Tiger Beer

Brewed By: Singapore Brewery (Asia Pacific Breweries-Heineken) in Alexandra Point, Singapore 

Purchased: 500ml (16.9oz) CAN bought bought at Evolution Wine & Spirits in Chicago, IL; 2014 (2013 can?)

Style/ABV: Pale Lager, 5.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer was a random buy, motivated by that bad ass Tiger logo, and this elusive Tiger Beer glass that ISO. I've always wanted to try beer from Singapore -- okay, I'm just fucking with you. Are you surprised it's a Pale Lager? Meh.

As you can see, Tiger Beer is owned by "Singapore Brewery," who in turn is owned by "Asia Pacific Breweries," aka Heineken. Tiger Beer was launched in 1932, and became Singapore's first locally brewed beer. The beer's slogan is "It's Time for a Tiger," and has been in use since the 1930s. I think that slogan is pretty ridiculous. Aren't there actual, live tigers roaming around in Singapore? That's like someone living in California saying, "It's time for an earthquake." Or someone in the Midwest saying, "It's time for a tornado." Or someone in Australia saying, "It's time for a venomous frog, snake, spider, koala bear, lizard, plant, octopus, or kangaroo." 

Tiger Beer: that can is fucking awesome. Utilitarian too.

The beer pours into a prototypical transparent/clear, yellow body. The beer kicks up three to five fingers of head, depending on how aggressive you pour...and unlike some of the American counterparts, this beer actually has some head retention. It's kind of flattering and impressive to see the head sticking around for longer than four seconds. There's even some lacing. Bright light confirms the same shit. Transparent, yellow, fat carbonation bubbles, yada yada. 

Hmm..the aroma isn't as offensive as I was expecting. I'm getting lots of sweet cereal grain, a hint of biscuit, clean Lager yeast, and a little floral/grassy hop kick. The sweet cereal grains flirt with acetaldehyde/apple.

The taste follows through with the nose...this is simple stuff, but it's much more enjoyable than a lot of the crappy Pale Lagers you find rotting on shelves in the States. What is there to say? You get sweet cereal malts, sweet corn, hints of apple, and a hint of bready biscuit. There's a slightly hard mineral edge that adds some pop to the water, and probably adds to that hint of biscuit. There's some mild floral hops in the mix, with hints of grass. The Lager yeast is clean, with just a hint of Lager spice. It's not bad.

So yeah...this is the usual shit. Light-bodied, refreshing, clean, blah blah blah. There's no sulfur or skunking to be found here (thank you cans), and this isn't too sweet. You could probably kill a 4-pack of this in one evening, and this shit is dirt cheap. The 5.0% isn't a burden, and the slight biscuit character and mild grassy hops give the beer enough character to almost compete with a nice Pilsner. But not really. Sweet grains up front; more sweet grains and apples in the middle, with hints of biscuit; biscuit and Lager spice in the back. Average complexity, good palate, oh yeah.

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

Unlike the streak of hot women that Tiger Woods managed to bed, this beer is par the course, and totally pulling that Light Average vibe. It's not bad though. Single cans were selling for around $1.50, and I think a 4-pack was $8.00. That is...amazing. $8.00 for four 16.9oz cans? Hell yeah sign me up, I'm gonna pair this with pizza, pizza rolls, things that you microwave from the frozen aisle, Taco Bell for that wicked heartburn, and if you want to get all classy and shit, white pasta. Pale Lagers, the champagne of shitty beers. I can't not recommend this, I would buy this over Budweiser every time.

Random Thought: Fuck you eternal winter, fuck you.