Grain Belt Premium

Brewed by August Schell Brewing Company
Style: Pale Lager
New Ulm, Minnesota USA

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

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This my Dad’s beer, always a few cases in the house, the fridge well stocked, no other beer would do. They even ordered it special for him at the local watering hole, though I still can’t figure out how no-one else in the Anoka VFW Hall shared his taste. I remember sitting at the bar with him, as a kid, while he drank it. Those were the days, eh? I never liked it, and it’s ominpresence in the household was part of the reason I never drank beer until I was about 22. When all that surrounded me was Miller, Leinenkugel’s, and Grain Belt, and they all smelled bad, I just stayed away. Years later, I discovered imported ales and craft brew micros...now that I was drinking beer, I decided to try Dad’s beer, and figure out why he liked it. I still didn’t like, and couldn’t figure out why he found it so satisfying. But, that’s the kind of man he was, he stuck with what he knew, and never went too far from his comfort zone. Time to revisit it again, especially since I hear it’s a better beer, under Schell’s hand... Transparent, pale yellow appearance, huge, fluffy white cap atop, active. bubbling carbonation. Smells sweeter than i remember, less sickly. Very grainy, rather spare and thin, but not at all unpleasant. The typical average American lager aroma. Taste: wet. and empty, ..but not bad. Really, I think it’s been over a decade since I last poured one of these down my throat, and it was an unhappy experience. That was under the Minnesota Brewing Company, who weren’t looking to make a quality product at the time. Schell seems to have re-created GB, "the friendly beer", as a smooth, untroubling, and, let us not forget, cheap lager that actually doesn’t taste bad. Finishes rather sweetly, slides leisurely off the palate. Very light in body, a bit too watery for my tastes, and extremely lean on flavor. But, it does what it needs to, for the style and satisfies it’s target market. Got to hand it to the guys at August Schell for keeping Minnesota brewing history going, and putting out a decent brew at the same time. This one’s for you, Dad. If it’s true that "in Heaven there is no beer", no offense, but I hope you’re in a better place than that....

12 oz bottle pours pale yellow with a white head. Aroma is not there. Taste is malt and really nothing premium. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours light yellow...aroma is skunky and small hints of fruit...taste is actually pretty good. Well balanced and smooth..will do again

Usually a very reasonably priced beer, and for the price, it’s probably the best you’re going to find. Slightly sweet, but over all a very watery pilsner.

Enjoyed the heck out of this brew @ Matt’s, home of the Jucy Lucy!! Blows the doors off those bland mass produced macro-brews (you know who you are)!!

@Alopex said it well, "Probably my favorite cheap american regional lager" TAP, TALL BOY CAN, BOTTLE. Good, thin bodied beer. This beer is better than the Macros but the same idea... Very light hop notes, slightly sweet, watery, a bit bready. Nothing special, but it is local and I enjoy that part the most.

Probably my favorite cheap american regional lager and light years better than a BMC just because it’s local. Thin bodied, smooth to the point of being inoffensive, minimal hop note, and slightly sweet. Best had on an oppresively hot day, preferably at a ballgame or while fishing at the cabin. Compare it to a craft brewed ale or lager and you’ll be disappointed. Compare it to a mass marketed schwilling beer and it holds up pretty well.

Bottle to glass. Sigh...how far I’ve come. As an attempt to aid maturation, I decided to review grain belt and finally admit that it is NOT the best beer ever as I frequently claimed in my younger years (deep sigh again). Pale golden with small white head. Aroma is a bit skunky and a bit fruity as well (seriously, who uses clear bottles???). Not much taste. A little sweet. Better than most pale lagers though.

Ported from BA. I have been meaning to review this beer for a LONG time. It’s not my favorite beer in the world, but it’s a Minnesota staple. Appearance: Very little head, and the clearest golden yellow. Bubbles everywhere in there. It’s definitely a darker yellow than most AALs. Smell: Light with a very slight malt smell, which is really like most other beers of this style. And yet, there’s something else there. Almost a banana kind of scent. Taste: Lightly malty, and like the scent, just the slightest hint of banana. Very smooth, with no bitterness whatsoever Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel? Not much to speak of. Doesn’t coat the mouth... medium-high carbonation. Overall: As far as the American Adjunct Lager goes, this is the best I’ve had. It’s smooth, inexpensive, and actually tastes fairly decent. If you’re a BMC kind of guy that wants a real treat, I’d say check this one out.

This pale lager was tatsed at a local bar on Hennepin. The straw colored beer poured with a nice head from a clear bottle. The inital taste was OK but the high carbonation and thin body was a negative. The finish had some sour taste.

Bottle. Poured clear amber color with an averagewhite head that was mostly lasting with good lacing. Moderate balanced aroma. Medium body with a smooth texture and soft carbonation. Medium balanced sweet flavor with a medium sweet finish of short to moderate duration. Worth having once.