Beerlao Lager Beer

Brewed by Lao Brewery Co (Carlsberg)
Style: Pale Lager
Vientiane, Laos

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

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

UPDATED: MAY 18, 2012 33cl cans in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Light golden with a white head. Aroma of sweet malt with hints of cooked vegetables and hops. Sweet and watery with a hint of hoppy bitterness in the finish. I used to love this in Laos some years ago, but now it’s just about drinkable. Tried it again from a large bottle, think that was better.

Surprisingly a really nice pale lager. Not the best but far from the worst. This beer is easy drinking, non imposing and with a slight sweetness to finish very pleasant.

5.0% gold colour with a thin head, malt aroma, some lemon and honey in the taste.

Bottle. This is about what you’d expect ... pale yellow, slightly hazy, big pile of white foam. The aroma is of sweet lemongrass. This drinks with a creamier aspect than many "other world" lagers, and has a little bit of a musty finish. Not as horrible as the ratings might suggest. (#4540, 3/25/2012)

This is quite possibly the worst tasting beer I’ve ever had. Smells skunky and tastes bitter (solvent, not hops) and soapy.

World of beer. Thought I would see what Laos had to offer. Turns out not much. Awful stuff ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

330ml bottle pours clear with frothy head that dissipates fairly quickly. I did’t get much aroma. An mild sweetness with some light bitterness, fair enough for this style of beer.

33cl bottle pours pure clear gold with a nice bright white head. This is one of the better looking Pale Lagers I can remember. The aroma comes across pretty dark sweet with sugary malts rolling into lesser amounts of grainy malts, boozy chemical notes and a thin ring of floral hops. The taste begins neutral and then rushing up into firm sugary sweetness from malts, caro syrup and ripe apples. To midway the carbonation, slightly harsh boozy chemicals and slight floral hop bitterness conspire to try and turn back the sweet onslaught. So, yeah, overall not that great.

From notes. First reviewed 2/1/2009. Poured from a 640 ml bottle into a pint glass. Appearance: Pours a medium golden color, with a 2 cm foamy white head that mostly dissipates before my first sip. Barely noticeable spotty lacing is left around the glass. Not a very strong smell overall. A grassy, grainy smell predominates. There is almost no malt in the smell, but I do notice some light hoppiness as well. And, of course, the rice additives are noticeable as well. This beer is pretty soft up front, with not a whole lot of malt character. If anything, the malt provides a subtle sweetness combined with the smooth grain flavor. Although normally not a fan of adding rice, in this case it does not seem to detract from the taste too much. The earthy hops provide a slightly sharp kick and leave a pungent flavor in my mouth. It is a somewhat smooth beer, but there is a notable graininess that I do not normally expect to see from a lager. A bit heavy on the carbonation as well. Not a beer I would go out of my way to buy at home, but I found it more drinkable than most of the options in Thailand.

In 640 ml bottles in various places in Laos. No idea why but it is significantly better in large bottles than in tins and on those occasions I have tried it outside Laos it has been plainer. In its home territory it passes the ’last gulp test’, which means it retains its flavour - in this case a nice balance of surprisin maltiness for a rice beer and cleverly balanced Saaz-Hallertau hopping - to the last gulp. For me the best of the large production blond beers in South East Asia.