Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager - Great Northern Brewing Co. / Black Star Draught House

Florida9

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked up a can from the brewery. Just happened to be in whitefish.
Fizzy dark yellow in color. Forms a fizzy white head that fizzes away quickly. Leaves no lacing. Aroma is very mild, but what is there is mostly light grassy hops with a touch of grains. Taste is mildly sweet, with notes of creamed corn, grains, cereal, and a light grassy hoppiness. Light bodied. Fizzy carbonation. Mild bitterness. Mild dryness on the finish.
Overall a very average beer. Easy to drink, but can't see why you'd want to.

Serving type: can

09-03-2012 01:54:12 | More by Florida9

timmos1

California

3.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

this website is known for it's true beer humor, so here goes. The local savemart grocery store here in Sacramento had a special--buy $7 worth of any kind of meat and you get 3 24 oz cans of this stuff free. It works out to 40 cents for a 24 oz can. There was a mountain of cans of this beer. I have to say, this savemart gets some rather unusual beers from around the USA, and I don't mean that in a good way. Anyhow, 3 weeks later I visited the store again and the mountain of cans isn't really any smaller.
That being said, I know BA people are used to drinking good stuff and the average Bud, Miller lager gets dissed--as it should. Having said that, this lager is better than Bud. I wouldn't take a trip to whitefish to visit their brewery, however. I would say this lager is worth every bit of the 40 cents I paid for it.
If I were at a BBQ and a cooler had Bud Miller and Corona and this stuff, I would choose this. Im trying to be positive here, and that's as good as I can state it.

Serving type: can

08-30-2012 04:29:13 | More by timmos1

vkv822

Oregon

3.5/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

24oz can into pint glass.

A clear golden with a foamy, slightly off white head.

Sweet grainy malts, with some fruity, grassy hops.

Medium body with fairly average bubbly carbonation.

For the style, a fairly tasty, easy drinking beer. Good summer brew.

Serving type: can

08-12-2012 03:35:19 | More by vkv822

LiquidAmber

Washington

3.13/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Black Raven pint glass. 24 oz. can. Pours a medium goldan amber, two finger white head that dissipates quickly to a thin film and ring around the glass with a little slippery lacing. Pleasant aroma of bready malt and light hops and a hint of citrus. Flavor is light bisquit malt with a hint of hops, finishes abruptly with a slight lingering sweet malt. Light bodied. Everything about this lager is low key, almost watered down. The appearance and aroma promised more than it could deliver. Perhaps the the low ABV does not present the flavors adequately, but I'm likely not to return to this.

Serving type: can

05-27-2012 03:50:37 | More by LiquidAmber

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz can poured into a plastic cup while on Board Virgin Atlantic flight from NYC to SF

A - Amber to copper coloring, pillowy thick head, nice activity
S - Honey suckle spicy pils hops
T - Grainy corn husks, hop character is much more subdued than I was expecting from the nose
M - Refreshing albeit a bit watery, easily drinkable but leaves me wanting a lot more in flavor
O - Not bad for an airplane beer and something I can't get at home. Wouldn't really want or need it at home. Comes close to a good beer but just falls short.

Serving type: can

05-22-2012 01:56:10 | More by DrewSnyc667

Scotchboy

Idaho

3.1/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz can dated February 27th 2012 poured into a pint nonic.

A: Pours a clear light gold color, very effervescent, with fluffy head that (surprisingly) sticks around a bit.

S: Crackery pilsner malt, light caramel sweetness, very light citrus notes, hops are lighter than I was expecting.

T: Light pale malt character, touch of lager yeast skunk, light caramel and bready sweet notes, touch of grain, cereal...again, very light hopping.

MF: Light body, medium carbonation, dryish finish, crisp mouthfeel.

O: Not impressed, I thought its would be better with an expectation of 'double dry-hopped' goodness. No need to seek this one out.

Serving type: can

03-14-2012 15:23:39 | More by Scotchboy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.03/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Best by 6/11/12.

Pours a clear golden color with a 2 inch foamy off-white head that fades to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of sweet malt/grain and some grassy aromas. Taste is very sweet with mainly malt/grain flavors and maybe a hint of grassy hops on the finish. There is also a slight metallic flavor I am picking up. This beer has a low level of carbonation with a somewhat flat mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer all around. It's not bad but nothing worth getting again.

Serving type: can

03-11-2012 05:52:04 | More by UCLABrewN84

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +23.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Another surprise package from indiapaleale in support of my end of The CANQuest (TM)! He has his own version and we keep going back and forth with beer (although I am currently in arrears). I CAN't wait to try some unencumbered lager.

From the CAN: "A family tradition since 1856 of unique brewing - Great Northern Brewing Co., Whitefish, Montana, USA - Original home of Black Star Beer"; "Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager is hopped the first in the kettle then again before finishing. Result? A refreshing beer with lots of taste. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it. ... Most questions answered."

The Crack revealed a beer that was as eager to greet me as a puppy hearing its master come through the door. I had foam coming up and out at me as soon as the CAN was opened, leading to a quick Glug. I ended up with about a finger of rocky, bone-white foam with limited retention. Color was a lightly hazy golden-yellow. Nose had the characteristic honey-like lager sweetness, a slight Noble hoppiness and that was it. No adjuncts to ruin a good thing. Yay! Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was welcomingly clean, very crisp, lightly sweet, very refreshing. This could definitely go in my cooler for an afternoon outside, mowing the lawn, laying in my hammock ...

Serving type: can

05-22-2011 11:40:40 | More by woodychandler

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pour - very clean, very clear light golden or straw color. Almost an inch or stark white foam on top. The head on this looks quite nice and leaves some lacing as it fades away. Nice little bubbles streaming upwards.

Aroma - the aroma is subtle, a bit of mashed grain, some grassy notes, some straw/hay as well as slight citrus.

Taste - very crisp, clean flavors. This lager has a nice malty, almost toasty, taste upfront and a nice bite in the finish. The carbonation levels are spot on and make this beer quite refreshing. No real hop presence, more honey and caramel sweetness and almost no aftertaste.

Overall - No, the double hopping doesn't provide this beer much in the way of hoppiness but this is a nice example of a lager that is well brewed with a nice malt profile and a clean, crisp finish. Well done. I'd like to go to Whitefish, Montana and try some of their other brews some time.

Would I buy more of it? - perhaps I would. I'd imagine this has a nice price point and in the summer a few cold cans of these would be a nice way to start the evening next to a campfire.

Serving type: can

04-05-2011 00:26:40 | More by indiapaleale

BucBasil

South Carolina

3.33/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the 24oz can into a pint glass

A: The beer is a pure gold clear color with 2 fingers of white head. Very classically "beery" looking beer.

S: Grain all the way through. Crackery at first, then opening up a bit. Kind of rough or raw. This a true western beer. Again, a beery beer aroma.

T: Surprisingly assertive with a slight sweetness and a balancing bitter twang. This has to be what beer in the US used to be like. No nonsense in this brew. A straight up classic beer. I can't say too much else. I think most people know that character I'm talking about.

Overall, this is a good brew that I would definitely pick up again. Excellent kicking back, backyard BBQing beer.

Serving type: can

03-30-2011 05:13:11 | More by BucBasil

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #42 (Jul 2010):

This beer is golden with a decent formation of head and perfect clarity. Its clean lager aroma has some vague graininess and floral hops. It's crisp with a nearly light body. With its grainy maltiness, animal feed grain and dried grass come to mind. The hops leave a sharp bitterness that simply balances, but the flavor is too faint to really pick up on. Its clean, dry finish has a quick note of alcohol. Amping up the hops would have made this lager better; it resembles a retro-lager.

Serving type: can

01-11-2011 03:29:28 | More by BeerAdvocate

Natural510

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can, no visible dating.

Pours a pale golden straw color with respectable amount of head, which dissipates to a scant lacing in the glass.
Not much scent other than a bit of grain and husk.
A clean grain flavor, lightly sweet, with a clean finish.
Body crisp and refreshing.
No discernible hoppiness, despite the advertising. A clean pale lager, inoffensive, ultimately unmemorable.

Serving type: can

12-04-2010 17:25:50 | More by Natural510

slayer3604

California

3.7/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Well, I had this on a Virgin America Airlines flight back from Florida. I thought it said "Double Hopped IPA" because you see what you want to see!!! After realizing what the can actually says, I wrote down the following:

A-Gold body, with a finger and a half of white head, minimal lacing and nice little plumes of co2 coming up the sides.

S-Not much at all there. Just a little whisp of malt/breadiness and I caught some co2 coming up through it at about 5 inches away.

T-Nice and smooth, creamy body with a little bit of a dry spice at the end. Nothing complex, just refreshing.

M-light bodied, but enough to let you know you're drinking beer.

D-This is a very drinkable beer. If it wasn't EIGHT DOLLARS A CAN (shame on you Virgin!), I'd have gotten another one simply because of how refreshing it was.

Serving type: can

11-16-2010 01:33:23 | More by slayer3604

flagmantho

Washington

3.6/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had a couple of 12oz cans of this beer on a flight to Los Angeles. It was probably the best of their beer offerings.

Appearance: crisp, clear golden hue with a thin layer of fizzy white head. It actually has a depth of color which I very much like, although the weak head was a bit unfortunate.

Smell: light, sweet malt aroma. Not as hoppy as the name of the brew might suggest. There's a sticky sweetness here which might be a bit over the top for some people, but I didn't think it was too bad.

Taste: sweet malt with a good bitterness. Hops are earthy and well-balanced. Again, the sweetness here may not be for everybody, but I think it played well with the other flavors.

Mouthfeel: medium body with an OK level of carbonation. Creaminess is surprisingly good, which I like.

Drinkability: tasty, if sweet, middle-of-the-road kind of beer. When I was drinking this, I thought it was a golden ale or maybe a cream ale, rather than a pale lager. I'd have it again.

Serving type: can

10-25-2010 15:33:13 | More by flagmantho

Beerbuddha

Louisiana

3.43/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Received from promotion company for review on my blog.

Appearance: Black Star poured a clear, golden straw color with a huge, fluffy white head. Lacing was present throughout.

Smell: Instantly hit with malty sweetness with slight hints of spiciness from the hops.

Taste: This is definitely an all malt brew. Very crisp and clean flavors with hints of malty sweetness and a typical lager graininess.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean with a medium light body.

Overall: A solid lager. I was fortunate enough to receive both a sample in the bottle and a sample in the can and I would say the can tastes much better. Perfect for grilling out on those hot summer days. And at 4.6% abv a somewhat sessionable brew.

Serving type: can

10-19-2010 18:20:08 | More by Beerbuddha

BevMoAndrew

California

2.17/5  rDev -31.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

The Black Star pours a classic golden pilsner in the glass with a thick white froth, decent retention, & pretty good lacing. (I poured the beer pretty aggressively thinking that the beer wouldn't hold up, but it's doing pretty good!) There really isn't much on the nose, subtle orange peel, biscuit, cereal grains...yep...that's pretty much it. The beer is smooth & crisp on the palate with a smooth dryness, light body, & average finish. In terms of flavor, there really isn't much here. The beer doesn't taste bad, but it doesn't really taste like much of anything. Overall, I'm left unimpressed with this beer. The beer looks great in a glass, but doesn't deliver. When reaching for this on the shelf....stop what you're doing & reach for something else.

Serving type: can

09-13-2010 00:54:03 | More by BevMoAndrew

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.85/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz can received as a nice gift tonight from Rick at Brewforia.. Thanks Buddy!! Poured into my Stone Old Guardian goblet.

Pours very clear polished gold... even a tad darker than gold... Thin white head dies really quickly.

Nose is more malty than I was expecting... plenty of pale malts... some background spicy hoppiness, but it is pretty faint.

Again the flavor is all about the malts.. very clean and tastes very fresh. grainy and hints of sweet malt but never "sweet"... hops are there, but only if you think about it. Nice body for the style.. you can tell that this is an all malt beer for sure... pretty crisp and refreshing... I would buy this anytime I wanted something sessionable... actually seriously reminds me of Full Sail's Session lager.

Thanks again Rick.

Edit: I reviewed this per style ... This is a good beer... Just don't think IPA just because it says "double hopped" on the side of the can.

3.5/4/3.5/4/4.5

Serving type: can

08-28-2010 07:38:00 | More by JohnGalt1

trygger87

California

2.33/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked up a 12 pack at whole foods. The price seemed right and it sounded promising. Poured in to a typical pint glass and produced almost no head. The beer its self is like a dark golden yellow with a fair amount of carbonation.
There is almost no smell to speak of which was a let down, because this beer claims to be double hoped and im not getting that in the nose at all. All im getting in the nose is a grassy smell not to far off from PBR.
Taste isnt to far off from PBR as well. This beer falls flat of its face in the hop department. There is no way its double hopped. An easy drinking beer thats a step up from Miller or PBR but thats about it.

Serving type: can

05-30-2010 04:31:24 | More by trygger87

Preiliboy

Washington

3/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is the ultimate lager of 2013. This is a regular brew that you want to drink when hanging with your buds. This beer is what you wish budweiser and coors was.
This is just a regular beer enjoy it for what its worth just a really good lager.
Enjoy Responsibly

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 08:59:25 | More by Preiliboy

archyquaffer

Montana

3.38/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce twisty into an 8 ounce sampling glass. The label lists the ingredients as "water, malted barley, hops". A bubbly 1/16 inch heads dissipates quickly, but the carbonation leaves the top lively with a light mist. The color is a pale, reddish-straw amber.

I definitely smell what I perceive as corn mash (not necessarily a bad thing, but not claimed as an ingredient by the brewers) and pale malt, along with some light floral hops. The taste is surprisingly complex, with a pleasant burpiness. The taste is somewhat sweet, with undertones of grain, corn, and sourness (green apple?). The hops are definitely understated in the taste, in contrast to the aroma. The mouthfeel is light and refreshing.

This reminds me of a good retro lager such as those produced in the upper midwest. At 5.99 for a six pack, its well worth the price, as it is an excellent warm weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 01:47:53 | More by archyquaffer

1234Jack

3.6/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice golden label.

This beer definitely is more satisfying than other lagers (especially adjuncts).

I may be new to this, but I never knew hops were a large part of lagers. I usually connect them to India pale ales and other ales. The fact that hops were used in this no doubt increase its flavor.

However, despite the "double-hopped" on the label, I may not have noticed the hint of hops - it's subtle. Malt is definitely there.

Color is definitely more of a golden, almost red, then the yellow of cheaper lagers or of typical pilsners.

Smell is fine, nothing unusual there.

Fizzy and crisp.

Not skunky like cheaper lagers.

Despite that, this beer was exceptionally priced at my local grocery store. $1.44/pint. And in a six-pack.

Check out this little tidbit: "The brewery opened in 1995 under the stewardship of Minott Wessinger, the great-great grandson of Henry Weinhard." - Wikipedia

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2012 06:13:49 | More by 1234Jack

travolta

California

2.65/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

App: Clean and golden. Quickly dissipating head. No lacing.

Nose: Nothing much, some very light barley, biscuits. A bit of hop fruitiness.

Taste: Honestly nothing but a little malt sweetness.

Notes: It says Colorado on the label, but it is brewed in Wisconsin, which makes me wonder who owns the brewery. Its better than a macro, but only slightly. I guess I am suspicious of "old, family owned" breweries that have million dollar websites overnight. Just a thought.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 22:49:01 | More by travolta

DarthKostrizer

California

1.98/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Look: Crystal clear yellow with a 1/4 inch head and no retention

Smell: Water and muted hops

Taste: Much of hte same as the nose but has a bit more hop presence

Mouthfeel: Thin and ample carbonation

Overall: A very average pale lager boring and uninteresting

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 21:28:39 | More by DarthKostrizer

elNopalero

Texas

2.58/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This has a golden color with a foam that sticks around. Not a lot of discernible aroma. It does have a light sweet finish. Scant praise, I know. I feel like I’m reaching. They advertise it as being “double hopped,” but maybe a 3rd addition would give it some actual flavor. This is pretty lousy beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 22:23:05 | More by elNopalero

BucannonXC5

California

3.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Color was pale golden, very similar to urine when you are dehydrated. Maybe ¾ inches of head that dissipated very quickly. Minimal lacing. Minimal film.

Smelled pleasantly good. Reminded me of a pilsner I had recently, light grass/grain. Also some caramel in there and maybe even some citrus notes.

Lightly roasted malts up front on the taste. Very smooth aftertaste. Kind of bland overall.

Light body. Kind of a sticky texture. Soft-to-flat carbonation. Abrupt finish.

An OK beer overall. It was actually better than I thought. I’d probably try it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 03:44:19 | More by BucannonXC5