Strong Lagers: Not just malt liquor

For the last week I'd been bumping into Sierra Nevada's new pale bock, Glissade, around town. On Saturday I finally got a chance to try it and it reminded me of the odd strong lager family of beers. Strong lagers can fit into styles like maibock or malt liquor, but on a whole they're lightly colored, lightly hopped, and fairly alcoholic.

Below I've pasted in reviews of some of the strong lagers I've had, and which oddly enough connect Sierra Nevada's new beer to Colt 45. Terrifying? Heart-warming? Meh? You decide.

Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Maibock / Helles Bock | 6.40% ABV

B- / 3.5
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | drink: 3

Ordered a bottle for $3.50 at Liberty St. Tavern and poured it into a pint glass. I read SierraNevadaBill's description of Glissade and it makes more sense when he calls it a "strong lager," because it really does remind of the European (and Russian) strong lagers I've had - but better. There's cool bready malts up front and in the nose. The barley is followed by a lot dry herbal hop character. The hops, frankly, are a bit thin and border on astringently bitter. Still, this brew is worth a try.


Stary Melnik Krepkoye
Pivovariya Moskva-Efes ZAO
Euro Pale Lager | 6.50% ABV

C+ / 3.1
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5

AKA Stary Melnik Strong. Ordered a bottle at the Brickskeller... after they were out of the first nine beers I asked for. Anyways.

The flavor reminds me of peppermint and sweet bread. The appearance is a clear gold with a white head and there are no brewing flaws in the aroma or flavors. It was an interesting beer to try but I wouldn't order it again. The odd yeast character and malts are "ok" but not entirely pleasant. It's certainly worth a try for something different and not a bad beer.


Elephant Beer
Carlsberg Danmark A/S
Euro Strong Lager | 7.20% ABV

C / 3
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 3.5

Got a bottle from a friend, poured into a pint glass. Appears a clear gold with a short white head.

First things first, there's nothing patently offensive about this beer-bravo. That's not an easy accomplishment for a high-alcohol macro lager in green glass. The aroma is pretty non-existent however, I got a hint of strange scented candle-like spice I wouldn't expect in beer. The flavor opens with smooth bready malts and finishes with a big lager tang. In most beer this tang is unpleasant and astringent, but here it comes off more like a mix of strong perfume and fruit punch. Still not something you usually demand in a fine beer, but this could be worse.

Colt 45 Malt Liquor
Pabst Brewing Company / G. Heileman Brewing Co.
American Malt Liquor | 6.10% ABV

F / 1.55
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 1

It doesnt look horrible, just your typical mass-produced rotgut. The smell is at best, unpleasant. The mouth feel isn't bad, but the taste will make up for that.

I can only describe Colt 45 like this: Someone took a light-bodied beer, squated over the bottle, and farted. Beer + Fart = No fun for anyone.

I should also mention that if its your first time with a 40 of this, be prepared to get your ass kicked.