Well, there is a reason I didn't list Holsten in with the beers I really enjoy! I do not think it's great. My Dad used to swap between Holsten and Beck's when I was growing up, so in my mind they were very much the same beer until this tasting. I just found Holsten considerably less flawed than Beck's. If my Dad was offering me a beer now, I'd be Holsten over Beck's.mintjellie wrote:Agree with most of this except for your comment about Holsten. Lots of weird off flavours in each of Holstens beers. I'd have to go back to my tasting notes to remember what exactly was wrong. But I remember there being a lot wrong.
Have you tried Golden Pheasant? It's quite nice if you can manage to find it fresh. Slight almost imperceptible diacetyl note that actually works with the bready, crackery malt flavour it's got going on. Weird, but apparently fits BJCP guidelines.
I've got a long list of other middling beers. How about those oddly too bitter (almost anise-like) Italian lagers Moretti Birra or Peroni Nastro Azzurro? Or those Polish lagers (Lech, Tyskie, or the Zywiec brands Zywiec and Tatra) which, no matter what, always seem to be way too sweet (Lech the least so, Zywiec the most)? Or a somewhat harsh and messy Ekstra from Lithuania?
The LCBO ought to get some recognition for having such a wide selection of relatively fresh lagers and, for the most part, preferring cans. I know lots of these are only here because the big breweries own these brands, but still, good on 'em for staying away from green glass. Golden Pheasant, however, was in a green bottle when I tried it and, at least compared to most of the others, it was powerfully skunky. I took some time to try to get past it and I did think there might be a really nice Czech Lager under that skunk, but I'll have to find a fresher bottle or a tap to really tell.