San Miguel Especial - San Miguel Fabricas De Cervaza Y Maltas S.A.

reddomino

Germany

3.43/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear straw color with a nice pillowy head and lots of bubbles wising from the bottom. Good lacing as the head slowly dissipates. The aroma was somewhat earthy, mostly hops with a light, citrusy undertone. The flavor was very light. In fact the only discernable flavor was slight hop notes that complimented the dry finish. This beer provided a very light mouthfeel with a high level of carbonation. Fifteen minutes into this beer there was still a steady stream of rising bubbles and a small head still visible.

Nothing really sets this beer apart, but it is very drinkable. It would make a great session beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2008 17:34:47 | More by reddomino

kRaa

Denmark

2.48/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a white frothy head with a good lacing. Most of the head diminishes rather quickly, but about 3 mm head remains. Clear yellow, sparkling body. Fairly weak aroma, just like many other mass produced pale lagers. The initial flavor is a little bit sweet, but it soon turns into a more bitter flavor. It doesn't taste of that much, apart from this slight bitter taste. Light to medium body with a dry texture.

Serving type: can

02-16-2008 19:14:41 | More by kRaa

DaveUK

United Kingdom (England)

2.4/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Appearance - Golden, yellow brown. A small head of white bubbles, with a fair retention if drunk quickly (!).

Aroma - Weak floral, fruity note. Nothing else for me.

Taste - Crisp fruity, citric taste. Hint of sweet malt as the beer warms up.

Mouthfeel - Powerful acidic bite, sharp and light texture, carbonic acid among probably other additives contributing to a nasty mouthfeel.

Overall - I must admit that the initial taste wasnt too bad, however it was followed by a horrible acidity, characteristic of many mass produced lagers. A one dimensional beer with many flaws but at least the taste is better than some of the other "macrolagers". It would take a pub with a really poor selection to force me onto this lager.

Serving type: on-tap

01-23-2008 22:11:52 | More by DaveUK

thierrynantes

France

2.53/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Sorry but this following comment is in french :

Appearance : pils de couleur claire, limpide, mousse assez sérrée
Smell : nez discrèt de houblon ?
Taste and mouthfeel : maltée
Drinkability : bière pils moyenne, brassée par San Miguel, sans intérêt particulier

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2007 22:21:18 | More by thierrynantes

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.2/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Sampled a few bottles of this brew in northern Italy. It's a yellow-golden liquid with a thin head. Nicely, the head presents a thin and soapy sheen of lace on the sides of the glass. The aroma is uninteresting. A bit of grain, and some malt in the nose, but not much else. It clearly smells a step above typical macro swill, but the aroma is faint and uninteresting. The tast is a bit better. Sweet, with a little malt and bread up front. The finish has a little corn, and a bit of a cereal adjunct flavor as well. Light mouthfeel, and fairly drinkable. This one is not half bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2007 18:42:32 | More by Suds

Floydster

California

2.23/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle bought individually at Trader Joe's in Riverside

Pours a golden brown color with no head and smell was pretty weak

Tasted alright wih my burrito, but got bad as it got warm

Could drink a lot of these because it is light

Would not drink this again

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2007 06:58:38 | More by Floydster

Daredevil

Switzerland

2.83/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I have tasted this one right after a local brew from my hometown and this one was by far the more pleasant lager, so have to be careful not to overrate this one ... the first impression is a full body and a "malty feel", which is good ... however I am not a friend of sweetish lagers and this is definitely on the sweet side, for sure it lacks any refreshing bitterness ... so on the overall, a rather average lager ....

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2007 21:13:46 | More by Daredevil

AlexLMS

Portugal

1.75/5  rDev -33%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

San Miguel Especial should be classified as a Macro Lager. The label even states the corn presence.

Appearance: very good clarity with a golden blonde color. The head is white and extremely low. No retention as there is no head to begin with.

Aroma: corn and husk.

Taste: corn grits, adjuncty. Unpleasant.

Mouthfeel: dry, low carbonation, reasonable alcoholic strength, light body.

Finish: short and a little bitter.

Overall: no news here. Another macro lager. Nothing special. Spain has better beers.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2007 21:46:41 | More by AlexLMS

ernie

Russian Federation

2.68/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale golden color, medium level of carbonation, thin and unstable head.

Aroma malty and herbal, nothing special and nothing unpleasant. Just an aroma.

Start malty, body slender, more hops towards finish, a bit synthetic taste. Finish short, malty-bisquity.

I wish it would taste and smell like a natural brew and not some mix of malt & hop extracts. Don't waste your time trying.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2006 19:48:09 | More by ernie

Andreji

Colombia

2.78/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I reckon I rate this under this profile rather than a supposed philippine industry, because I'm sure Globetrotter was right adding it under this nationality.

It was served to me on the plane from Bogota to Madrid, and, well, it's free*, why the heck not?

Meh, it was an absolute disappointment. the first spanish beer I was trying was perfectly mediocre, an unpleasant familiar look all those useless macro's have when poured, the middle of the pile smell with a tad of hops and a tad of malt (very, very non-complex).

The taste, well, it was bitter. nothing good, no other taste. bitter. wow, man, add some raddish to water and you get the same (and more entertainment).

*I later found (when offering my second alcoholic drink) that I had to pay for that crap. yes, 2.5 euro on Air Plus Comet. I mean, I can understand they charge for rubbish on short euro flights with easyjet, ryanair, vueling, condor, skyeurope, germanwings whatever....but a 10hr flight charges drinks, and offers shit? next time I'm flying Iberia or Air France (they serve free, err, prepaid grimbergen)

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2006 03:41:22 | More by Andreji

Globetrotter

Virginia

3.25/5  rDev +24.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

San Miguel Especial – Euro Pale Lager, 5.4%. Ubiquitous in southern Spain, this review is based on a sampling on tap from the el Rancho restaurant at the Marina del Sol resort outside Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. A can I saw later listed corn as an ingredient. Comes out clear solid gold, perhaps a shade or two darker than standard, under a one finger white head that looks thin but lasts remarkably long and leaves excellent sheets of lace most of the way down the glass. The nose is full of sweet barley malt, tainted ever so slightly by the corn and with a touch of hops spice. The mouth is light and very prickly. The flavor is pretty standard, with malt up front more bready than corny. A pretty decent hop bite follows, leaving a good mixed finish and an enticing aftertaste. I expected horrible, and got pretty respectable.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2005 18:51:48 | More by Globetrotter