Steinlager Classic

Draught at Hanalei Gourmet in Kaua’i. Clear golden color with bubbly white head that didn’t leave much lace. Aroma is of subdued sour apple and bread dough. Dry on the tongue with apple and white bread flavors. Grainy light bitter finish. Very different than what I had expected.

Better than how I remember it. Ivory head that disipates instantly. Pale, light, but not weak or watery. Grass and faint mint maybe present in small quantites, but its as close to flavorless as can be, but not in a bad way, more in a melting glacier kind of way. Back when I was a kiwi teen "steinies" were for girls and yuppies. NZ used to transport beer to pubs in tankers, like gasoline, thus, quantity is valued over quality and steiny is designed for drinking in large quantity.

I’m sure this is better on tap, but I don’t know by how much. Green bottle was on the shelf a little too long to avoid the skunk, but after sorting that out, there’s very little to be had. See Aussie Macro---> one would do better elsewhere if you like grass.

Bottle. Poured light pale color with a large frothy white head that diminished slowly with fair lacing. Moderate grassy aroma. Light body with soft carbonation. Light sweet flavor with a light sweet finish of short duration. Worth trying once.

Bottle. I’m quite certain this is my first Kiwi beer. Light gold color with a quickly fading white head. Initial aroma of green bottle skunkiness (bologna, pastrami, etc.) then mellowing into a basic pale lager straw/hay aroma with minimal hoppiness. Flavor of light doughy malt with some chemical or metallic bitteness on the finish. Can’t say it’s necessarily worse than any of the major Aussie beers or imported European macrolagers, but if this is representative of New Zealand brewing, then I think better energy is spent down there making Sauvignon Blanc.

Bottle at home. Typical lager head, color. Taste is a tad bitter, crisp. There is a grass flavor and little else to distinguish it.

Clear, light gold appearance with a small white head. Vegatal, sweet corn aroma with a whiff of a haystack. Light, crisp mouthfeel; lots of carbonation. Lightly hopped, sweet taste with little else to distinguish it.

1pt 9.4oz bottle from Hy-Vee St. Joe poured into dimpled mug - Pours medium gold with a 3 finger white head that fades into a puff ball; Skunk, malt, hops? to the nose; Skunk and bitterness on the initial taste; Bitter, hoppy, skunky, grassy backtaste; Really tough to get down; Drank this while doing some music composition. I couldn’t even finish the glass. Absolutely horrid and offensive. Let’s hope that the next 49 aren’t this bad.