No Sleep Till …: Brooklyn Lager

Originating in the Big Apple, this beer is New York’s hometown beer, first produced before the prohibition era. Today, it may not be as popular as some other American superbrands, but what it lacks in popularity, it makes up for in quality.

• Name: Brooklyn Lager
• Brewery: Brooklyn Brewery
• City: Brooklyn, New York
• Country: USA

This New Yorker pours with an almost completely clear amber color. There is a medium white head which has a quite good resistance. The smell is mild and sweet, with the addition of some caramel and a little yeast. The taste is not too strong, but still strong enough to let you know what you’re drinking. The taste is an interesting combination. Slighty sweet and fruity at first, followed by some yeatines and breadiness in the body (also some toasted feel), finishing with a nice hoppiness and bitterness.Makes a nice break from other typical lagers.

• Style: Amber Lager / Vienna
• ABV: 5,2%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 4 / 5
• Taste: 3,5 / 5
• Overall: 3,5 / 5

• Bottle: 3,5 / 5

Born in the USA: Miller Genuine Draft

Here is another famous American beer, although this one is much less known in our part of the globe than its fellows countrymen Bud and Coors. But I have to say that I prefer Miller to both of the other famous American lagers.

• Name: Miller Genuine Draft
• Brewery: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
• City: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Country: USA

The transparent bottle holds a clear and golden beer, which is topped with a medium white head when poured into a glass. The foamy and quite bubbly head settles down to a small ring around the edges quite quickly. The aroma is very familiar, although quite mild – there is some malt and some grains present. It smells like it should. The taste is similar to the aroma – mild, slightly watery, and grainy.

It is a nice and smooth beer, although to be completely fair it could use a bit more bitterness, especially in the finsih. But overall, a pretty delightful and refreshing. As the American big brands go, so far this is my favourite.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 4,7%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 4 / 5
• Taste: 3,5 / 5
• Overall: 3,5 / 5

• Bottle: 4,5 / 5

Whassup?!: Bud

Everybody knows Bud(weiser). It is one of the most popular and most advertised beers all around the world. It is named after the original Czech Budweiser, so in order not to be confused with it, it is named Bud in Europe, while original Budweiser is named Czechvar in the USA. Although not everybody likes it, there is no denying it has one of the best ads in the world. Do you still remember the Whassup? commercial?

• Name: Bud (Budweiser)
• Brewery: Anheuser-Busch InBev
• City: St. Louis, Missouri
• Country: USA

Bud pours out with a typical pale straw color which is topped with a small and not-lasting white head. The smell is very neutral and almost non-existant. All I can point out is a slight aroma of malts, and that is it. The taste is very light and watery, making Bud very easy to drink, but the downside is that there is little taste to offer. Only a slight presence of malts and some grains, without any hoppiness in the finish.

What to think of Bud then? It’s certainly not the best beer in the world, nor is it the worst of them. If you seek refreshment and don’t really care what it tastes like, then you have a perfect candidate here. But it does have some of the best beer commercials ever made, so in this aspect it really is “The King of Beers!”

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, rice, hops, yeast

• Slogan: “The King of Beers!”

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3,5 / 5
• Smell: 2 / 5
• Taste: 2,5 / 5
• Overall: 2,5 / 5

The Silver Bullet: Coors Light

Coors Light is one of the American beer brands that are extremelly heavily advertised, and because of that well known all around the world. But these beers are often also ridiculed because of their “poor” quality, and are often even compared to “piss”.

• Name: Coors Light
• Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
• City: Golden, Colorado
• Country: USA

So, what do I think? Well, Coor Light definitely looks like a typical lager with its golden color and white head. But there is great difference in smell, which is much more neutral, almost non-existant. The taste only follows the smell, and is therefore quite light (that’s why it is a light beer) and sweet. Because it is quite watery, it is very easy to drink and it is also quite refreshing. As the light beers go, Coors Light is definitely among the best of them, but as the beers in general go, Coors Light is……. not really there.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 4,5%
• Ingredients: water, barley, sugar, hops, wheat, hops extract

• Slogan: “The World’s Most Refreshing Beer!”

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3,5 / 5
• Smell: 2 / 5
• Taste: 3 / 5
• Overall: 2,5 / 5