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.

Bud Light Lime Straw-Ber-Rita

Radioactive excellence. Smells like salty strawberries and maragarita, and tastes like sugar, fake Kool-Aid and strawberry sweetness, and finishes with a salty margarita finish. Will make easy girls even more easy at DMB and Jack Johnson concerts. Legit. Just watch out for that pounding sucrose hangover. 2.5/5.0 Untappd, would get rapey again. 

 

U Jelly? So Jelly. 

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Brewed By: Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 12-pack that was gifted to me; not sure where it was purchased (possibly Oh hi, Oh!); 2012
Style/ABV: Pale Lager, 4.4%, 4.9%? Who knows.

Reported IBUs: ?

WIKKKKKIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEDOOOOOO

A review of Yuengling Traditional Lager? Why? Because....it's Tuesday, and I was getting that itch. For...Shitty Beer Tuesday! Except, I don't know if it's fair to throw Yuengling Brewery into the ring. According to Wikpezza, Yuengling is tied with the Boston Beer Company as the largest American-owned brewery. Oh, and Yuengling is America's oldest brewery. According to Wiiiiipedia, it's pronounced "Ying-Ling. That's German for "young man," and not Chinese import for "shitty to average beer." Oh, and their logo is an Eagle. According to WIIIIIZZZZZZARRDPEDIA.

I usually do the history on the breweries, but Wiki-wiki-stylie has a pretty decent breakdown. But so does the Yuengling website. I guess the story starts with David G. Yuengling, who immigrated from Wurttenberg, Germany to live in the coal-mining town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1829, David decided to open the Eagle Brewery, only to see it burned down by a fire two years later. David decided to build a new brewery, and in 1873 the brewery changed its name to D.G. Yuengling & Son to commemorate the partnership between David and his son, Frederick. The next 20 years were a bit of a drag; in 1877 David Yuengling died, and in 1899 Frederick Yuengling died. The brewery was then passed on  to Frederick's son, Frank. During prohibition, the brewery survived by selling "near beer," or according to HARRRY UR A WIZZZZZARRRRD, low-alcohol beer. Following the passing of Frank D. Yuengling in 1963, the brewery was survived by Richard L. and F. Dohrman. In 1985, Richard L. Yuengling Jr. purchased the company and became the president, and during the 1990s and early 2000s, the brewery saw massive expansion. In 2010, Yuengling surpassed 2 million barrels. Yuengling continues to grow, and is one of America's most popular breweries. For more info, check out the Yuengling history page, or go to WIKIKIKIKIKI.

Yuengling makes a number of beers, but their flagship is definitely their Traditional Lager. The Yuengling website has this to say about their Traditional Lager: "famous for its rich amber color and medium-bodied flavor -- with roasted caramel malt for a subtle sweetness and a combination of cluster and cascade hops, this true original delivers a well-balanced taste with very distinct character." The paraphrased version is 'something something you can drink 12 in one night and piss excellence.' Let's glass this up.

Not Shitty Beer Tuesday??? #8: Yuengling Traditional Lager

Balla...I have no respect.

This beer, mad skills. The beer pours with 3-fingers of amber tinted head, and a transparent, filtered body that is copper/amber. When held to a bright light, the beer has a nice dark copper/amber color. There's some head hanging around, picking up 'dem copper tones, and leaving some respectable lacing. You can see the carbonation in the form of mid-sized bubbles. Eye of an eagle.

For a lighter Lager, this has a solid aroma profile. Would smell again. You get some bread/biscuit, cereal, and honey. This is mostly malt, but rounds out with some floral and earthy hop aromas. Maybe a dash of grass or lemon.

This is fairly crisp, refreshing  and drinkable. You do get some cereal graininess in the taste, along with a hint of bread/toast, and there is some nice grass/light lemon hop kick to clean things up. This has a bit of that "harshness" going on, like you would find in a English Ale with hard water. There's that touch of mineral/sulfur. 

Refreshing...drinkable...smooth and creamy, and supported by lively carbonation, this is a beer that beckons you to have more than one. Or maybe that's just the alcoholism talking. This is light-bodied, has decent complexity for the style, and has good palate depth. This sort of reminds me of a Kölsch or a Dortmunder. Up front is refreshing, cereal, grains; this rolls into hints of fruit, grassy hops; the finish is honey, lingering cereal, sweet malts. A touch dry? But refreshing.

WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH

Rating: Above-Average

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this. This PROBABLY doesn't belong on Shitty Beer Tuesday, but I'm not a calender wizard. It's Tuesday!!! There's not a lot going on here, but there isn't a lot to complain about. This doesn't have any skunk, and you get some solid malt goodness and some solid hop balance. But you know that. I mean, why am I even reviewing this? Exactly. Food pairings: the bar, the food at the bar, the skank you pick up at the bar, the bouncer you punch at the b....wait, this isn't Stella. 

Random Thought: According to WIKICHHHEEEEEEETTTTTTTAAAAAAHHHH, Yuengling is the oldest brewery in America. DO YOU UNDERSTAND. THEY ARE AMERICA'S OLDEST BREWERY. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION. WIKIAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.