Red Stripe Jamaican Lager - Desnoes & Geddes Limited

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.33/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Red Stripe is a beer that I've been aware of for decades, but haven't had the opportunity to try until now. I like the bottle. Is there any other beer bottle that's stubbier than this one?

I've seen lighter lagers, but not by much. Pale straw yellow, clear with the exception of a few dozen small floaters. The head is shockingly white and wispy, but slightly tacky. It's lasting longer than expected and is actually leaving some lace.

The aroma is pretty nasty. Hops are present along with a sour, pungent, rotting vegetable smell. I hope that the flavor doesn't follow suit or I won't be finishing the bottle. It's a little better on the palate, but not much. It isn't oppressively bad (see Bud Light), but neither is it something that appeals to me in any way, shape or form. On a good note, I do detect a little lemoniness and the finish is mercifully short. Thin mouthfeel with no trace of fizziness.

Red Stripe is drinkable if I keep a few things in mind. Chill the crap out of it, don't smell it and pop the cap only when really, really hot and thirsty. The fact that a light version exists frightens me.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2004 22:34:27 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.8/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

What can you really say about this, its one of your classics right. Poured a pale golden yellow with a brief fizzy white head that faded to no lace. Smell was musty grain with a hint of bread. Smooth and light, with not as much carbonation as I would have liked. Other than that, nice sessionable macro like lager. A classic for the beach as always/

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2007 01:16:49 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: The pour is a clear golden straw color with a fluffy white head. The retention is actually somewhat decent.

S: Big time adjuncts on the nose. Lots of corn with some nondescript grain aromas. Some grassy notes along with a bit of a skunkiness.

T: Very mild grain flavor with plenty of sweet corn. There is actually a bit of hop character here, providing a bit of grass and spice. A bit of a surprise for this type of beer.

M: The body is light, not shockingly, with a fairly high level of carbonation.

D: As far as adjunct lagers go, this is definitely toward the top end of things. Not terrible at all, and heck, even the light version is pretty decent.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 07:37:27 | More by womencantsail

UCLABrewN84

California

3.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear light yellow with a 2 inch puffy white head that fades to a film on the top of the beer. Small legs of lace form down the glass on the drink down. Smell is of grains and corn flakes primarily. Taste is of sweet grains and corn flakes, grass/hay, and some very mild citrus flavors on the finish. A mild bitterness makes itself known on the palate after each sip. This beer has a decent level of carbonation with a crisp and smooth mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good adjunct lager with better than average smells and tastes.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 01:42:05 | More by UCLABrewN84

brentk56

North Carolina

2.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear pale yellow color with a modest white head that drops quickly and leaves only a few dots of lace

Smell: Sweet vegetal aromas of rice and corn

Taste: Surprisingly sweet from the first sip with a rough grainy finish that is inoffensive while cold

Mouthfeel: Light and fizzy

Drinkability: OK on a 100 degree day; a waste of time otherwise

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2006 23:11:37 | More by brentk56

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.88/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

$1.29 12 oz. stubbie single at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

After some years of viewing commercials where a Jamaican guy sells beer in little, brown, squashed-down bottles and ends his commercial my shouting "HOORAY BEER!" it's time to give Red Stripe another try.

Appearance: Pours a clear, yellow body with a large, foamy, white head. Rather nice lacing, I must say.

Smell: Faintly sweetish nose smelling of light pale malts, spicy hops, and maize (akin to smelling a Frito corn chip).

Taste: Light pale malts, yes, a bit corny, and with a light amount of sweetness. Mild spicy hop character and bitterness. Finishes sweetish and crisp. Slight metallic hint lingers into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Sure, there're better lagers, but there are also far, far worse ones to be found. The metallic aftertaste definitely mars it's overall drinkability, but, beyond that, it's really just another pale lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2008 02:17:18 | More by ChainGangGuy

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.55/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a light yellow lager with a nice huge bubbly pure white head with minimal retention. Aroma of crisp hops with some sweet malt. Taste is also very refreshing with crisp hops and fresh slightly sweet malt. Not skunky as I had feared nor that thin. Could have been a lot worse.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2005 21:01:10 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.55/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Corn beer. Basically looks like an ordinary lager. Yellow, white head, lots of carbonation. Low level sweetness and high corn sugar to nose. Tastes the same with abrupt yeastiness and low maltiness. Obviously a low quality beer, but an easy drinking one. Light body, slightly creamy and slick. Finishes quick and airy. Not overly complex. I cannot beleive that people pay 3 dollars per bottle. It would make a nice free beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2005 00:34:10 | More by BEERchitect

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Red Stripe is interesting in that it's not a sweetish "island" lager like Corona or Sol, nor an interperetation of an American lager or European pilsner. Instead, it has kind of a European influence, but it doesn't really go any further than that. It's kind of a beer unto itself. Not that it's great...

It pours a clear golden body beneath a fluffy birghht-white head that holds well but leaves limited (but nice) lace.

The nose is pretty basic (mostly just generic beer) with a touch of hay-like malt, some milld yeasty fruit, and a bit of lager yeast sulphur.

The body is light/medium and it's crisp with a fine-bubbled, slightly above median carbonation level.

The flavor reveals a distinct note of sulphur, a limited amount of grainy malt character, some subtle fruitiness, and a smear of non-descript hops in the background. It's well-balanced with bitterness but there's a harsh edge to it nonetheless. It finishes with a quickly passing note of grain and a short-lingering raspy bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2006 02:02:10 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

The kickoff to the epic Swill Tour 2010! It pours a clear pale straw, topped by about a finger or so of white foam. The nose, like my father's jokes, is quite corny, both in terms of cob and syrup. Some old wheat and grass back that up. The taste resembles the smell, but with more hard water in there (I don't think my nose can detect hardness). What keeps me from turning up my mouth's nose at this is the virtual lack of an aftertaste: If there was the usual shitty aftertaste, I wouldn't be able to finish my partial pour. The body is decidedly light, with a light carbonation and a pretty watery feel. Overall, I'm not a fan of this, but I also won't necessarily cringe in terror if it's offered to me.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 20:33:08 | More by TMoney2591

metter98

New York

2.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear light yellow in color and has a light amount of carbonation. It poured with a very thin white head that faded away but left some lacy patterns of bubbles floating on the surface.
S: There are sweet aromas of grainy malts in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and is quite malty with a moderate amount of sweetness. There are flavors of corn and grainy malts.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. There are some hints of crispness.
D: Compared to other beers in this style, Red Stripe is very drinkable, although the sweetness would keep me from drinking more than one of these at a time.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2011 16:17:02 | More by metter98

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Well, now summer is here, for sure....anyone who's not hot & bothered is happily hooked up to AC, ...I swear I saw someone making an omelette on the sidewalk...and a beer like Red Stripe sounds like the greatest thing on Earth...so, away we go!

Appearance, clear and very pale yellow, big, buzzing bone-white head that collapses in a hurry.

Aroma: a little honeyish and sweet, slight herbal, vegetal character, but mostly vapid.

Taste: brisk, carbonation, overtakes the mouthfeel at first, then fades, as does everything else...bereft of personality, it's a faint, feeble thing, but it's wet and quenches the thirst. And that's all it really needs to do. On a day like today, this is the ideal beer, though I'd be tempted to switch to a weiss bier or a wit just to toss my tastebuds a bone.

This really should be as popular as Corona, but perhaps the fact that it doesn't actually taste bad, and requires no lime, is the hindrance here.
Certainly better than American macros, but we're splitting hairs here.

Anyway..."It's Beer"...um, "hooray,...beer"
...sigh...

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2005 23:24:22 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.78/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a nice golden color with a white lacey head. The aroma is traditional lager; pale malts and lager yeast, but this has a zingy edge to it. The taste is good. Again, there is that zing, but the maltiness shines through. The mouthfeel is just right. This is a light bodied beer that goes down smooth. A good drinker on hot days or anytime for that matter. This is a step up from the usual macro lagers.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2003 10:33:26 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

New tradition starting tonight, 40 ounce Thursdays. For the following several months, every Thursday possible, I will review beers served in 40 ounce bottles or beers that are on the "Bottom of the Barrel List"

Poured into a shaker pint because I'm too lazy to dig out my Red Stripe shaker pint. Beer is yellow and clear. Forms an impressive head that falls away to a monolayer and leaves lacing on the glass, nice. Carbonation is moderate and steady. Looks good.

Aroma is quite sweet but it smells like a big pilsner.

Beer is thin and plasticy. Its tastes slightly artificial. Its really sweet on the front and on the back. It finishes nicely. Eh....second taste was worse. It just doesn't taste like anything at all. Its a pretty big disappointment overall.

When I was in Tempe, AZ attending ASU, there was a bar called McDuffy's near my apartment. They would serve 25 cent redstripes from 8 to 10PM M-Th. We went there one night and drink 2$ of red stripes in 2 hours. It was super gross.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 01:55:03 | More by drabmuh

zeff80

Missouri

2.98/5  rDev -1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours out a clear, light yellow color. A small, short-lived head. No lacing.

S - Smells of malt and hops.

T - It was a little sweet and the hops weren't very noticeable.

M - It is crisp and a little too dry.

D - It is an okay lager. The taste won't blow you away but it is certainly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2006 01:36:56 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.55/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a very pale yellow color, with a thin white head that fades very quickly and leaves almost no lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, honey and some spice, with a touch of hops.

T: The taste has a little bit more sweetness than most in the style, with flavors of corn and honey. There's a very mild hops presence. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp with a little smoothness, light body, medium carbonation, clean finish.

D: A little flavorful, goes down very easily, not filling at all, mild kick, it's not bad for the style but it's something I'd only drink if there weren't much else to choose from.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 02:59:39 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

2.73/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The beer pours out as a yellow color, very clear body with a fizzy white head. The smell was on the sweeter side, some corn and other grains. The taste was decent but nothing special. The mouthfeel was very drinkable. Overall this beer is a typical lager.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 22:51:53 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

24 oz "stubbie" bottle

Pours extremely light golden with a 1 finger deep head, where the hell did it go??? Just a whisper of lacing

S: Sweetness & grass.

T: Sweet malt, a little cornyness & grassyness up front. Lemon & corny notes surface as it warms. Finishes with a slight floral& citric hop snap

MF: Light to medium bodied, good carbonation & skews sweet on balance

Drinks okay, where's the goat curry or jerk chicken that'd pair pretty well with this? I'd take this over most mexican lagers I've tried, without a doubt. The warmer the beer gets or the colder climate, the less desirable this is IMO. Used to to inhale this & labatts when Iived in FLA

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2006 03:25:23 | More by russpowell

Gueuzedude

Arizona

1.53/5  rDev -49.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

A lightly hazy gold color with a thick white head. There is a sweetish grainy aroma, basically a typical cheap lager type aroma. It is sweet up front and it begins with a crisp ending in the finish, but then gets a bit rancid; a bit of buttery diacetyl here. This one is slightly offensive for a macro-swill, though not overly so. A very lackluster beer, and the rancid finish does not help.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2004 22:15:03 | More by Gueuzedude

Halcyondays

California

3.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. stubby brown bottle,

A: Pours a very pale yellow colour, with a nice fizzy, white head a first, but quickly dissipates to nothing. Looks like an other boring macro lager beer.

S: Smells lightly of malt, less corny than other AML's, which is nice, kind of a musky smell.

T: Husky cereal grains upfront, with a bit of apple cider character, no real trace of hops though, a fair tasting beer.

M: Kind of fizzy, watery, high in carbonation, but a better beer body than most macros.

D: An OK imported beer from Jamaica, but probably won't buy again unless I'm on the beach in the Caribbean. Liked the funny commercials after PTI breaks that used to show on ESPN though.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2007 07:00:32 | More by Halcyondays

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I remember this brand as the heavliy-pushed special at a famous local seafood concern in the Okanagan many moons ago, and the combination of the elevated temperatures (for Canada, anyways) and the lakeside humidity, made it seem like an ideal choice for a round or two at the time.

Bonus points (somewhat) for the stubby, a woefully under-represented and forgotten bottle style around these parts.

Now, under more clinical eyes, this beer pours a very light golden hue, with minimal thin, soapy white head, that leaves a bit of sparse lace as it quickly melts away. It smells of mildly sweet rice/corn grain, with a moderate skunkiness level. The taste is more of the same, a moderately sweet adjunct grain, with no hops anywhere in sight. The carbonation is middling, the body quite thin, and it finishes off-dry, with a subtle skunkiness pervading for a spell. Not really offensive overall, an adequate patio thirst quencher in hot, humid weather, as the memory remains.

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2009 07:05:57 | More by biboergosum

jwc215

New Jersey

3.13/5  rDev +4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured light golden yellow with a white bubbly head that quickly faded and eventually completely disappeared.
The smell was thin - Some vague adjuncts were slightly detectable after starting to drink it. Nothing offensive in the smell, but nothing stood out either.
The taste was fairly thin - a touch of malty sweetness. The hops were very mild - almost non-detectable. Like the smell, nothing offensive, but nothing really stood out either.
Overall, it was fairly refreshing and clean. Somewhat smooth. A bit watery, but not overly so. Good enough for a drink in the heat, and not bad for what it is, but nothing to choose for taste. A mediocre brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2006 15:03:06 | More by jwc215

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Not bad, just bland. It's completely unoffensive and while the bottle is pretty sweet, this beer is too damn expensive for what the conents are. Basically tastes and smells like a pasturized light american lager. It is thirst quenching and does a good job of washing down food, but I won't get this again unless its the best option available and beer is a neccessity.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2007 02:34:36 | More by tempest

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev +20.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A stubby 12 oz bottle.

A: The lager is a bright yellow, not the pale lackluster color you'd expect, with a great clarity. The bottle managed to offer up a finger and a half of head before disappearing.

S: The nose is malty, sweet with an adjunct aroma. Nothing to get excited about, but the style rarely has anything to get excited about.

T: The lager is malt-centric, subtle with a well-pronounced sweetness of creamed corn. No hop presence but the lightness of the lager couldn't support 'em.

M: The lager is more than a run of the mill macro, having a nice body that throws off some crisp flavor (albeit a corny flavor). One of the more drinkable macros.

D: The beer was meant for pounding, light and low in alcohol.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2008 19:29:11 | More by akorsak

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.68/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Red Stripe pours from a short stubby bottle to form a highly carbonated pale golden hue with a white head. There is nothing spectacular about this beer on any levels. The nose is a malty lemony shapness that mellows out as the beer sits. At first taste, the malt base over bears along with corn and rice present in the overall consumption. In the finish, I get some lemon grass hints of flavor that were very mellow. By no means is this worth the price, because last time I had seen a case it was around 30 bucks. No way could I ever invest in a case of this one. As far as Jamaican beer goes I want to find some Dragon Stout.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2003 12:41:47 | More by WVbeergeek