Almaza Pilsener

Brewed by Brasserie Almaza (Heineken)
Style: Pale Lager
Beirut, Lebanon

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Lager glass, Shaker

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Had this one at a Lebanese restaurant in Portland, OR. Pours a clear light straw color with absolutely zero head. Champagne like carbonation and lack of foam means either my glass was dirty, or there is a lot of non-malt adjuncts in this beer. Aroma is of canned corn, apple cider, and slight medicinal chemical fumes. Tastes like a BMC, no outstanding qualities, no overly offensive qualities. Finishes dry yet leaves a sinewy sensation on the tongue....okay so that may be offensive. No better and no worse than BM or C.

Bottle. Pours a thin, short lived head, over a clear, yellow (SRM 3) body.....nose is light cereal, corn. sugar......taste is sweet light cereal, corn, finishing with minimal hop.....mouth feel light, carbonation present, adding a fizzy quality. Although listed on the label as a Pilsner, this is just a Pale Lager, with all the insipid nuances of that revolting style. BJCP 5/2/9/4/4

UPDATED: SEP 28, 2011 Not a bad brew coming out of Lebanon. This brew poured up a pale golden-colored body with a one-finger fizzy head with minimal retention and lacing effects. There’s quite a bit of carbonation going on! Aromas and flavors of grass and apples and something akin to fresh-husked corn. Very light bodied and surprisingly smooth with a dry finish with a nice subtle bite and aftertaste.

Had a bottle while stranded at Washington Dulles Airport, of all places. Pours a pale golden color with a decent head that fades to some lacing. Mild aroma, mostly of fresh grain with a hint of sweetness. Starts with a nice crisp nip with a mild grain flavor. As it warmed a bit there was a bit of honey sweetness. Very mild bitterness and a dry finish. Light body, crisp, clean and refreshing. Very non-offensive beer. Not what I would real call a German Pilsner but still was not a bad beer. Probably goes best with spicy foods.

Bottle looks old and outdated, taste more like a corn juice than a real beer. Makes you feel full like you just ate a feast. Not for me.

Almaza (Arabic for diamond) has a medium, white head, and a clear, bubbly, golden appearance, with a good amount of lacing left behind. The aroma is initially skunky (green bottle), but then it’s mostly malt and a touch of hops. The taste is similar, grain up front and a light hop bitterness present to round it out. Some sweetness and paper flavor is here as well. The mouthfeel is light and watery, and Almaza finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and dry. Overall, it’s an average beer, and I rate it 2 stars. RJT

bottle pours pale gold with a rocky medium white head, considerable lacing as well. Aroma is soured malts, grainy, crackers and skunky hops. Flavor is thin but not bad at all. Refreshing grassy and hay notes with earthen hops rounding it out.

Bottles around Beirut and Syria. A plain lager not up to the standards of Europe but drinkable anyway. Certainly preferable to the local stuff in Syria.

It’s a bit skunky which for me rates it better than a lot of pale lagers. You can at least taste the hops with first a touch of sweetness then a light sour aftertaste. 330 Bottle from the liquor store in Canrmore

Bottle. Pours a pale yellow color with a small white head. Has a sweetish fruity grainy aroma. Sweetish malty grainy cardboard flavor. Has a sweetish fruity grainy finish.