Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

Lagers

Bottoms Up!

Pale Lagers

Pale lagers are the standard international beer style as personified by products from Miller to Heineken. This style is the generic spin-off of the pilsner style. Pale lagers are generally light- to medium-bodied with a light-to-medium hop impression and a clean, crisp malt character. Quality, from a flavor point of view, is very variable within this style and many examples use a proportion of non-malt additives such as rice or corn. Alcohol content is typically between 3.5-5 percent ABV, with the upper end of the range being preferable if one is to get a true lager mouthfeel.

Interpreting the 100-point Scale

Consumers can translate the point score to the following quality bands:

Point Range Quality Band
96-100 points Platinum
90-95 points Gold
85-90 points Silver
80-84 points Bronze
Less than 80 Not Recommended
Legend
  • = Brewpub
  • ABV = Alcohol by volume
  • Date denotes the date on which the beer was tasted

93 Ekstra Pale Lager, Alivaria (Belarus). 4.5% ABV (11/07)

Rich old gold color. Wet bread dough and light honeyed lemon peel aromas follow through to a crisp frothy and dryish medium body with a nice honeyed nut, grain and marmalade fade. Tasty.

91 Singha Beer, Boon Rawd Brewery Co. (Thailand). 6% ABV (11/07)

Bright golden color. Fresh sourdough bread and dried lemon and faint coconut milk aromas. A frothy, zippy entry leads to a dryish light-to-medium body of honeyed lemon, rye toast and straw flavors. Finishes in a long, very refreshing citrus zest and praline fade with balanced bittering hops. A super quaffer.

91 McHenry Premium Lager, Clipper City Brewing Co. (MD). 4.6% ABV (10/07)

Golden amber color. Honey, orange marmalade, lemon poppy seed muffin aromas follow through to a round, dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body and a fruity sweet, tangy golden raisin and honey fade with slight dough and nuts notes. Very tasty.

91 Lager, Brewery Warka (Poland). 7% ABV (10/07)

Pale amber color. Charred nut, butter toffee and tree bark aromas follow through to a round dry-yet-fruity medium body with date and powdered sugar and cocoa dusted fig accents. Finishes with a milk chocolate-covered raisin and nut fade with a hint of mocha. Not a pale lager, but very nice.

91 Imperial Lager, Lion Brewery Ceylon PLC (Sri Lanka). 8.8% ABV (11/08)

Pale golden amber color. Grilled mango, orange blossom honey and Hawaiian bread toast aromas follow through on a very supple and round entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium-full body with honey yogurt, apple and pepper notes. Finishes with a long, warming honey granola fade. Big and tasty; pair with mighty curries.

90 Chang Beer, Cosmos Brewery Co., Ltd. (Thailand). 5% ABV (11/08)

Bright golden color. Honeyed raisin toast aromas with a hint of lychee follow through on a crisp, smooth entry to a dryish medium body with a hint of apple, nut and a solid roasted grain character. Finishes with a crisp, balanced earthy hop and pizza dough fade. A very nice food beer.

89 Island Lager, Granville Island Brewing Co. (Canada). 5% ABV (11/06)

Old gold color. Honeyed golden raisin toast aromas. A round entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium body of golden raisin, honeyed wheat bread, gravel and orange marmalade flavors. Finishes with a lovely fade of dried fruit, nuts and delicate spice.

89 Guera, Tijuana TJ (Mexico). (11/07)

Rich golden color. Buttered nut toast, cheddar popcorn, with apricot jam aromas follow through to a very frothy and soft, dryish medium body with delicate lemon rind and talc notes and a very crisp, mildly astringent snappy hop fade. Subtle, refreshing and elegant.

89 Golden Pheasant Lager, Heineken Slovensko (Slovakia). 5% ABV (11/08)

Old gold color. Buttered raisin toast, and delicate citrus and spice aromas follow through on a round entry to a dryish medium body with mild creamed corn notes. Finishes with a crisp, savory butter toasted nut and orange spice tea fade. Refreshing.

88 Timisoreana Lager, Ursus Breweries (Romania). 5% ABV (10/08)

Pure golden color with a foamy white head. Honey drizzled nut, melon rind and toasted Hawaiian bread aromas follow through on soft, silky entry to a dryish light-to-medium body with clay and almond skin accents. Finishes with a light bread dough and lemon soufflé fade. A pleasant, light-styled quaffer.

88 Pure Brewed Lager, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery (England). 5% ABV (10/08)

Deep golden color. Cocoa dusted nuts, toasted raisin bread and custard aromas follow through on a soft, smooth entry to a dryish medium body with nice soft, biscuit and citrus rind accents. Finishes with a mild earthy hop and pepper fade.

88 Original Draught, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (Canada). 5% ABV (11/06)

Golden amber color. Dark rye toast and orange marmalade aromas. A round, frothy entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium body of caramel, rye and candied orange peel flavors. Finishes with a marmalade, toast and mineral fade.

88 Moretti Lager, Birra Moretti (Italy). 4.6% ABV (11/08)

Pale golden yellow color. Mild aromas of light rye toast and cracker and egg white soufflé follow through on soft, but crisp entry to a dryish light-to-medium body with excellent grainy bread and earth hop flavors with a touch of butter and dried fruit on the finish. An excellent food beer.

88 Michelob Lager, Michelob Brewing Co. (MO). 5% ABV (10/08)

Deep golden color. Mild peach custard pastry aromas have a toasty edge and follow through on a soft, supple entry to a dryish medium body with toasted nut bread and savory grilled citrus and root vegetable notes. Finishes with a very clean, honeyed nut and candied citrus peel fade. A refreshing and balanced quaffer or food beer.

88 Longboard Island Lager, Kona Brewing Co. (HI). 5.6% ABV (11/08)

Bright golden color. Baked citrus, buttered toast, straw aromas follow through on a round, crisp entry to a dryish medium body nice integration toast, raisin, citrus and earth flavors. Finishes with a long refreshing wave of flavor. A nice, summer chill-out beer.

◄ Previous1|2|3|4 Single Page

Add Your Comments