Carlsberg Special Brew

Brewed by Carlsberg UK
Style: Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils
Northampton, England

Serve in Lager glass

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Brewed by Carlsberg Malawi but this description seems to fit it closely so I’ll assume it’s the same recipe. Maybe I got a skunky bottle but the smell of this thing was a cross between armpit sweat and smelly shoes. Totally unappealing. The colour isn’t so bad however, though it could use some more head than the sorry amount it showed me when I poured it in my glass. Taste is good, a little syrupy and malty, with a hint of hops. Tastes a lot like the other carlsberg brands, and if there’s a difference, it’s hard to detect. It’s a decent brew but not really "special", and there’s no way to tell why it’s so "special" aside from the crappy smell.

Clear golden with a white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, corn and alcohol. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Sweet finish with warming alcohol. 290512

Can. Clear golden with tiny white head. Aroma is malt, grainy with notes of alcohol. Flavour is malt, grainy, alcohol, medium sweet, hop and a tiny bit bitter.

This much maligned beer is being reviewed from a brown 275ml bottle which should have been drunk before mid August, it was drunk three months too late, 1st Nov 2007. Poured into my one remaining Corsendonk tulip glass. It looked fine, a bright golden yellow, very slight haze if you are being picky. Good solid white foaming head. My normal lager score of 3 for aroma, can’t find much as usual. At 9.0% I thought there may be some trace of alcohol, but there is very little for my nose to find. The alcohol does come out in the taste, whatever else is in there gets overpowered by it though. It has that bitter-sweet feel that strong lagers often do. The sweetness hits you first, then a metalic bitterness stays in the mouthfeel, slowly the alcohol takes over again and the metalic flavours evaporate. Difficult to score, it is not as bad as some claim, but it isn’t a world beater either.

44ml can. I usually don’t rate or drink beers in cans but for some occasions there is no other choice plus I’m quite interested how testes an imperial pils from Carlsberg. Pours a golden liquid with small but long lasting white head. Nose : the aromas are weak. Little grainy malts, soap, some citrus .... Sip : Low to medium density, strong carbonation. Sweet malty flavor that lasts through little flavors of hops. The only strong flavor to compete with this malt water is the alcohol, quite warming. It’s drinkable if you like booze and esters.

Golden colour with a bubbly white head. Malty, sweet and alcohol in the nose. Lots of alcohol in the flavour. Very sweet and light fruity.
[Can at John Lennon Airport in Liverpool, England]

light alcoholic aroma,yellow,clear, white foam, light sweetness, lightly bitter, light body, oily feel, lively, light alcoholic finish.

Golden coloured and clea.r Has a white head, medium duration. Malty aroma, some faint cooked vegetables too. Flavor starts heavy sweet and finish light bitter, faint hoppy notes too. Syrupy texture and lively carbonation. Notes of alcohol too.

33cl Can in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, brewed by Carlsberg Malaysia, ABV 8.8%. Deep golden colour, white head. Aroma is sweet, alcohol, sweet fruits, light skunk. Flavour is light skunky, sweet, alcohol, caramel. Light bodied. The Skol Super was much better.

500ml can. Gold body. Thin white head. Corn, skunky hops, syrup, lager malt, alcohol, wheat, plums. Bittersweet. Dry finish. Actually not bad, and dare I say it, gets a pleasant buzz going.

can from Seven Eleven Kuala Lumpur . Pours mid gold with decent white head . It has a mainly malty aroma . taste is a real wake up call - starts sweet but then an overpowering alcohol taste with a nasty bitter finish . I thought the europe version was bad enough but this is worse .