(Mediocre)

Kronenbourg seem to make a few different versions of 1664 around the world, and at different strengths. I remember enjoying this on holiday in France, but tasting it for review was a bit of a disappointment. It is a classic pale gold colour with a slightly yeasty nose. There is a touch of sweetness on the palate that gives way to a sourish finish that leaves  a bit of a watery aftertaste. I couldn’t notice any of the nice hop notes you find in some well made lagers, as there is not much of any substance here. It is not unpleasant if well chilled and used as a summer quencher, but there are alot better pale lagers out there.

ABV: 5%

Best Served: 4°C

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Wrangler Rating:

(Recommended)

Hacker-Pschorr Münchener Gold is a golden-straw coloured Helles lager from the great brewing city of Munich. The light frothy head dissipates, leaving a little lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma has a pleasant light sweet malt note with a hint of the noble hops promised by the ‘edelhell’ tag on the bottom of the label. The body is light, crisp and refreshing, as a Helles should be, and feels very well balanced. The finish is subtly hoppy with a touch of sweet pale malt, and is supremely thirst-quenching. This is an ideal session beer to drink all afternoon on its own, or with delicately flavoured seafood. It won’t blow you away, but it does what a Helles lager is supposed to do – be easy drinking, pleasant and a good social lubricant!

ABV: 5.5%

Best Served: 5°C

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(Mediocre)

Saku Originaal is a beer from the Carlsberg stable of brands, but unusually this one hails from Estonia. It is a pale golden lager with a quickly disappearing head and a grainy aroma. The flavour is fairly light with a touch of pale malt. The finish is a bit sour with some minerally metallic notes, and maybe a suggestion of hops. One problem is that the aftertaste is not that pleasant, so the initial malty grain flavours are wiped out. All in all, this a decidedly average lager with not much to shout about.

ABV: 4.6%

Best Served: 4°C

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(Mediocre)

Fischer Tradition Bière Blonde is an attractive looking pale golden lager from Alsace in France on the border with Germany. This is a mildly flavoured beer with nothing strongly obvious on the palate. There are light sweet grainy notes which continue on to the finish, but no real hop presence. The carbonation is good for a session beer, as it is not too fizzy, like so many mass produced lagers. All in all, it is a drinkable lager but does nothing to stand out from the crowd.

ABV: 6%

Best Served: 5°C

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