Bikini Blonde Lager - Maui Brewing Co. (Brewpub)

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can: Poured a light golden color lager with a large pure white foamy head with great retention and some lacing. Aroma of pure malt with some traces of dry German hops. Taste is also well balance between some lightly sweet malt with a somewhat dry finish with noticeable crisp hops. Well done for the style.

Serving type: can

02-02-2009 02:09:12 | More by Phyl21ca

Halcyondays

California

2.75/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. can, listed as 4.5%,

A: Pours a pale yellow, a little hazy, nice head and lacing.

S: Really not much at all, light malt and honey.

T: Malt is lightly bready with some sourdough and honey. Hops are earthy and give some soil notes which is a turnoff.

M: Nice mouthfeel, not watery, but light and easily drinkable.

D: A fair beer from Maui, not as good as the major German producers, I thought it was too hoppy for the style.

Serving type: can

11-11-2008 03:23:02 | More by Halcyondays

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz can into a pint glass. Thanks to brentk56 for this in the Secret Halloween '08 BIF.

Pours a slightly hazy pale gold with a massive head of poofy brite-white head. This eventually shrinks down and retains as a big ole' creamy dollop of foam that sits smack dab in the middle of the glass, leaving huge swathes of lacing behind. The aroma is very floral and citric with some sturdy smelling bready sweetness underneath.

The taste is a light feeling blend of floral hops, prominent lemon citrus, and toasted malt sweetness. Finishes with notes of lingering bread and light bitterness. The mouthfeel is light-medium bodied with a softer carbonation and creamy feel that gets a little more crisp towards the end of the swallow.

Decent stuff here, that while not possessing the most in-your-face flavor profile that I've had, was still quite refreshing and quaffable. I'd definitely go to this for some thirst quenching relief.

Serving type: can

12-02-2008 17:56:25 | More by Kegatron

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I CAN't believe that I get to drink Hawaiian beer from a CAN! How cool is that? Welcome to the microcanning revolution, indeed!

My pour resulted in a finger's worth of creamy, bone-white head with good retention. Color was a beautiful lemon-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Nose had the characteristic lager-like sweetness to it. Mouthfeel was medium with a honey/wheat-y taste on the tongue. Finish had a lasting lager-like sweetness. Hey, I learned a year ago to appreciate lagers and this was a fine example. As a retired US Navy sailor, would I really have come ashore for it? You bet! We were forced to go weeks at a time without beer or even so much as a drop of grog.

Serving type: can

07-20-2008 18:59:19 | More by woodychandler

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.7/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz can brought back to the lower 48 by my good friend and coworker Michelle E. I asked her to find me a Maui IPA and of course the Coconut Porter.. she hooked me up with the Bikini Blonde just for fun. The can has been sitting in the fridge for a week... tonight it was poured into my new favorite Sam Adams glass.

Huge head towers 3/4" out of the glass.. nice splotchy lacing.. brew is a hazy lite straw color.

Grainy aroma.. slight floral hops.. touches of musky notes.. clears out as it warms.

Flavor is soft grains and again only touches of floral hops.. maybe a little grassy. Mouthfeel is light as expected .. very drinkable.. something seems off if this is supposed to be a Helles.. there is a background fruitiness that probably shouldn't be here.

All and all... I can picture myself sitting on a beach... any beach .. enjoying this brew for hours. Drinkability is off the charts.. but it needs to be dialed in significantly if the brewery is truly shooting for a helles.

Michelle, if you end up reading this review... you need to remind me to give you a big hug tomorrow at work... Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Serving type: can

04-29-2008 08:12:27 | More by JohnGalt1

RoyalT

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - This is a wonderful light yellow in color with a good, white, foaming head.

Smell - This is pure grain at its finest. There's a very light sweetness to the nose but it's not sugary, it's more like the light sweet smell of boiled corn. There's literally no hop aroma here so the terrific grain smell comes on strongly.

Taste - There's more sweetness at the taste but it's certainly not overpowering. The flavor is predominantly the fine malted barley and again absent any real hops.

Mouthfeel - For a low ABV lager this is not as light in the body as you would think. I wouldn't say it's medium-bodied but it is pretty big given the style. The malts are incredibly smooth.

Drinkability - This is THE beer you want to drink first after a long day's work. It is thirst quenching and flavorful yet light enough in alcohol that you can down a can or two without feeling tipsy. As far as American-made session lagers go this is on the top of my list.

Serving type: can

11-06-2008 02:21:11 | More by RoyalT

beertunes

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a slightly hazy, but fairly clear, bright yellow with just over an inch of fluffy white head that had good retention and very light lacing.

The aroma was on the subdued side, but still had a nice balance of grain and hops. The flavors were a bit more bold, the grain is far more pronounced and the hops are nicely crisp.

The body is crisp and clean. Drinkability is very good, having a few of these would be easy and fun. Certainly worth trying if you see it.

Serving type: can

06-27-2010 20:31:48 | More by beertunes

GbVDave

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12oz can into a 20oz imperial pint. Thanks to Bernie and Linda for bringing this back from Hawaii!

A: Slightly hazy light straw color. A vigorous pour yields a small white head that recedes quickly and leaves virtually no lace. Very still. Only just a couple of lazy streams of bubbles climbing the sides of the glass.

S: Restrained citrus smelling hops and toasted malt mingle with an excellent, mildly tart, sour graininess. As it comes up to temp the hops take on a decidedly grassy aroma.

T: As noted above citrusy/grassy hops and toasted malt dominate the flavor. Very nice interplay between the citrus hops and toasted malt in the finish.

M: Creamy and dry/bitter but without a hint of lager "brightness". Feels much bigger than the abv would suggest.

D: This is an excellent lager. Satisfying and tasty and actually quite interesting to the palate. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised.

Serving type: can

02-20-2008 00:37:55 | More by GbVDave

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Can - thanks to frenchy for this one

Appearance – Mostly clear yellow colour with an average size fizzy white coloured head. There is a below average amount of carbonation showing and there is a fairly good amount of lacing. The head lasted for around 5 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Grains, bread, corn, malts, hops, lemons

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation. I can taste grains, lemons, and a nice amount of noble hops. There is also a touch of corn and the beer finishes with a lemony/hoppy aftertaste.

Overall – An enjoyable and refreshing beer. It had a nice amount of noble hops and reminded me a but of the sunshine pils by Troegs. I could see myself drinking a few of these on a beach in Hawaii.

Serving type: can

11-22-2011 19:24:31 | More by spinrsx

Floydster

California

4.3/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

12 ounce can that was also part of its own six pack purchased from Beverages and More for about ten dollars, reviewed from notes taken a few days ago, poured into a pint glass

A-Golden yellow color, huge 1 3/4 inch white foamy head, did not last long though, not much retention or lacing
S-Spices, hoppiness, bready malt aromas, yeast, a bit of skunkiness, and a hint of lemon
T-This stuff is so smooth, almost has a hefeweizen flavor but more grassy than wheat dominant if that makes sense, nice toasted bread taste, hints of citrus in the aftertaste once it warms, great balance and flavorful
M-Crisp, quenching, and a bit chewy mouthfeel, thin to medium body, tons of carbonation, not watered down though
D-Could drink this all day long, one of the best session beers out there, ABV is super low and you can tell, so smooth, great on a hot Hawaiian day while I was there too

Blondes or these types of lagers are not my favorite beers by any means but this was really good, further proves that Maui's lineup of three is pretty much unparalleled on the islands, drank a lot of this stuff the past week and could still drink more, recommended

Serving type: can

08-05-2008 21:45:57 | More by Floydster

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a can into a pint glass, the beer has a vibrant straw-gold coloring, with crystal clarity and a decent amount of steady carbonation showing in the glass. The head starts out fluffy and thick, but over a minute or two recedes to a thing film of bubbles. Smells burst out of the can during the pour, heavy in oat and slight toasted characters. The beer has a very slick mouthfeel, and the flavors slide through quickly. There are notes of sweet toffee and fruity flavors, as well as the cereal/grain flavors. Very smooth and light in mouth, and unbelievably easy to drink. It's starting to get warm where I am, and this is the perfect beer for a day out in the sun. Fantastic summer picnic or BBQ brew.

Serving type: can

02-06-2011 22:26:31 | More by GarthDanielson

Overlord

California

3.83/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

POurs gold, small white foamy head. Surprisingly strong aroma, with some citrus, earthy hops, and a definite ... "presence." The taste is, again, zesty with citrus, crisp, clean, and there's some malt. A nice dry finish. Decent mouthfeel.

Surprisingly pleasant.

Serving type: can

10-18-2008 02:14:45 | More by Overlord

flexabull

California

4.1/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a really light gold color, a little haze, and a nice big white head on top. Looks good.

Aromas are of light breads, dough. spices, dust, and a general floral quality.

Clean tasting beer. A little sweet with biscuit and dough like flavors. Beer then settles into some mineral water like crispness, and a nice sharp zest of citrus on the finish. Flavorful, but not overly so or heavy.

Mouthfeel is nice, good crispness and carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. This is a nice tasty lager that is very easy to drink. Would be a great go to beer on a warm summer day. Well done Maui Brewing, all three beers I have tried from your brewery have been quite good. And canned to boot!

Serving type: can

06-14-2009 21:05:54 | More by flexabull

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine July 2007.

Apparently, this beer is "what the sailors really come to shore for," but the Maui folks could just be referring to the hot blonde luau lady on the label. We remain unsure. Still, we dig the pro-canning information they provide.

A very pale, chill-hazed, blonde beer that's laced with a thin, creamy white head--haze clears up once the beer has warmed up a bit. Fresh malty nose. Incredibly smooth and creamy on the palate, with a well-round mouthfeel. Beneath the über-creaminess is a moderately sweet malt base with a faint hint of banana. Slight cereal graininess. A mild flash of hop bitterness attempts to pull through with some herbal notes, but its efforts are thwarted by the malt profile, especially as the beer warms. Sweet and bready in the finish.

One could easily confuse this as a Blonde Ale, rather than a Helles. Sweetness is a bit high (though not cloying), hops are not overly defined, and that expected German lager crispness and clean finish is missing. That said, it's an interesting, very drinkable brew nonetheless.

Serving type: can

11-13-2010 20:37:53 | More by BeerAdvocate

ClockworkOrange

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a 12oz. can into my Smuttynose shaker glass, the pour produces a hazy light yellow color with a frothy white foam that measures about two fingers deep. Smells of bready grains and citrusy hops. The hops really come through in the taste, producing flavors of lemon peel and bitter orange. A nicely hopped lager. The aftertaste reminded me of lemon cleaner. Medium in both body and carbonation. If this was more accessible, I'd reach for this on a regular basis.

Serving type: can

10-30-2008 15:04:49 | More by ClockworkOrange

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.93/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

I got this one as an extra via MaxStout. This is my first Maui product.

A: Very clear straw yellow color with a HUGE foamy head. Despite the big head, the carbonation level in the beer itself is very low.

S: Pleasant citrusy, nutty scent. Pineapple maybe?

T: The lack of carbonation hits hard. Definitely not a bitter beer in the least bit and the citrus is much more pronounced in the taste - not a grapefruit citrus, but more like orange. The aftertaste is awesome - it doesn't have that medicinal quality that I often find in this style.

M: Very light and smooth. After weeks of drinking and reviewing beers on the heavy side, this is a great change of pace.

D: An almost perfect session brew. A craft beer lovers "lawnmower" beer.

Serving type: can

08-28-2010 21:39:43 | More by Chaney

Offa

California

3.73/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is a pretty good lager but not great.

Pale gold, it has a huge white head slowly, but steadily, shrinking to a thin, foamy top. It leaves a little decent lace.

The aroma is grass, hay, fruit, sweet rolls, and pear. It's pretty good, a nice, full take on a basic lager but not really like a true helles.

The taste is a lot of grain, a little slightly raisiny alcohol, grass, hay, pear, apple peel. It has some slight, faintly off-tasting, husk and vegetal flavours that become noticeable after the first couple sips and which detract slightly, but they are very light. It has a long grain aftertaste and is full-bodied. Its taste is a bit unusual but otherwise it's a good, full-bodied lager more reminiscent of American style lagers than true German Helles lagers.

Serving type: can

05-27-2009 16:45:18 | More by Offa

JDV

Texas

3.15/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Big thanks to Hopdog for the can!
Pours cloudy yellow and opaque with a huge lasting head. Smell is yeasty, light malt, and lemon. Taste is smooth and creamy despite the appearance of high carbonation, almost wheaty with a hint of lemon. Musty, yet clean. Interesting and definitely different than the average pale lager.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2008 22:03:01 | More by JDV

mentor

Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a two finger frothy light clingy head over a cloudy pineapple yellow liquid. Smells musky noble hops over clean pils malt.

Tastes light malt sweet with lemony zing. Some musky hops, like tettnanger. Wet finish with some carbonation acrid placing a sour counterpoint. Nice hop flavor with a honey-like hallertauer. Clean of esters and no oxidation. Touch of papery. Light body and strong carbonation. Nice enjoyable beer.

Serving type: can

12-01-2007 00:17:12 | More by mentor

arizcards

Arizona

3.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Picked up a 6 can sampler in early June from Foodland in Kauai for $10.99.

Beer poured a straw yellow with a nice foamy white head. Nose was not much, hints of German hops in the background. Taste started with a mellow malted barley. The ending was quite a nice surprise, a blast of spicy German hops. Mouthfeel was light, no redeeming smoothness to be found. Overall drinkability was pretty good, it was refreshing, a great beer to have at the beach!

Serving type: can

06-23-2008 00:14:06 | More by arizcards

yemenmocha

Arizona

3.65/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Review is relative to style, as instructed on BA.

If there ever was a craft/micro beer that could supplant the macro industrial adjunct lager... then this beer is it. Bikini Blonde Lager has great clarity with a very pale golden color, rocky white head, and lace down the glass for the entire beer. I might add too that it is available in cans, not bottles.

Nose is clean with a whiff of noble hops. Palate is malty sweet but not overly so - just enough for a light lager to have flavor but not be made in such a way to reduce flavor like adjunct lagers are. Some crispness on the finish with hops there to round it out, and it is oh so drinkable! Nice lager!

Serving type: can

01-26-2010 04:45:57 | More by yemenmocha

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.43/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I am not 100% sure that this is in the right place as this is the "brewpub" version where I must have the non-brewpub version. There were much less reviews on the latter, so I will contribute to the bigger performer of the offerings since 62 of 67 are for canned versions. Let's review this puppy:

Appearance: Pours a pretty clear golden yellow with a 1/4" creamy white head on top. The head was quite active, but faded back into the beer in about 45 seconds to end up as a small ring at the edge of the glass. There is no lacing left on the glass at all, and after a short while the beer looks quite lifeless in the glass.

Aroma: Initially the beer was a bit yeasty with some bread dough coming out along with some bready malts and a mild, but noticeable hop profile. After the head falls the beer isn't as yeasty, and the hops are coming out quite a bit more as it warms up a bit. There is also some light toasty sweetness coming out as the beer sits further. There is a corny note getting more pronounced as the beer warms that is starting to get a little vegetal as the beer approaches warm.

Taste: The flavor is a bit light bodied with light carbonation so overall it comes across as bit watery feeling; however, there is quite a bit of flavor left on the palate when this beer gets through to let you know that it is a beer and not some fizzy adjunct driven brew. As the beer warms up some, the corny notes that I mentioned in the aroma are coming out in the flavor as well, and the flavor is also starting to get a vegetal edge to it. There are some toasty malty notes left on the palate when the beer gets through that are somewhat reminiscent of a Munich Helles, so it isn't way off the mark or anything.

Opinion: Overall this is a pretty decent beer. Unfortunately it is hard to make a beer this light that won't show something a little weird as it warms up. This one seems to be getting vegetal as it warms up, though I don't think that it was actual corn used. I don't regret getting a 6-pack of this stuff as I will surely drink it. I am not sure when I will be buying another one...but I would certainly consider bringing some to the beach sometime if Southern Star's Bombshell Blonde isn't available where I am.

Serving type: can

06-02-2011 00:09:11 | More by SkeeterHawk

bsp77

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from can into clear plastic glass.

Appearance: Pale yellow with sustained white head and slight lacing.

Smell: Apple, pear, grass and spicy noble hops.

Taste: Semi-sweet apple, quite grassy, with a peppery finish, but the sweetness remains.

Feel: High carbonation, light body, sweet finish that I am not a big fan of.

Drinkability: Nice Helles Lager overall, but I prefer my German lagers a little more dry.

Serving type: can

01-13-2010 17:17:16 | More by bsp77

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour - light golden straw colored with an inch of stark white fluffiness cropping the top. Its a nice sight to behold when you're thirsty.

Aroma - some citrus (lemon and bitter orange) combined with fresh grass and hay. Some sweet malt aromas as well. Not a lot going on in the nose but that is to be expected from the style.

Taste - sweet and slightly lemony as it hits the palate. The sweetness in the finish is sort of surprising as many lagers have a sort of mineral-esque dry finish. This is much smoother and sweeter and I really am enjoying that aspect of this beer, it sort of sets it apart from other similar beers that I've had. Extremely easy to drink and I can imagine that a cold pint of this on a hot day would be just what the doctor ordered.

Overall - pretty solid light bodied lager from the folks at Maui. It delivers what it says its going to and that is something smooth and refreshing. I really enjoy the finish of this beer, it is much more appealing to me than many other lagers.

Would I buy more of it? - I'd probably go for their IPA or their CoCoNut Porter over this one if faced with choosing from their three canned option. That being said, this is a pretty refreshing and light beer that would be great when mowing the lawn.

Serving type: can

05-14-2010 02:31:49 | More by indiapaleale

BeerManDan

California

3.78/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice golden yellow with very little foam and no lace. The smell of mild hops and barley filled the nose with a fresh aroma. The taste was also of hops and barley. Nice balance of ingriedents with just a little sweet bitterness. Nice for summer quincher or just sitting around chewing the fat!

Serving type: can

05-21-2009 04:55:02 | More by BeerManDan