Yellowhead Premium Lager - Yellowhead Brewery

prosper

Alberta (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Munich Helles? Really? To me, this comes off a lot more like a bohemian pils than a helles. There's a much stronger hop presence, lots more bittering, and a fuller body than something like lowenbrau.

Pours a deep yellow - a few shades darker than the usual german pils - similar in colour to pilsner urquell, exceptionally clear, with a dense, sticky head.

Smells slightly spicy, with an odd malty tang - slight tartness. It carries a strange herbal note that must be hops, but I can't identify it - it's not at all citrusy, more earthy and maybe even a little catty. The same notes is present in the flavour. It finishes with a lingering bitterness. There's very little malt presence in this beer. Other than that tartness I mentioned, there's not really any yeast character to this beer - it's very clean.

Body is medium-full. It's noticeably sticky on the palate, but not at all sweet and certainly not cloying.

It's an interesting beer - definitely not boring, in a style of beer that are usually quite boring. I think I like it.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2010 20:43:08 | More by prosper

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Visited the Brewery / tasting room in Edmonton. Unfortunately they had just sold their last available bottle, so none to take home, but still got to enjoy a fresh tapped version.
Clear, dark golden color, foam settled quickly to a thin floating cap, thin stringy lace.
Smell of fresh, biscuit malt, some slight herbal grassiness. Taste started with the same light grains, good overall lager flavors, hint of lemon at the end.
Light body, good carbonation, refreshing and easy to drink.
Nothing spectacular, but nicely done. Looks like they are going the Steam Whistle route and sticking with just one beer.
I will look for it again next time I am in Edmonton.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2013 05:01:12 | More by BigBry

wesbray

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%

08-01-2012 18:53:34 | More by wesbray

Jason

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +16.6%

04-10-2012 02:28:13 | More by Jason

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

from notes last summer at a restaurant in Edmonton
A - clear golden copper, showed up with head having settled at a thin covering with some random lacing
S - biscuity malt with faint adjunct aroma, mildly pepper and herbal
T - bready grains, straw, some very mild citrus, generally a run of the mill lager flavour
M - light with gentle carbonation, a down the gullet type feel which I suppose it the point
O - always glad to see a new local brewer, this one seems to be made for the average Joe beer drinker, and while I am an average Joe in general, I am not when it comes to beer, so I have to rate it average overall

Serving type: on-tap

03-25-2012 03:34:39 | More by joemcgrath27

benbou17

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +2%

12-12-2011 06:18:50 | More by benbou17

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

The first time I had this beer, I distinctly remember it being among the worst I had ever had. Apparently my BA colleagues disagree, so I'm giving it another try.

It pours a dark golden/medium amber colour with a nice thin foamy head.

The aroma is distinctly sweet and has hints of caramel and spice. Notes of vanilla toasted grain float around in the background.

The taste is rich and toasty with some nice hints of popcorn and vanilla/marshmallow. There is some faint grassy hops, but this beer is mostly about the malt character.

Overall, this is WAY better than I remember. I might have to make this a regular part of my beer fridge! My first bottle must have been bad. Or perhaps they hadn't figured things out when the brewery was just getting started. Glad that there's another quality beer in E-town.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 04:15:20 | More by evlu1441

elricorico

Alberta (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Big off-white head atop a clear coppery coloured body. decent retention and some sticky lacing left behind.

Aroma comes across somewhat soapy at first, but seems to separate to a bready malt with a healthy dose of citric hops.

Tastes of crackery/biscuity malt, with some caramel in the middle that seems to grow in influence with each sip. Becomes quite sweet for a lager, hops come across as a light herbal impression at the finish.

Fairly full bodied and a little sticky feeling, with healthy carbonation. A touch heavier than I'd suggest for the style.

Not a bad beer, a little fuller and sweeter than I prefer for a session lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2011 02:58:06 | More by elricorico

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle: Poured a golden color ale with a relatively large white foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of lightly sweet malt with clean cereal notes is refreshing. Taste is also dominated by clean cereal taste with lightly sweet ending. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Not bad but lacking fresher cereal notes and maybe some light crisp hops.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2010 15:38:57 | More by Phyl21ca

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -19%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

From a 500 ml brown bottle. Pours out a clear golden hue, tall creamy white head.

Clean biscuit malt on the nose, faint spicy hops in the background.

Things bottom out in the flavour. Flat grainy malt offers no backbone whatsoever for the otherwise adequate spicy hops, it just doesn't pull together.

Slick, thin mouthfeel, low carbonation, not much body.

Underwhelming, it has room to grow if they work out the kinks, however for now I have no desire to have another one of these.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2010 21:48:10 | More by IronDjinn

scott451

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a glass mug. Three finger fluffy off white head on a deep golden yellow. Good head retention. Some moderate lacing. Malty smell. Caramel in the taste. Sweetish. Light hop finish. A bit weak. Medium body. Not bad drinkability. No real flaws but the sweetness would get a bit cloying after a while.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2010 02:53:01 | More by scott451

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Yellowhead Brewing Company has set up shop in the old Maverick brewery in downtown Edmonton, the one with the big glass windows showing the shiny vats to passerby on 105th street. What was good then, is good now - a small, downtown, walkable location, independent, with a reputable Euro-style brewer. However, they've kept the same target market - lagers - that had to play into Maverick's problems in the recent past. Everything feels so familiar about the whole thing, but the hosts at their tasting room this afternoon were quite friendly and informative, and you can buy cold half-litre bottles of their current sole offering at said location...

This beer pours a clear medium golden hue, with three fingers of thick soapy lily-white head, which leaves some cirrus layers of lace around the glass as it recedes in due time. It smells of biscuit and bready malt, and some mild grassy/floral hops. The taste is bready, grainy malt, some very subtle lemon citrus, and grassy, straw-like hops. The carbonation is quite soft, the body moderately weighted, smooth, a bit unctuous, and a tad creamy. It finishes dry, clean, and with a mild essence of floral hops.

A mild, but well-balanced and flavourful German-style bright lager. I'm looking forward to trying it on tap this summer.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2010 23:52:59 | More by biboergosum