it it was twice the price of the previously reviewed Flag Spéciale but I opted for this in the spirit of trying something new again. This was the beer that seemed to get the best reviews of all the Moroccan beers out of what I had read prior to my visit. I wasn’t expecting to much in comparison to some of the other beers I have reviewed here but I was hoping it would at least be a considerable improvement on Flag Spéciale. One thing it has in its favour straight away is the label design, which whilst not being anything special was by far the best designed label of any Moroccan beer I could find; other than this the rest were terrible & extremely plain.

Appearance (2/5): Pours a very light yellow to straw colour & forms a white, bubbly head that is about a fingers width tall but disappears almost instantly. Not an attractive looking beer it must be said.
Aroma (5/10): Rather faint on the nose with a slightly sweet aroma to it on the whole. There is a light corn aroma that is matched in equal strength by a sweet syrupy one & a little bit of vegetable although as I mentioned, the beer is very light on the nose but in no way off-putting.
Taste (5/10): The taste consists mainly of a little grain followed by slightly more of a sweet syrupy taste matching that from the nose. These flavours are almost drowned out by corn & vegetable adjuncts that come next. The beer is pretty much standard for a low quality, mass market pale lager you would find the world over. Nothing exciting here.
Palate (2/5): Smooth on the palate but slightly too thin in body, this beer is at least a little refreshing which is one of the few positives you can take from it, however even this is short lived as the aftertaste is a little dry.

Overall (9/20): Yet another mass produced, low quality pale lager pushing my tally for pale lagers up to 50 at this point, with this one in no way sticking out from the pack. Again this one isn’t worth what I paid for it & isn’t a beer I’ll be trying again. Slightly better than Flag Spéciale but not by much.

Brewed In: Casablanca, Morocco
Brewery: Société des Brasseries du Maroc
Also Known As: Casa Beer
First Brewed: Brewery from 1919
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: Grand Hotel Tazi, Marrakesh, Morocco
Price: 50 dirham (approx. £4.00)

Rating: 2.0

It appear the name ‘Flag Spéciale’ is a rather popular one in North Africa with Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal & Togo all specialising in a version of the beer. For the purpose of this review I will be referring to the Moroccan version of the drink brewed by Société des Brasseries du Maroc which is owned by Heineken & seems to brew most Moroccan beers now. This was the first Moroccan beer I managed to try on my recent trip to Marrakesh & due to the strict alcohol laws within the city’s Medina I ended up paying through the nose for a beer that I didn’t really expect to be all that good (it worked out at about £4 for a small can). This would turn out to be one of the most common beers I would drink whilst in Morocco, certainly the most popular local drink in the countries bars & clubs and one of the cheapest too, although that didn’t seem the case when buying my first one.

Appearance (2/5): Pours from the can a pale straw yellow colour that just about manages to form a thin head on top of the beer which unsurprisingly goes pretty fast leaving a thin lacing which is bone white in colour.
Aroma (4/10): Quite a skunky smelling beer that gives off a faint hop aroma but mainly comprises of vegetable adjuncts & tonnes of grain which also seems rather skunky. Not a lot going on with this one really.
Taste (4/10): Again much like the smell with the bulk of the taste seeming to be a mix of vegetable adjuncts, grain and sweet metallic taste, possibly from the can. Again like the smell there is the faintest if faint hopped taste.
Palate (2/5): The palate is about the best thing this beer offers & even that isn’t great. It’s quite light  although at least it’s not watery. It is smooth & slightly refreshing which surprised me a little.

Overall (8/20): As expected this was a sorry excuse for a pale lager & on-par with some of the major American mass-produced garbage that makes it to the UK. Not a lot going on in any area if truth be told & to think that I paid £4 for a 330ml can of this stuff is laughable. Avoid like the plague, unless of course your in Morocco & then you might not have a choice but to try it.

Brewed In: Casablanca, Morocco
Brewery: Société des Brasseries du Maroc
First Brewed: Brewery from 1919
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.2%
Serving: Can (330ml)
Purchased: Marrakesh, Morocco
Price: 50 dirham (approx. £4.00)

Launched in October 2010, ten years after the launch of the brewery, this will be my fourth Meantime beer to be reviewed on this site and as usual it is a another beer that I have been looking forward to for a few months now. Purchased in the breweries shop in Greenwich & given to me as a gift, it is a beer I have been saving but felt now was as good a time as any after reviewing three pretty average pale lagers in a row recently, I expect this to rate somewhat higher going by the past offerings from Meantime. After looking online before sampling this one it doesn’t seem to be that common a drink with less than forty reviews total on the BeerAdvocate & Ratebeer websites & it’s not a beer I’ve seen or heard much about other than what I’ve read online. Hopefully this one can be a rival to other Meantime beer & I only pray it’s not another run of the mill, unadventurous pale lager.

Appearance (4/5): Settles in the glass as a golden straw colour with good clarity & a two finger sized, bubbly white head that slowly dissipates over the course of a few minutes to leave a finger sized bubbly head, although retention is better than with most pale lagers. There is evidence of carbonation with a lot of bubbles rising to the surface of this one.
Aroma (6/10): The smell is made up mostly of light grain, some adjuncts & a little bit of grassy hops along with perhaps a little lemon too, although this isn’t to forthcoming. It’s not as pleasant as I was expecting from Meantime but it’s still an acceptable offering.
Taste (7/10): The flavour is quite like that of the nose but more well balanced & less harsh with regards to the grain. There is some good floral hops upfront and a little bit of spice mixed in too, it’s light & sweet; a very nice beer.
Palate (4/5): A light, crisp & refreshing offering here that is highly drinkable & overall is very well balanced. The finish isn’t all that bitter & there is a nice lingering sweetness to it.

Overall (13/20): An excellent pale/premium lager that you could drink all night. It has an excellent balance to it & although not bursting with flavour it still has enough to keep you interested. A very good offering but sadly not one I’ll be drinking all that often unless the price is substantially less next time round.

Brewed In: Greenwich, London, UK
Brewery: Meantime Brewing Company
First Brewed: 2010
Type: Classic German Pilsner
Abv: 4.5%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: The Old Brewery, Greenwich
Price: Gift

Yup, another pale lager! A relatively new beer here & one that my local Tesco recently got a few of in although only about 3o odd bottle from my estimates, all of which now seems to be gone. Brewed by Wells & Young’s of Bedford, this is a beer that I am looking forward to more than I probably would for another Indian style pale lager. Coming in a 670ml bottle there is enough of the stuff (it also comes in draught & 330ml bottles), the beer is apparently very smooth & brewed to an “original Indian recipe” making it the perfect pairing for Indian food although for the purpose of this review I’ll just try it on its own. I can only find a few reviews of the stuff online & it seems to get mediocre reviews for the most part, hopefully I don’t have another Taj Mahal on my hands.

Appearance (3/5): Crystal clear & a sort of pale orange straw colour that has a pinky sized, creamy head that is white & settles to a thickish lacing at the top of the beer & lasts for the beers duration. 3.5
Aroma (5/10): A sort of sweet smelling pale lager that consists of mainly straw and other adjuncts like vegetables. Not much going on this department really, there is a light hop light aroma in the background but other than that it’s a bland smelling beer.
Taste (6/10): Again really quite bland with corn and various adjuncts making up the bulk of the taste, of which there isn’t to much.Like the nose it is a mildly sweet beer and is light on the bitter in the finish which works in my book. The finish is however a little bit skunky, although not overly.
Palate (3/5): A very smooth, light bodied beer that goes easy on the carbonation and has a slightly dry finish to it.

Overall (9/20): Not a bad tasting lager really, but mainly because the flavour was so weak with this one. It was an okay drink really but not one that I’ll be buying again as you would get the same result from any semi-decent, mass-produced pale lager for a fraction of the price. I’ll be sticking to Cobra from my Indian style lagers in future.

Brewed In: Bedford, England
Brewery: Wells & Young’s
First Brewed: 2010
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (670ml)
Purchased: Tesco
Price: £2.25

I was a bit sceptical about buying this one when I seen that my local Tesco had begun stocking it as I have had this beer a few times in the past, mainly whilst I was in Hong Kong though. I remember it as being a fairly average beer & that the most interesting thing about it was that it was in bigger than usual 650ml can that seemed to be industrially reinforced & almost impossible to put a dent in. Another reason I almost never bought the beer was because of the rather extortionate price tag of £2.55 a can for thing pale lager; that being said it obviously wasn’t that expensive because when I returned to the same store a few days later there stock of approximately 50 cans was gone. Branded as Sapporo Draft Beer in Japan & Europe but known as Sapporo Premium Beer in North America, the can I purchased simply said ‘Sapporo Imported’ on the side but it is the same beer none the less. This was always a beer that I could drink without any problem but I’m anxious to see how it rates now that my palate is presumably more sophisticated. Lets find out.

Appearance (3/5): Settles to a bright amber colour that is almost orange in places & forms a two-finger sized, bubbly white head that is reduced to a thick, bubbly lacing after about a minute or so. The beer has good clarity & a few bubbles rising to the surface too.
Aroma (5/10): A semi-sweet aroma that has a lot of corn & rice upfront for the adjuncts and is followed by some malts and hops but these are subdued. Not a lot to comment on really & grain is by far the most dominating of the smells present.
Taste (6/10): Not to bad in all honesty, for what it is anyway. The grain from the smell is nowhere near as strong in the taste & the rice isn’t that apparent either. There is a nice grassy hop flavour & some mild malts, as well some light citrus. Better than the smell led me to believe & quite well balanced.
Palate (4/5): Light in body & very smooth to drink, this one has high carbonation but doesn’t seem too gassy. There is a nice, crisp & dry finish to it; it is rather refreshing as well.

Overall (12/20): A pretty solid performance here from what is essentially a mass-market pale lager. I’ve not really taken into consideration the price for this rating but at £2.55 for a 650ml it is very overpriced in my book; it was good just not £2.55 good. Not a beer I’ll be buying again at that price but certainly one that I enjoyed & that tasted better than I thought I’d find it this time around.

Brewed In: Tokyo, Japan
Brewery: Sapporo Breweries
Name in North America: Sapporo Premium Beer
First Brewed: Brewery from 1876
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Can (650ml)
Purchased: Tesco
Price: £2.55

Brewed using 100% malts, this beer is completely different from the domestic version which is brewed with rice & is much stronger at 6.4% ABV. This one is closer to the draught variety that is sold in Thailand & is a beer I have only had a few times in the past, & a beer that I turned my back on after the disappointment of the last time I tried it around six months ago. I decided to give it another chance since my local Tesco started to stock it again & it was about the only beer in their international range that I had yet to review on this blog, turns out it wasn’t the worst decision I’ve ever made.

Appearance (3/5): Pours a yellow/pale straw colour with a large, three-finger sized, foamy white head that slowly begins to reduce in size over the next few minutes to leave just under a finger sized cap. The actual beer is quite clear but there is tonnes of bubbles showing through, suggesting high carbonation.
Aroma (5/10): Quite yeasty & skunky on the nose with a little bit of grain & some citrus hops thrown in for good measure. Not much going on in this department really, just an average smelling pale lager.
Taste (7/10): Light tasting & quite sweet with the flavour being made up of mostly corn & other adjuncts. This  is coupled with a pleasant grassy hops taste & a bit of honey. It’s not great but it does the job.
Palate (3/5): Really thin bodied & very smooth, almost watery. The carbonation is quite high as well but overall it’s not bad on the  palate & it is easy enough to drink.

Overall (13/20): The export version of Chang makes for an excellent session beer & one that I am fan of again, having been put off of it the last time I tried it about six months ago. It’s not setting the world alight or anything & I still don’t think it is as good as the stronger domestic variety (as I remember it anyway) but it is still a solid, mass-produced pale lager that I wouldn’t have a problem trying again.

Brewed In: Ayutthaya, Thailand
Brewery: Thai Beverage Plc. (Cosmos Brewery Co.)
First Brewed: 1995
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (640ml)
Purchased: Tesco
Price: £1.99

More commonly known as Ayinger Bräu Hell, I’ll go by the Lager Hell title since that’s what was printed on the bottle I purchased at Memmingen airport on my way home from Munich a few months ago. It’s taken me this long to get round to trying it because I was saving it but now with the freshness date creeping up I felt like now would be as good a time as any to start working my way through the three different Ayinger brand beers I brought back with me. This beer was a gold medal winner at the German Agricultural Society international competition in 2001 as well as from 2003-05 despite not being one of the breweries main beers. It’s not a beer I managed to try whilst in Germany so this will be a first taste of the beer for me although I did manage to sample Ayinger’s hefeweizen offering whilst there. Since the brewery lies 25km outside of Munich it’s beers are excluded from Oktoberfest & the brewery holds its own beer festivals in the Bavarian countryside each year. Another thing to note is that only around 10% of the companies beers are brewed for export & mainly to Italy with only a few making it to North America & the rest of Europe so it’s not a beer I’m likely to come across all that often, better enjoy it while I still can.

Appearance (4/5): Pours a light, bright golden colour with so much bubbles that the beer looks cloudy as a result. There is a massive bright white head that is quite foamy & leaves a lot of lacing on the glass as a result of this. The head retention is excellent with very little reducing in size apparent. Very nice looking indeed, especially for what is essentially a pale lager.
Aroma (5/10): To be honest, not as good as I have come to expect from German beers although still not as bad as the mass-produced American & British lagers. Upfront there is a sort of skunky metallic aroma that is fighting for position along with a lot a grain. There is also some subtle grassy hops & some malts but grain seems to feature the most. A disappointment really.
Taste (6/10): Sadly, like a lot of beers this one matches the smell quite closely with lots of grain featuring in the taste as well. There is some grassy hops & the addition of a sweet sort of lemony taste to it that isn’t in the smell but other than that it is like for like.
Palate (3/5): The body is light to medium & the beer has an overall fluffy feel to it that is different to most beers out there. Not so much great but certainly different & enjoyable enough. There is also plenty of carbonation without being overly gassy which is always nice.

Overall (11/20): I’m rather disappointed in this one really, I think I managed to build it up to much in my head before trying it & ultimately I was going to be disappointed. Hopefully the next two beers from the brewery I will be reviewing soon will be better as I’m sure they will considering the reputation of the brewery. Not a bad beer, just bad by German standards.

Brewed In: Aying, Bavaria, Germany
Brewery: Brauerei Aying
Also Known As: Ayinger Bräu Hell / Ayinger Hell
Type: Munich Helles Lager
Abv: 4.9%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Allgäu Airport, Memmingen, Germany
Price: €1.40 approx. / £1.18 approx.

Rating: 2.3

Continuing with the Australian theme whilst in Walkabout the other night, I opted to try another new beer; this time a Tooheys New which I had never previously heard of. Due to the fact it was on sale in Walkabout I was guessing it would be a standard pale lager but I thought I’d try it anyway & hope for the best. Originally brewed in 1930 and marketed in bottles & cans as Tooheys Draught until 1998 when it was changed to Tooheys New for consistency with the on-tap version. This is the most popular of the beers on the Tooheys range (approximately six beer), it can be found on-tap at almost any bar in New South Wales. Going into this one my only hope was that I would be able to finish it without too much of a struggle since the two previously rate Australian beers on this blog, Fosters & VB were. Turns out this one was as well.

Appearance (3/5): A dark gold to light amber colour that forms a fluffy white head about a finger & a half width high. There is good retention with the head staying until about the half way point as I drank the beer. The beer itself has good clairty with a few bubbles rising to the surface & the look is a bout average overall for the style.
Aroma (5/10): Pretty bland other than a few hints a sweetness, the pain aroma coming from this are grain & corn along with some hops. Overall the smell is pretty boring & bland although its not terrible.
Taste (4/10): A pretty skunky, mass-produced, bland tasting beer really & not one that I enjoyed the taste of at all. Other than some corn, bread and some syrup there wasn’t much else of note coming forward in this beer. It had a mild bitter finish that wasn’t all bad but it was just to boring & bland, not to mention far to skunky.
Palate (2/5): A very light bodied, almost water like beer that despite being so watery was in no way refreshing. It did have a sort of crisp, dry finish but this didn’t help the blandness of the drink at all.

Overall (8/20): A poor example of a mass-produced, cheap (although not when I bought it) pale lager that I’ll be passing up if I ever come across it again. The taste was far too skunky and the bitter in the finish, although not terrible wasn’t good either. This one was a struggle to finish & if not for the blandness of it I probably wouldn’t have. Australian lager has a lot to answer for, surely there is better out there to be had….there has to be!

Brewed In: Lidcombe, Australia
Brewery: Tooheys Brewing
First Brewed: 1930
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.6%
Serving: Bottle (375ml)
Purchased: Walkabout, Glasgow, Scotland
Price: £3.60

Rating: 2.3

Victoria Bitter, or as it is commonly known VB, is probably Australia’s most iconic beer and for the last twenty odd years has been the best-selling beer in the country, currently accounting the highest market share of any beer either on-tap or in bottles (“stubbies”) & cans (“tinnies”). The beer sells twice as many units as any other full strength beer & is the only Australian beer brand that is one of the top 3 selling beers in every Australian state. Brewed in Melbourne since the 1890’s the beer reduced it’s ABV from 4.8% to 4.6% in 2009 to put it in line with almost every other major Australian lager. The beer is exported to New Zealand & the UK as well as Bali in Indonesia and is also available to a limited extent in various other countries around the world. It is a beer I have been looking to try for a while, mainly due to its iconic status in Australia if for no other reason since it’s not a beer I’m expecting to be anything special sadly.

Appearance (3/5): A sort of pale lightish amber colour that is pale yellow in places and has tonnes of bubbles visible through the clear liquid of the beer. A finger sized, very bubbly white head is formed to cap the beer and it has slighty better than average retention of the style, with the head lasting about three or four minutes before settling to a thin, surface covering lacing.
Aroma (5/10): Very much like your standard pale lager but with a slightly stronger aroma than usual. I could detect some mild grassy hops in the background but for the most part the smell consisted of a lot of corn, plenty of grain & perhaps the slightest hint of some citrus. There is a skunky aroma in the background too, this is nothing more than an average smelling pale lager.
Taste (4/10): This one is again very much like a run of the mill pale lager & matches the nose in that respect with lots of grain & corn along with all the usual cheap adjuncts giving it a sweet taste that is quite skunky towards the end of each mouthful. A poor excuse for a beer really with an overly bitter finish for the style.
Palate (2/5): Very light bodied and strongly carbonated, the only good thing that can be said about the palate is that it is crisp although it’s certainly not refreshing; if anything it is a little dry in the finish. 2.5

Overall (8/20): To summarise, this was a very poor beer although I’m not sure I was expecting anything else from it really. I felt it was over carbonated, too skunky and too bitter in the finish. I couldn’t really find anything good about this beer but at the same time nothing stood out as being terrible, just bad overall although still drinkable if only just.

Brewed In: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Brewery: Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
Full Name: Victoria Bitter
First Brewed: Circa. 1890
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.6%
Serving: Bottle (375ml)
Purchased: Walkabout, Glasgow, Scotland
Price: £3.65

A trip back to Germany here is a bottle of Hacker-Pschorr Pils, this is a beer I noticed a good few times whilst in Munich as you might expect seeing as it is brewed there, although it’s not a beer I ever got round to trying until now. I picked up a bottle the other week on my first trip to The Cave bottle shop in Glasgow’s West End area were I was pleased to find a pretty good selection of international, harder to get beers; many of them German. At £2.99 a bottle it wasn’t exactly the cheapest bottle of beer I’ve ever bought (especially for a pilsener) although it is something I’m not going to find in Tesco or Asda so I’ll not complain too much. This will be the third Hacker-Pschorr beer I will have tried & it is one I’m looking forward to after the dunkel & dunkelweizen offering from the brewery went down so well; hopefully it will be the same for this one.

Appearance (3/5): Pours a bright golden colour that is crystal clear with only a few bubbles rising to the surface. The head is a large, two-finger sized one that is bubbly in texture & white in colour however it fades almost instantly to leave a patchy, soap like lacing around the top of the beer.
Aroma (6/10): About what you would expect from an typical German pilsener although not a strong smelling as others I have tried. There is some nice grassy hops & a nice herbal aroma too it. There is some background grain notes although nothing off putting really & some corn too; about average here.
Taste (8/10): A nice tasting pils that gets better with each sip that I take. The taste is made up from just the right mix of corn, grain & grassy hops giving it a sweet taste overall that is very appealing & goes down great. I’m impressed with how this tastes.
Palate (4/5): A very smooth beer with good carbonation & a nice crisp, refreshing finish. A very nice beer on the palate from this light to medium bodied beer.

Overall (16/20): A. wonderful example of a good, very well balanced pilsener. The aroma was a little light on the nose but other than that this one is an almost perfect example of the style that is very drinkable & would be a great session beer; I just wish I had more than one.

Brewed In: Munich, Germany
Brewery: Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH (Paulaner Brauerei)
First Brewed: Brewery from 1417
Full Name: Hacker-Pschorr Braumeister Feinherbes Pils
Type: Classic German Pilsener
Abv: 4.9%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: The Cave Bottle Shop (Glasgow)
Price: £2.99

Rating: 2.5

Hand delivered as a gift from Turkey & initially a beer that I didn’t hold out much hopes for although it is always nice to try something new; however my opinion was alerted slightly after I rated Tuborg Gold here (which was a gift at the same time) & thoroughly enjoyed that one. This one is a beer I have been meaning to drink for about the last month & for one reason or another never got round to it. As previously mentioned on here, Efes is the fifth largest brewer in Europe & currently has around an 82% market share of the beer market in Turkey. They also export to over 50 markets worldwide as well as being sold by the Wetherspoons pub chain in the UK, although only there flagship Efes Pilsen seem to be available here.

Appearance (4/5): Very light golden straw coloured with excellent clarity & a two-finger sized bright, white head that has better than expected retention. The head stays for well over a minute before very slowly reducing in size to leave a finger sized, foamy head which leaves some lacing on the glass as the beer is drank. The only slightly negative aspect is the massive amount of visible carbonation but this is a minor fault in my book. The look was a very pleasant surprise, lets hope the smell & taste is too.
Aroma (4/10): The first thing that hits me with this beer is the overall skunky aroma it gives off, along with tonnes of grain & other cheap adjuncts which is quite off-putting.  There is some nice grassy hops mixed in somewhere in the middle with a sort of metallic smell as well but the grain dominates. Sort of what I was expecting, a cheap imitation of a classic pilsener; not a great smell.
Taste (5/10): Quite sweet and malty tasting with a fair bit of hops threw in as well. As expected from the massive grain presence from the nose, the taste is made up from a lot of the stuff as well as a large amount of corn. Not great tasting at all although still drinkable, just not too enjoyable.
Palate (2/5): Light bodied with bucket loads of carbonation & a real gassy feel to it as a result. Sort of watery with an aftertaste that is quite dry & chalky, this probably isn’t a beer I’ll have again.

Overall (8/20): A very poor excuse for a beer with the exception of the appearance which was a lot better than one would have expected from a beer of this variety. Lacking in both taste & smell & with very little in the way of positive feedback this is not a beer I will be trying again. One to avoid unless you’ve tried everything else on offer, and even this it probably isn’t worth your while.

Brewed In: Istanbul, Turkey
Brewery: Anadolu Efes
Full Name: Efes Pilsen Fici/Draft
Type: German Pilsener (Pale Lager)
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Turkey
Price: Gift

Not a lager that I had heard of before so it was a pleasant surprise to see something different on-tap when I was out recently, Vedett is a pilsener that is brewed by Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat who the brewery also responsible for one of my all-time favourite beers; Duvel. Originally brewed back in 1945, it was relaunched in 2003 as an upmarket, luxury beer aimed at younger drinkers in up-scale bars which would explain why I had never heard of it before. I’m not sure what I was expecting before drinking this although given the price (£4 a pint) I expected it to be something a little more special. To be honest with you it’s not a beer I will be likely to have again although it was a grade above many of the other mass-produced pale lagers you would usually find in any given pub, it was just too expensive for what it was. If it was cheaper & my options where limited then I would be inclined to give it another go but as it stands I’ll just stick to Duvel for the time being.

Appearance (3/5): A golden blond colour that is pretty clear & forms a tiny white, bubbly head that settles to a soapy lacing almost instantly.
Aroma (6/10): Overall this was a sweet smelling lager that had a lot of corn and bread on the nose. There is a faint background smell of barely that is coupled with a slight skunky aroma. A pretty average smell pint to be honest.
Taste (6/10): Very much like a standard pale lager although sweeter than usual & quite well balanced. There is a sweet syrupy & grassy hops taste that helps it go down well but it’s not that complex a lager and again only comes out as average again I’m afraid.
Palate (3/5): A smooth feeling lager that is on the light side of medium bodied with a very slightly warm feel to it.

Overall (11/20): As previously mentioned this is a very average beer that is overpriced at £4 a pint, not a patch on the flagship beer from the brewery Duvel. Quite sweet and very well balanced overall but without anything to make it stick out. Not one I would have again unless the price was considerably less.

Brewed In: Breendonk-Puurs, Belgium
Brewery: Brouwerij Duvel Moortgat
First Brewed: 1945
Full Name: Vedett Extra Blond
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.2%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: The Living Room, Glasgow, Scotland
Price: £4.00

Rating: 2.85

My first Czech beer in a while now and another from Pivovar Staropramen, Vratislav is a beer that is back in stock at Tesco supermarkets in the UK after an absence of a few years, and at less than a pound for a 500ml bottle it wasn’t one I was going to pass on the opportunity of trying for myself. Judging by the bottle suspect this will be a slightly below average Czech lager that will more than likely be a one time thing for me (this is backed up by the price) but I could be wrong, I just hope it is drinkable. The only thing it has in it’s favour before me trying it is that the last beer from the brewery I tried, Staropramen itself, turned out to be a pretty good pilsener & is one that I occasionally go back to when it is on offer. Let’s just see how the two beers hold up against each other then.

Appearance (4/5): A very nice looking lager that pours a bright golden amber colour & forms a two finger sized, white head with a bubbly texture. Overall the head retention is good, especially for a lager, reducing to a thick lacing after a minute or two & leaving a little lacing on the glass too.
Aroma (5/10): Not much different from a standard pale lager with a rather faint smell overall, perhaps slightly more hoppy but for the most part the smell consists of a grain and other adjuncts such as corn & bread. There is also an overall skunky smell that isn’t too pleasant.
Taste (5/10): Much like the aroma & equally disappointing with the majority of the taste composing of bread & corn, it is slightly sweet tasting but contains too much grain. There is a mild bitter finish but like the smell it is a skunky one.
Palate (3/5): The beer is pretty smooth and as you would expect for a pale lager with good drinkability. It is light bodied and a crisp, dry finish.

Overall (9/20): This one was straight down the middle in most categories & comes out as a slightly below average pale lager with not much going for it other than the price. The smell and taste where both weak & poor with only the appearance of the beer helping slightly. This was the first & will no doubt be the last time I drink this beer, it certainly wasn’t a memorable one.

Brewed In: Prague, Czech Republic
Brewery: Pivovar Staropramen
Full Name: Vratislav Premium
Type: Czech Pilsner (Pale Lager)
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Tesco
Price: £0.99

Rating: 2.05

Corona Extra, or Corona as it is more commonly known, is a beer that most of you will have no doubt tried at some point in the past as it has become increasingly popular in the past few years in North America, Australia & here in the UK as well. It is currently the best selling imported beer in the United States and is commonly served with a wedge of lime inserted into the bottles neck. Despite the beers popularity, it is not one that I am particularly fond of although it does make for easy drinking & is available almost everywhere you go in the UK. It will be the second Mexican beer I have reviewed here, the other being Sol which is very similar to Corona in a few ways, most notably that they are most mass-produced, poor-quality pale lagers that need the addition of a wedge of lime to make up for the lack of flavour in them. I’m just hoping the next Mexican beer I get to try is a little better as the country does have seven entries in the 1001 Beers list after all so they can’t all be bad.

Appearance (2/5): Pours a golden straw colour and forms a tiny, bubbly white head that disappears almost as quickly as it is formed. The beer is crystal clear & settles to leave almost no trace of the head other than a couple of bubbles around the rim of the glass.
Aroma (4/10): All the regulars here for a mass market adjunct lager with corn and grain being the most pronounced. The beer almost smells watery & is very weak on the nose overall although there is nothing terrible smelling to be found.
Taste (4/10): Hardly any taste at all from this beer other than the adjuncts from the nose, again notably the grain & corn. There is a faint lemon taste towards the end but this is masked in large parts but the watery flavour the beer has. Like the nose it isn’t that the beer tastes bad, it’s that it simply lacks flavour.
Palate (2/5): Very light bodied with tonnes of carbonation & an overall gas like feel to the beer. It is easy enough to drink, probably because it is so watery.

Overall (9/20): This isn’t a beer you want to be drinking all that often despite it’s seemingly ever-increasing popularity over recent years, it lacks both smell and taste with water featuring too heavily in both areas. If you have to drink it then make sure it is cold, straight from the bottle & add a wedge of lime if possible.

Brewed In: Mexico City, Mexico
Brewery: Grupo Modelo
First Brewed: 1925
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.6%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: Home Bargains
Price: £0.69

Time for my first ever Russia beer now, that I’m aware of anyway, and hopefully it will be a good one since it is made by Baltika Breweries who have two beers in the 1001 beers list although sadly not this one. Quite a lot of the St. Petersburg breweries beers & all in their Baltika line follow a numbering convention with number 4 & number 6 featuring in the 1001 beers list. It is noted for being a “light, aromatic beer with a most refined flavour” and is said to possess a “unique taste and the subtlest aroma”. I purchased this beer a few months ago & have decided to drink it now to hopefully follow-up the review of one good pale lager with another so I am hoping that this one doesn’t disappoint like so many pale lagers before it. It is also worth noting that this will be the first Dortmunder or Export Lager that I will have tried as well.

Appearance (4/5): A very light golden colour that borders on straw & is crystal clear. Plenty of bubbles are rising to the surface indicating strong carbonation and there is a beautiful bright white colours foamy head that is two-fingers width in size & settles very slowly indeed. There is even some lacing on the glass,  an excellent start.
Aroma (5/10): Very light on the nose with some sweet grassy hops and malts being the most noticeable. There is some corn, bread and faint hints of grain as well but all of this is quite hard to detect. To be honest the smell could use some strengthening but it isn’t a bad-smelling beer by any means.
Taste (6/10): An almost exact match for the aroma with sweet malts & some grassy hops dominating again. There is a like grain taste as well & the finish is low on bitterness. If anything the taste could have been more complex.
Palate (2/5): This is quite a light bodied beer & not far off being too watery in my opinion. Carbonation is low to medium but it goes down well enough, it could have been more full-bodied though.

Overall (12/20): An excellent looking beer that slightly lets itself down by being too weak on both the nose & flavour. It is an easy drinking session beer that I probably won’t look out for again. I would drink it but only if my other options were limited, it lacks complexity & feels slightly watery & weak.

Brewed In: St. Petersburg, Russia
Brewery: Baltika Breweries
First Brewed: 1994
Full Name: Baltika 7 Eksportnoe (Export)
Type: Dortmunder/Export Lager (Pale Lager)
Abv: 5.5%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Sainsbury’s
Price: £2.09

Rating: 3.4

This beer was recieved as a gift from someone on holiday in Turkey recently and initially it was a beer I wasn’t particulary looking forward to after how bad Tuborg Green was. After further research I noticed that this version is actually made Turk Tuborg, the Turkish arm of the Dannish brewery responsible for Tuborg Green. After sampling this beer I was very pleasantly surprised with it, it wasn’t excellent but it was a lot better than I was expecting & is a pretty good example of a solid, drinkable pale lager that would make a great session beer.

Appearance (4/5): Pours a better than expected golden straw colour that is pretty still looking. There is a pinky-sized, foamy white head at the top that has a lot better retention than usual for a pale lager & it lasts for a minute or two before settling to a soapy lacing around the top. A pleasant surprise here.
Aroma (6/10): Quite mild & creamy with a lot of bread & corn for the adjuncts with this beer. It is again a lot better than I would have expected, mainly based on how bad the Tuborg Green I reviewed here rated previously. There is some sweet malts present along with some mild grassy hops too. An above average smelling pale lager that doesn’t really have any bad points.
Taste (6/10): A huge amount of grassy hops upfront, mixed in with some sweet malts & nice combination of corn & bread that help this beer go down easily. It isn’t what you would call ‘bursting with flavour’ but it does have a solid taste & there is some nice citrous lemon flavours towards the end.
Palate (4/5): Light bodied without seeming watered down or weak, the beer has a slight fizz at the back end on the tongue & a pleasant bitterness to the finish that isn’t too strong either. Very smooth & refreshing with only the slightest hint of a dry finish.

Overall (12/20): This beer has been a huge surprise, it was a gift from someone returning from a recent holiday in Turkey & I was fully expecting it to be an almost exact copy of Tuborg Green but it is so much better than that. Definitely not the best pale lager in the world but at the same time it isn’t the worst & is certainly better than average. This is a beer that I can recommend & is one that I hope to drink again should I manage to come across it in the UK.

Brewed In: Izmir, Turkey
Brewery: Turk Tuborg Brewing & Malting
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Turkey
Price: Gift

Finally I am getting round to trying this one, San Miguel Pale Pilsen, after trying the Premium Lager offering from San Miguel back in December. I had been keeping my eyes peeled for this on recent shopping trips & has pleased to find it in a Glasgow Chinese Supermarket a few weeks back, imported straight from the Philippines. Back in December this was the version I thought I had tried as I was confused with the names, this one is occasionallly known as San Miguel Draft (not to be confused with San Miguel or San Miguel Premium lager, commonly found on-tap in the UK) or simply just San Miguel Beer. This one is a German type pilsener, currently the best selling beer in the Philippines & the companies flagship beer. Exported to over 40 countries & along with other San Miguel beers, accounting for around 90% of bottled beer sold in the country this really is a global brand. One downside of this one was that it cost £1.65 a bottle from the supermarket so lets hope it’s worth it.

Appearance (2/5): Very light golden in colour, bordering on straw with a pinky-sized bubbly, white head that lasts about thirty seconds before disappearing into a soapy lacing on the surface of the beer. The drink is crystal clear with a couple bubbles rising to the surface.
Aroma (4/10): The majority of the smell is made up from the corn with only hints of grain. It’s pretty light on the nose & quite sweet along with some vegetable adjuncts. It’s not bad smelling but at the same time it’s not pleasant either.
Taste (4/10): A very clean tasting beer that strikes me as being half way between a standard pale lager & a pilsener. There is some corn & sweet grain along with a little bread. The finish is bitter-sweet & every so slightly skunky.
Palate (1/5): Light bodied & quite gassy with a bit of fizz in there too. It has an grain like feel to it & the fizz stays with you a while after the sip.

Overall (7/20): Not a good beer at all & one that certainly doesn’t justify it’s price. Not one area of the beer that I actually enjoyed although the wasn’t unpleasant, just unadventurous & plain. Definitely not a beer I plan to drink again, the previously rated San Miguel Premium Lager is a much better drink in my opinion, however you be the judge.

Brewed In: Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Brewery: San Miguel Corporation
First Brewed: 1890
Type: Pale Lager / German Pilsener
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (320ml)
Purchased: Chung Ying Grocceries
Price: £1.65

Not an altogether new beer for me but at the same time not one I am overly familiar with, Cusqueña is a beer I have tried a few bottles of in the past when it was on special offer in a local supermarket. At the time (before I had began to try as many beers) it was one that I enjoy & could tell was better made than most of the other mass-produced American exports that lined the shelves next to this one. Hailing from Peru, this will be the first South American beer I will have reviewed & bar me finding a beer from Antarctica will be I have tried & rated at least one beer from each continent. Originally something of a Peruvian secret, the beer has since went global & was even served at the Live 8 concert in Edinburgh back in 2005 & the beer is becoming more of a common sight in supermarkets around the UK, although it still has some way to go.

Appearance (4/5): This is a pretty nice looking beer when poured from the bottle. It settles to a nice orangey amber colour that is quite light & clear. The beer is topped with a thick, foamy-white crown from a head that is dome shaped & about the thickness of a thumb. Impressive stuff for a pale lager.
Aroma (6/10): Quite a light smelling lager that has a mix of corn and bread with a little hint of syrup for good measure. Overall it is quite sweet & pleasant with only the slightest traces of corn.
Taste (5/10): A rather clean tasting beer that reflects the characteristics of the nose quite well with a sweet bread & corn aroma dominating. It is an average smelling beer that goes out only slightly better than your standard pale lager.
Palate (3/5): As expected this is a pretty smooth tasting beer that is light bodied but not in a watery sense like a lot of cheaper, pale lagers. The finish is quite crisp & refreshing with high drink-ability.

Overall (12/20): Overall this is an average beer that comes out better than most mass-produced pale lagers but still has a long way to go to be considered as standing out from the pack.It is very drinkable & goes down easily, ticking all the right boxes to be a good session beer. It is quite sweet though & this could be a downside if you do drink a few of them but it was still a decent effort.

Brewed In: Cuzco, Peru
Brewery: Compania Cervecera Del Sur Del Peru
First Brewed: 1908
Full Name: Cusqueña Premium Peruvian Beer
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 5.0%
Serving: Bottle (620ml)
Purchased: Sainsbury’s
Price: £1.93

Currently the number one selling beer in South Korea, having sold upwards of 20 billion bottles since its launch in May 1993, Hite beer currently has a market share of beer sales in South Korea of around 60%. The bottle also features a temperature checker that turns blue when the beer is ready to be drank. I was pleased to find this beer in a Chinese supermarket the other week as it’s not one I’ve came across before, although I don’t expect much from it really other than your standard Asian pale lager type beer. Maybe it will surprise me but I’ll be happy if I can just finish the two bottles I bought. The price wasn’t too bad either considering this beer isn’t exactly a common sight in the UK, which was a bonus in itself. Lets see how it rates.

Appearance (2/5): A very light, watery looking straw colour that is crystal clear & has the odd bubble appearing but not too many. It forms a finger sized, foamy head that quickly fades to leave a soapy lacing around the brim.
Aroma (4/10): Almost no distinct smell at first other than a general sweetness to it & the slightest hints of corn and other adjuncts. After a bit of effort you can also detect some grain and mildly skunky hops. It’s not a bad smell just a really weak, faint one.
Taste (5/10): A faint sweetness to the taste as well with some grassy hops in the background and a watered down adjunct corn taste. Again not a bad tasting beer, just a weak one.
Palate (2/5): The body of this one is very light, bordering on watery as the look led me to believe. It’s slightly chewy and has a mild, bitter hops in the finish and it was really quite as gassy beer.

Overall (8/20): A drinkable beer that is pretty weak and watered down, it reminds me of cheap lager that is usually served at Chinese or Indian restaurants across the UK. Weak and light on smell & taste, probably not one I’ll bother with again. The one thing it does have in its favour though is that it is so easy to drink but still not one I’d advise you to look too hard for.

Brewed In: Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, South Korea
Brewery: The Hite Brewery Company Ltd.
First Brewed: 1993
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.5%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: Chung Ying Grocceries
Price: £0.95

Now for the beer that pretty much started it all. Translated as “original source pilsener”, Pilsner Urquell was the first pilsener ever & the first lager beer that has been brewed, unchanged since 1842. Around 9 out of every 10 beers drank in the world are derived from this first pilsener. It is a beer I am quite familiar with having bought it from UK supermarkets a few times in the past as well as drinking a fair amount of it on a visit to Bratislava in Slovakia where it was almost as popular as the Slovakian brewed Zlatý Bažant 12%. According to the brewery the beer is known for its “golden colour and clarity” and has a stronger hop presence than most other pilsener. It is a beer that I have usually always enjoy other than on the odd occasion in Slovakia when I received what appeared to be a bad pint so I looking forward to review this one & seeing how it rates against other pilseners copying this original style.

Appearance (4/5): Golden amber & clear with plenty of visible bubbles rising in the glass. The beer forms as nice sized, bubbly white head that has pretty good retention & slowly subsides to leave a finger sized, foamy head.
Aroma (6/10): The aroma from this one is quite sweet & has lots of maltiness in the mix. Is is slightly skunky but nothing major to hinder it and this is followed up by some nice hops. It is about right for the style without being anything special.
Taste (7/10): Sweet with strong hints of grassy hops in the initial sip here, this is quickly followed up by a blend of bread and biscuit. Not the best tasting beer you’ll drink but very nice for a pilsener.
Palate (4/5): Very smooth the entire way through this drink and the carbonation is good too, it feels excellent to drink and goes down a treat.

Overall (13/20): What can I say? Well the original is usually the best and well that saying isn’t exactly true in this case it’s not too far away really. A solid pilsener that I will no doubt go back to time & again; it’s not anything brilliant but it tastes, feels & looks good and would hold its own against most pilseners out there.

Brewed In: Plzen, Czech Republic
Brewery: Plzensky Prazdroj (SABMiller)
First Brewed: 1842
Type: Bohemian Pilsner
Abv: 4.4%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Sainsbury’s
Price: £1.86

This beer is produced by Mythos Brewery, the second biggest brewery in Greece, since 1997. The brewery has been a subsidiary of Carlsberg since 2008 and is descended from Henninger Hellas of Germany, having previously been a local distributor for their beers. Renamed as the Northern Greece Brewery in 1994 & then again as the Mythos Brewery in 2001. Mythos Lager won an award at the 2001 Interbeer International Beer & Wiskey Competition & has widespread distribution in Europe, North America & Australia.

Appearance (3/5): A clear, light golden colour with a nice big, two-finger sized white head that is pretty foamy although it does start to dissipate rather quickly reducing in size until a thin lacing is all that remains. There is plenty of evidence of carbonation with tonnes of bubbles visible.
Aroma (4/10): Not very pleasant smelling with corn, grain & other adjuncts dominating the nose. The smell is quite strong and skunk like, bordering on aggressive. Not a good smelling beer & although the smell subsides slightly as you drink more.
Taste (5/10): It tastes better than it smells but still falls short by some distance. The beer tastes mainly of adjuncts like grain and corn with some malts and the faintest dry hop flavour towards the end. An improvement on the nose but still lacking.
Palate (2/5): Light, almost watery and as such quite smooth if a little dry in the finish. There is some bitter but not too much and the carbonation isn’t too bad though.

Overall (9/20): Not a very pleasant beer in any category really but despite that it was still a drinkable beer that went down without a struggle. That may have been down to me & my desire to drink more than it was the beer but still. It is okay for a standard pale lager but definitely not one I plan to buy again, especially considering the price & the fact several similar quality beers cost a fraction of the price, as do some better tasting ones too.

Brewed In: Sindos, Greece
Brewery: Mythos Breweries (Carlsberg)
First Brewed: 1997
Type: Pale/Premium Lager
Abv: 4.7%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Morrisons
Price: £1.65

Finally another African beer for me to review, only the second after Windhoek from Namibia. Tusker Lager from Kenya this time and despite appearing on the list of 1001 Beers featured on this blog I was sceptical about how this one would rate. Prior to trying the beer I wasn’t expecting much, primarily due to the rather plain looking label on the label featuring a silhouette of an elephant but also because it is a pale lager. To my surprise the beer was a good one, easily outscoring the only other African beer I have reviewed. I think the biggest thing that will stop me buying this beer again is the price, £1.79 for a 500ml bottle of pale lager is a little to steep in my opinion but you never know. If the price falls then this would be a beer that I would buy again even if there are better pale lagers out there, although not too many I have tried mind you.

Appearance (3/5): Pours a light, golden amber colour with a thin, soapy white head that is really no more than a thin lacing. Plenty of bubbles rising to the top & the beer is pretty clear. About what you would expect from a pale lager with not much to swing it either way.
Aroma (6/10): A light smelling beer that has all the usual adjunct notes to it including a little grain and corn. Quite standard for the style with minimal hops & an almost indistinct citrus aroma. Run of the mill but pleasant.
Taste (6/10): Quite sweet tasting with more hops than the nose suggested and a little grain again. A nice, mild bitter finish that rounds the beer off nicely. The beer is quite mild in taste and gives solid performance with regards to taste but not outstanding. 
Palate (4/5): Light bodied with excellent carbonation making a very refreshing & crisp lager that went down very nicely. The finish is quite dry but this has a great mouthfeel.

Overall (13/20): A lot better than I expected, this one justifies it’s place on the 1001 beers list. Not the greatest beer or even pale lager out there but still a solid, very good drink that one should definitely try. Tusker would be excellent on a warm summers day, or any time for that matter.

Brewed In: Nairobi, Kenya
Brewery: East African Breweries
First Brewed: 1922
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.2%
Serving: Bottle (500ml)
Purchased: Morrisons
Price: £1.79

Another Japanese beer here, the second in quick succession due to my recent visit to a local Chinese supermarket where more Japanese beers were on offer than Chinese. This brewery has its origins, as you would expect, in Sapporo but is now based in Tokyo & is one of the biggest breweries in Japan. It is a brand I am familiar with having tried the canned ‘Draft’ version of their brew a few times both at a local beer festival & whilst in Hong Kong, although most of the time I drank straight from the can. Upon purchasing this beer I initially thought I was buying the bottled version of the aforementioned Sapporo Draft which I remember enjoying, it was only before I went to drink it that I discovered this was the Premium Lager version which is mainly brewed in Europe for the European  at a slightly weaker 4.7% abv. so I’m not sure how it will compare. Sadly I expect it will be another sub-par pale lager like so many before it but we shall find out soon enough.

Appearance (2/5): A slightly darker than normal golden colour that is crystal clear & forms a very small, bubbly white head that quickly disappear to leave a soapy lacing around the top of the glass. Not many bubbles in the beer & it looks pretty still.
Aroma (3/10): Almost no smell at all to this one, it’s very clean indeed. After a bit of a struggle I can vaguely detect some grain & even fainter still, some grassy hops & rice.
Taste (5/10): A little more flavour than the nose indicated although not much, mainly grain & hops from the nose but stronger & a finish that is quite light on bitter. Not to impressive although not too bad either.
Palate (2/5): Sapporo is light bodied and has a slightly chewy feel to it, it could do with being a little smoother. There is a lot of carbonation & it has a tang to it although it is neither crisp or refreshing.

Overall (8/20): A pretty sorry excuse for a beer & not one that I’ll buy again. It wasn’t that it tasted bad, it’s just that it fell short in so many areas & really didn’t impress me. Drinkable but not really worth your while, I’d put this on a par with most of the mass-market pale lagers you can buy for a lot cheaper.

Brewed In: Tokyo, Japan
Brewery: Sapporo Breweries
First Brewed: Brewery from 1876
Type: Pale Lager
Abv: 4.7%
Serving: Bottle (330ml)
Purchased: Chinatown Groceries Glasgow
Price: £1.25