Cisk Lager - Simonds Farsons Cisk Plc.

PancakeMcWaffles

Germany

2.45/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Very light golden colour, very clear, white fluffly head, head does not last long, little lacing.

S: Weak but typical lager smell, nothing special.

T: Strong malt flavours, a bit of sweetness, minimal hops, easy to drink! The beer does not have any strong flavours in any direction, just a malty aroma, little hops, otherwise no special characterisitics.

M: Average Lager mouthfeel, nothing special.

O: Nothing Special is probably the best term for this beer, no special flavour characteristics, easy to drink, I guess it's nice and refreshing on a hot day.

Serving type: can

07-08-2012 15:03:53 | More by PancakeMcWaffles

bark

Sweden

2.1/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

The colour is yellow (6 EBC), the liquid got some dust-like residue floating around. The finger thick airy head is two fingers high. No lacing.

The smell is dusty and a bit frowsy. Some sharp sweetness, hints of cereals and dough. Spicy hints and a mild chemical bitterness.

The taste is sweet with dough-like flavours of unfermented cereals. Odd weak notes of Christmas spices. Mild aftertaste with dusty sweet notes, chemical alcohol and a hint of raisin.

Medium to strong carbonation. The bubbles are rather strong. The liquid is sticky.

I am not impressed.

Serving type: can

01-06-2012 19:21:51 | More by bark

rvdoorn

Netherlands

2.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Look: pours very clear golden-yellow with a nice white head.
Smell: Grain, malts, some sweet white grapes and quite some hop presence for a lager.
Taste: Very light taste, not something that I expected after the smell. Malts and a somewhat hoppy dry aftertaste. That’s all….
Mouthfeel: high carbonation, watery body
Overall: Average lager. Not unpleasant, but just almost no taste…

Serving type: can

07-05-2011 19:57:44 | More by rvdoorn

Rennpferd

Wisconsin

2.6/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It poured very nice with moderate carbonation and a nice clingy three finger head that shrank down to about 1 finger and held.

It had an average smell. A lite mix between malt and rice.

A slightly bitter malt-less flavor. It had medium body and a slightly dry hop alcohol finish.

Overall, the beer was average. I'm not traveling to Malta to get more, but I wouldn't turn this down on a hot day in the sun.

Serving type: can

03-19-2010 00:27:54 | More by Rennpferd

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

CAN you dig it? A major trade came off this past weekend and this is one of the beers that I received. CANQuest, onward!

It could not wait to get out of the CAN and began foaming up as soon as I cracked the top. An expeditious pour created two fingers' worth of fluffy bone-white head with medium retention. Nose had a decent admixture of Saaz hops along with a cereal sweetness. I CAN dig it, having had many of these types of beers during the quest. Color was a slightly hazy golden-yellow. Mouthfeel was slightly thin and there was a honey/lager sweetness on the tongue, too sweet for my taste. Finish had a perfume-y taste, way too sweet to be worth revisiting.

Serving type: can

12-10-2009 01:37:19 | More by woodychandler

boatshoes

Colorado

2.23/5  rDev -26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Picked up a six pack of cans of this on a whim with a buddy of mine. It was really cheap...so I wasn't really going into this one expecting a whole lot...

Appearance- The usual adjunct lager. Not a whole lot to describe here or be impressed by. Light golden body with two fingers of fizzy white head that dies fairly quickly. Not really off for the style, but not great looking.

Smell- Not great. Very musty smelling and it can't be skunk because of the can. Metallic, corn, and adjunct. Smells about what I would have expected and not particularly good.

Taste- More of the same. Very metallic tasting and almost sickly sweet taste of corn and adjunct. Lots of sweetness and metallic sharpness that overwhelm the palette. A touch of musty hay as well perhaps but lost to the other flavors.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Mouthfeel I found to be a little aggressively carbonated even for the style. Drinkability, needless to say for me was pretty low. I had one of these and didn't go back for anymore.

Overall, not good. Better adjunct lagers and better beers around to be drinking.

Serving type: can

10-12-2009 03:32:06 | More by boatshoes

blakesell

Ohio

4.2/5  rDev +38.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the 12oz can into a huge 1 liter stein. I figured that would be suitable for an easy drinking lager.

Appearance- Beer pours a clear urine yellow with a healthy two and a half finger head that dies down slowly, about average for what I was expecting for this beer. Lacing is fairly thick and clings to the sides of the glass well.

Smell- Very light German pilsner malts and a stronger hop aroma than the average light lager. A hint of skunkiness but for what this is it actually smells pretty good. A light sweetness and going closer to the Czech variety of pilsner than the German variety.

Taste- Surprise, surprise.. It tastes pretty nice. It goes down smooth, has that slight Czech pilsner sweetness and a crisp hop balance more on the German end. Lightly grainy, but I only think this benefits the beer in the end. Very clean and dry on the finish.

Mouthfeel- Lightly bitter, drying, somewhat oxidized, medium high in carbonation and very light bodied.

Drinkability- Given the choice of this or any other macro lager that was handed my way, I would take this and enjoy it for the swilling needs. Easy drinking and worth the whopping $1.20 I paid for it.

Serving type: can

12-29-2008 23:23:23 | More by blakesell

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev +35.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 330ml can.

Great column of bubbles i the middle of a clear, straw yellow hued beer. Great two finger head though, plus a thick foam and lacing. Just a great looking beer. Straight up, dried grass on a baseball field hits the nostrils like a bomb. Very dry malt aromas as well. The grassy hops take over the nose with no resistance. Very clean, grassy hops and bone dry pilsner like malts. Very smooth and quenching plate. A little watery, but still pretty tasty for a macro style lager.

Serving type: can

12-08-2008 03:16:18 | More by scruffwhor

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

2.33/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A good looking beer. Pours up a mountainous head if you're not careful (so be careful). That quickly settles down to a thin layer of foam, but leaves behind some pretty impressive lace. Crisp, clear gold colour with lots of bubble action.

Now my sample came from a can, so I can't really go with the rest of the flow here, because this beer tastes mostly like, well – can. Very metallic. I think there is a decent beer lurking back there, but the thin blood-like smack of it just won't let the rest of it through. Kind of a shame, because it looks fine and has a decent mouthfeel.

Not recommended out of a can. Gotta see if I can find a bottle.

Serving type: can

07-10-2008 22:26:10 | More by TerryW

xylophonica

Australia

2.95/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - This beer was obviously quite excited when I poured it.. good 2.5 fingers of head. Very clear yellow colour - not much going on.

S - Plenty of crisp malts/cereals and wheat.

T - Good level of creaminess from the head. Initial it's all wheaty cereal flavours with plenty of bitter hops. There's an underlying layer of malt hiding in there as well.

M - Somewhat bitter on the palate but this is mainly offset by the malt which does well to coat the mouth quite quickly.

O - Pretty bland overall. It does have a nice malt coating which helps, as does the creaminess of the head.
Really though this is nothing special - note I bumped the appearance up from 2.5 to 3.0 due to some nice lacing forming late.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2011 08:45:27 | More by xylophonica

AgentMunky

Alabama

3.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 250mL bottle into a plain water glass. Best before 11 June (2011, presumably).

A: A stark white head is short-lived. Golden colour. Light bubbles. Veeery clear with decent lacing.

S: Neutral. Some grain. What is present isn't very pleasant.

T: Not bad. Lagery -- moderate grain sweetness balanced by light hops. Aftertaste is *slightly* dry and pleasantly bitter. Not a lot going on.

M: Carbonation and good balance create a nice mouthfeel.

D: A good lager, I suppose. Quite drinkable. Ubiquitous in Malta. By no means a "must-drink," but worth trying if you're here.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2011 10:53:19 | More by AgentMunky

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Who put the Pils Urquel into my Cisk bottle!! Does Malta have a stolen IP reputation!!! I swear I was drinking a typical czech pils style beer. American Adjuct Lager...WTF is that?? Never hear of it. Is that english for "our beer tastes like czech style beer??? I don't know...but lets cut through this....The color is a fine clear golden color...typical head an lacing that one would expect. Smells and tastes like pils urquel....to me. Bottom line is I like this beer just like I like pils urquel. So feel free to suck these down like no-bodies biz. And no I am not endorsed by Pils Urquel!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 06:05:01 | More by WoodBrew

Clembo1957

United Kingdom (England)

3.25/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm working in Malta for six weeks and to be honest there's not a lot else to drink in Malta except Cisk unless to want to drink imported English Nitro Keg beers or Guiness.

Most of the bars in Malta tend to stock it, either on tap or in bottle, the beer is also available in cans.

Given that there's not a lot of alternatives Cisk lager is an innoffensive bland lager, nothing wrong with it and drinkable.

The beer has a light pleasant appearance, and a slightly hoppy aftertast. Bland but innoffensive.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2011 18:07:23 | More by Clembo1957

tone77

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a very pale yellow color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is rather skunky. Taste is crisp, malts and grains, a bit of a hop presence, not a lot going on. Feels light in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a very ordinary beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2010 14:42:45 | More by tone77

kegger22

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Cisk Lager is a golden color with a one inch, fluffy white head that displays good retention. The aroma is a little musty to me. But that aroma was no indication of the taste however. Malty sweet, but as Cisk warms there are some hops too. There is another taste lingering at the back of the throat; it may be metallic, but if so, it's not offensive. Feel is light bodied with sufficient carbonation. Drinkability is very good, I could polish off a six pack under the right circumstances.

I am a sucker for a respectable lager and I would have this one again and again.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2009 23:17:27 | More by kegger22

Rayek

Colorado

2.58/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Brilliant brass, with a fair amount of carbonation. A nice sized rocky white cap has decent retention and leaves a good amount of lace.

S: Musty, with aromas of cut grass and hay.

T: When cold, this beer is dominated by a harsh metallic bitterness that masks the other flavors. As it warms, the harshness subsides to make way for a pleasant dry malt flavor. The harsh metallic flavor remains through the finish, plus a mild lemon tartness.

M: Light body feels a touch overly carbonated.

D: This one of the few beers I've had that starts out terrible cold, but then gets better as it warms. I was almost liking it by the end of the glass, but the harsh beginning pretty much ruined it. Not worth a revisit.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2009 15:07:37 | More by Rayek

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.73/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I bought this in a mixed six pack.

It pours a clear bright yellow with a 2 finger head of foam.

The smell is of grain and some sweet malty tones. If it's a good taster, the smell is hiding that possibility.

The taste starts off on the grainy side but has a nice malty undertone and a bit of a lemon citrus zip. Hmm...not bad at all and quite refreshing. I can taste more of the hops the further I get into the session and the beer is starting to remind me of of a Pilsener. Ok, I like this one and I'd drink more if I had more.

Bottom line: What a pleasant surprise!

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2009 17:35:55 | More by Bitterbill

allengarvin

Texas

3.08/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer has a pale, bright gold color with a decent sized head on top. The nose is grainy and sweet. The flavor has some light hints of hops, but otherwise is clean, lightly malty (though grain-like) and not too sweet. Very light bodied but well-carbonated. Not too bad, unlike the absolute awful XS I just tried.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 23:39:02 | More by allengarvin

beerthulhu

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +32%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Poured a crystal clear golden-brass with an impressive 2 finger creamy dull white head that showed an equally impressive retention rate. Visible carbonation was very faint with but a single bubble or two witnessed at any given moment.

S: nice with fresh grains and a delicate soft flowery hop aroma of lemon peels. Per style was well hopped and very nice.

T: A really nice start with a spicy lemony zest, with some fresh grains. Fresh citrus and soft flowers combine with a fresh grainy palate delivering a fine example bursting with sweet grains and a generous amount of lemon flowery hopping.

M: extremely light, incredibly smooth and softly carbonated. Could hardly tell of its presence, slick with a nice flowery and citrus hop fade.

D: Goes down effortlessly, a sure fire quaffer that is nicely hopped and one that I found surprisingly good. Case worthy and one that I could easily drink in multiples. Drinks more like a amply hopped pilsner then a lager but was good none the less.

end note: was really surprised by the wide varied ratings this beer got. definitly worth a try and solid by example.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2009 22:02:26 | More by beerthulhu

KeefD

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a pale yellow color with little floaties hanging around, lots of carbonation, and a big fluffy white head that left some very nice lacing. Aroma is grainy and husky. Light skunk, but not overpowering. Crisp, clean flavors. Very light hopping, lots of grainy malts, very light flavored bordering on watery. Mouthfeel is crisp, finishes clean. Nothing spectacular about this one. A little more hop flavor than most adjunct lagers, but it's nothing I would seek out again. A fresh bottle might taste much better.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2008 02:42:45 | More by KeefD

Haybeerman

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Clear pale straw color. Poured a 2 finger coarse white head with fair retention. Lacing had medium thickness. Decanted lightly throughout.

S: Prominent skunky aroma but it dissipated quickly. Settled into a sweet grain and citrus aroma with some bitterness at the end.

T: Skunk was not int he taste (but I was ready). Some slightly sweet bready malt, light citrus. Nicely bittered finish

M: Medium light body. Ample carbonation. Past the smell, crip, clean and refreshing.

D: Maybe if I let it sit for a while to let the skunky nose dissipate, I would have enjoyed it more. Once past that, its an easily drinkable refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2008 15:40:11 | More by Haybeerman

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.73/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

First things first. Why is this listed as an American Macro when it's from Malta which is off the coast of Spain? Shouldn't it be a "Euro Lager?" It's definitely more flavorful than most water American crap.

A - Clear and bright yellow with a nice big fluffy white head. A decent amount of powdery white lace is left on the glass.

S - Pale malt aromas remind me of a "wheat crisp" ...whatever that is. That's just what comes to mind. No real hop component to be found, the lack of hops is what separates this from the nose of a German pils.

T - Tasty, fresh, and clean malt flavors with a twinge of hops to keep it honest. This is like an airy snack chip or wheat crisp like I noted in the nose.

M - Light bodied with a level of carbonation that, while still high, is much less aggressive than bubbly American Macro Lagers.

D - This is not bad at all, but it's pretty boring and forgettable. Just your basic refreshing lager with a tad more character than BMC. This is a beer than I could down a few of with no complaints.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2008 13:54:41 | More by pmcadamis

Crosling

Colorado

1/5  rDev -67%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Sampled side by side with Cisk Extra Strength Lager. A very light yellow/golden colored beer with a small white colored head, nearly identical in appearance to the XS. Nose smells of grain, corn, husk with a bit of herb, seaweed and ocean water. Just horrendous, but better than having no aroma, I suppose. Flavor is incredibly awful and undrinkable. Dirty, unclean and awful tasting. What a terrible beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2008 05:08:24 | More by Crosling

drpimento

Wisconsin

1.93/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

whooo put the skunk in the bottle? Poured with a huge thick foamy white head. Plenty of lace. Flavor wasn't quite as bad. Not saying a lot. Decent body. pale gold color. Think this one was light struck and woulda been a whole lot better before the dastardly deed. Too bad as this is a sample and therefore won't be carried.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2008 04:32:18 | More by drpimento

stcules

Italy

2.13/5  rDev -29.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Yellow color, clean, low carbonation. White foam, average creamy.
The smell is malty, with a very low hop presence.
At the taste malt, with a very light hop hint.
In the end, a macro lager, low quality, one.
In the aftertaste a very thin bit of hop bitterness.
Macro lager.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2008 09:29:36 | More by stcules