Victoria Bitter

Brewed by Carlton & United Breweries (CUB)
Style: Pale Lager
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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

Bright golden ’typical lager’ colour. In practise no head. Smells hops and metallic. Fresh first taste, which turns to bitter but not much. Aroma is perhaps floral, and tiny bit alcoholic since there’s not much other tastes. I guess this could be good beer in desert when you are dying to get a drink. To day differently not hopeless, but I’ve had better.

[375ml bottle, Sainsbury’s Edinburgh] Golden clear pour, decent white head and rising carbonation. Very little aroma to speak of, whispery corn and malt. Very bland on the flavour as well. Some lemony flavour in there, but a whole lot of watery nothingness as well. This is a beer for context through – like all Australian lagers they taste better at a BBQ down under – drunk on a cold afternoon in Scotland they really are awful. I know where I’d rather be [03072011]

Into the glass pours a golden yellow, beer. Smell is dominated by bitter hops. It starts also very bitter hoppy. Even some slight aroma hops come through. Hoppy-tart, bitter and dry finish!

500ml can from NB Liquor. While not living up to the "bitter" in the name this brew actually has a mild hops taste to remind us it is actually beer, thereby making it better than some things claiming to be lager.

Bitter in Australia is not bitter at all but simply a less sweet lager. The taste is mild and watery. It’s a little hoppy and very carbonated. It’s easy to drink but is also unspectacular. Good for barbecues to quench the thirst.

UPDATED: JUN 29, 2011 Canette 500ml. De couleur dorée et claire. Moyen nez de grains de malt pâle avec des notes de biscuits et des petites traces herbeuses (herbes mouillées). Mince en bouche avec un pétillement moyen et une texture légèrement aqueuse. Moyen goût de grains de malt pâle sucrés lors de l’entrée en bouche auquel se rajoute des notes de biscuits et de faibles traces de maïs sucré puis en finale l’on retrouve de faibles notes amères de houblon herbeux (herbes mouillées). Post-goût court, composé de notes herbeuses avec de très faibles traces métalliques.

Why, oh why was this called a bitter? The only reason for paying for this, in Norway, expensive beer, was because I was clearing the shelves in the store for bitters and pale ales. Should’ve known better of course, this isn’t the least unheard-of beer in the shelves. Anyway: Pours light golden. White, fizzy head that quickly fades away. Smell of apple and metal. Not the worst immediate taste, of apple and grain. But it quickly turns into to much apple, and gets to sweet. Ends with a bit off-taste.

0.33l bottle @ Dr.Livingston, Bergen. Pours a pale body with a small off-white lager head. Quite sweet on the aroma with notes of fading strawberries, pale malts and some grassy hops. Lively carbonated and has a watery mouthfeeling. Flavors are mainly pale malts, somewhat sweet and grainy and it ends light bitter. Drinkable, but not much more.