Taiwan Beer - Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation

twiggamortis420

Texas

2.8/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pretty sure this is my first Taiwanese beer, and what a treat it is, lol. 22 oz bomber pours a crystal clear gold color with a decent cap of white head. Fades fast initially, but leaves a nice sheen and at least a bit of lacing.

Nose is corn-a-licious. Wow, is there any malted barley in here? The can I saw in the store said so, it must be true :) No hops and there is a pretty substantial sweetness. Does not smell nearly as offensive as a Budweiser for what thats worth. The back label of my bottle claims 'It is our mission to bring one of the best and distinctive flavored lager beers to people throughout the world who enjoy this universal brew'...thats awfully nice of the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, dont you think?

The taste is more offensive than the nose, unfortunately. The sweetness is out of control and seriously needs some hops for at least a semblance of balance. It is adjunct laden, and nearly corn syrup-esque. Not good, but it does taste decently fresh and I will be able to finish my 22 oz sample. I cant wait to try the Gold Medal Taiwan beer I bought to go along with this treasure. For an AAL it is not entirely foul.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 17:44:46 | More by twiggamortis420

matjack85

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev +31.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I found this 1 pint 4.2oz brown bottle at the Binny's store in Bloomingdale, IL for $3.49. This will be my first beer from Taiwan. No freshness date, but I want to note that the label design on the bottle version looks nothing like the design on the can.

The beer pours a clear pale gold color and makes a 1½-finger dish soap looking white head that fades in less than a minute back to a thin white rim. Very little lacing on this one.

The beer has a mild lager smell - nothing offensive, but nothing interesting either. Faint sweet malt and even fainter hop presense, but at least there is some.

Not bad, not great. On par with the majority of the big popular macro brews. Mild malt sweetness balanced with a touch of bitterness from the hops.

Light body with crisp carbonation.

I'd drink it again if offered, but I see no reason to go out and buy it at US prices, but I could see drinking it if I visited or lived in Taiwan.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 07:39:45 | More by matjack85

schlimenhaumer

New York

3.35/5  rDev +40.8%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured from a 10.14 oz. bottle into a pint glass at low altitude.

A: Pours a very light crystal clear yellow like any other adjunct, with a pithy white head that fades to nothing and leaves no lacing at all.

S: A faint smell of malt without much of anything else. Not a strong smell by any means.

T: Better on this front. Malt and other grain notes up front followed by the slightest hint of hops. Although the flavor isn't very strong, it's quite well balanced and clean; it doesn't taste watered down and finishes with a nice bitterness.

M: Imagine a slightly less carbonated version of club soda.

D: For what it's worth, I think this is quite a nice representation of the style. That said, I'm not sure the difference in quality between this one and cheaper adjuncts makes up for the price premium.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 04:58:01 | More by schlimenhaumer

HalfFull

California

3.13/5  rDev +31.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 600ml. brown pry off bottle into a pint glass. Pours a medium straw in color, quite clear, and with a half inch of just off white head. Offers typical or better retention and lacing and without any floaties some others experienced.

Semi sweet malts on the nose with a notable sweet rice component. Light noble hop presence. Overall quite light on the nose and without any detractions at the same time. Hops more prominent after some air. Closer to a Euro. Pale Lager in style.

Taste follows the nose with sweet grains dominant though not coarse or bready. Slight citrus finish lingers briefly. Carbonation is good but does thin out a bit after some time, yielding a light creaminess. Sweetness doesn't deter drinkability as this beer isn't really that sweet, only that it's malt profile is somewhat simple and singular in its approach. Actually quite smooth and light and drinks easily.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 02:27:48 | More by HalfFull

whiteskittlz

California

2.17/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Bought this at 99 Ranch Market in Irvine, CA. When i saw how cheezy the cans looked, this 20.4 oz bottle looked pretty nice, with a claim to "Gold Medal World Monde Selection Bruxelles". In a pig's eye!!!

looks: not bad colouring...a golden that fades to piss towards the bottom of my pilsner glass. not much fizzle and absolutely no head retention.

nose: not bad. slight maltiness... maybe the lack of carbonation is limiting the bouquet, though I doubt I'm missing much.

taste: not bad for the style (riced macro...like the US's big 3), but the finish is just rough. the sweet maltiness is probably the only redeeming quality.

mouth: again, rough. Im glad there isn't more carbonation.

drinkabilities: I would rather drink it than an american macro, but feeling the grassy gassiness rising in my stomach makes it pretty damn unlikely.

-ajh

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2008 01:17:18 | More by whiteskittlz

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.83/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I picked this up at an Asian market in St. Louis while traveling with my Taiwanese buddy and our girlfriends. We were down there to pick up some good Asian food and beverages, and I found this on the trip.

A - A big fluffy head rises above a dull honey hued brew, but recedes pretty fast. Some random lace is left behind. Nothing much to look at here, but the head is much better than most brews of this style. Why is it that any basic lager is called American-Macro-Lager? It seems that the Asian and Mexican beers, though similar to BMC, are usually quite a bit more flavorful, and have much more substantial heads.

S - Snappy hops lend this a crisp and biting note, and the bubbly carbonation tickles my nose hairs. Some really nice saaz notes are there, along with a crisp sea-salt air aroma that makes this refreshing on the nose. There is an almost lemon-rind note too. I'm impressed!

T - This is pretty assertive for a usually weak style. This has loads of crisp wheaty-twang and witbier-like hops along with some added spice. The malt notes are honey and light fruit focused, and all of the flavors aren't shy about showing themselves. This is really pretty damn good stuff!

M - Light bodied, crisp, and refreshing with a heavier feel than most macro lagers. You can tell that there is some weight behind the ingredients in this brew.

D - I honestly wasn't expecting much from this beer, and I'm pleasantly surprised! This is not overly complex, but it has some really solid flavors going for it, and it's extremely thirst quenching and refreshing. Wow!

Note: Saw this on Wikitravel.org "A wide variety of imported beers are available, but the standard is Taiwan Beer 台灣啤酒, produced by a former government monopoly. It is brewed with fragrant penglai rice in addition to barley giving it a distinctive flavor."

Sp that's what that flavor is! I like it!

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2008 00:08:50 | More by pmcadamis

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.05/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Green bottle, 600ml, claiming to be a Gold Medal Beer, whoever voted for this beer was got at!

Paler than a pale thing, on international pale day, this lager looked like Euro fizz, but even paler, light, no very light, almost a see through watery, urine after a heavy day of drinking Bitburger (you must be pissed if you think I've done that).

Taste-less, aroma-less, mouthfeel-less, drinkable-less etc, etc.

If I am stuck in an Island with a dead bloke and a crate of this beer, I would drink rain water before I would open a bottle of Taiwan Beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2007 23:23:50 | More by BlackHaddock

Zorro

California

1.9/5  rDev -20.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Giant size brown bottle from the Beverage Warehouse in Culver City California.

Pours a fizzy yellow beer, looks like a BMC type beer to me.

Smell is clean with a lot of corn smell. Mild scents of malt and a little bit of acid in the scent. A little grain and biscuit in the scent.

Taste is flat and noticeably oxidized, lot of cardboard flavor. Flavor of corn and that is about it.

Light mouthfeel.

Yes you can drink this but why? At its best this was a Budweiser clone, but shipped across an ocean it is $1.69 a Giant bottle at the Beverage Warehouse in Culver City.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2005 22:36:44 | More by Zorro

DogFood11

California

2.4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Picked up a tall bottle at beverage warehouse that I would geuss to be 16-18 ouncer although nothing to indicate exactly the size. No freshness date to speak of. The bottle is tall and slender, tinted brown. The label is very generic green lettering on an off white background. It states just below the name "tawain beer" that this beer won the "grand gold medal of the 1997 world monde selection.

Malted in the nose with the expected grainy clean smell.

Quite refreshing. More of a sweet malt presence than I'm used to in the style. Crisp and clean all around. Light watered mouthfeel that gets saved by a medium carbonation sizzle. Somewhere in the middle of each drink I got a hop twang that tasted like a cheap adjunct filler.

I found this to be an average macro lager that would be good for sessioning. A slightly sweeter version of US domestic versions.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2005 02:32:03 | More by DogFood11

RoyalT

Ohio

1.35/5  rDev -43.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Appearance – Very light orange in color with little head.

Smell – The odor is very mild here, but I can pick up some rotten mowed grass and Band-Aids.

Taste – Oh, this is horrid. The Band-Aids carry the day at the taste, and there’s some sort of God-awful flavor here that curdles the cheeks. I don’t know what it is. It’s kind of like a very flat, stale, weak soda.

Mouthfeel – The cheap fizzy mouthfeel is thankfully offset by a bit of dryness, but this is no picnic.

Sinkability – This is slightly better than the Caguama Light that I had earlier today, but it’s a close race.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2004 03:01:37 | More by RoyalT

elmocoso

Nebraska

1/5  rDev -58%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I know that a person is not supposed to review from memory, but this will have to be the exception to the rule.

I found this beer at the 99cent store for 3 for 99C. I was excited. It was about 2 years ago.

I threw um in the fridge and invited a chum over to try the Taiwan beer and he was happy to oblige. I got two out of the fridge and cracked um open. Gave one to my buddy and one for myself. He, being more naturally cautious, sniffed at and looked into the bottle suspisciously. I took a chug. Awful. Terrible. It literally tasted of Soy Sauce. No shit. My friend gets a glass and starts pouring as i took another swig, just for good measure. While the beverage was still in my mouth, i looked at my friends poured version, only to see flakes and chunks swerling around in the glass. I almost barfed and quickly spit my swig into the sink. This stuff is Terrible.

el_mocoso

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2003 20:02:45 | More by elmocoso

Amalak

New York

2.18/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

A. Clearish semi-dark gold color. See through with lots of bubbles. There's a slight bubbly white head but dissipates quickly and no lace.

S. Very, very mild malt scent.

T/M. It's your basic malty lager. Basically an American macro. But not sour. It's carbonated and bubbly. Light body.

O. It's your basic, mass-produced lager. Nothing special, but not horrible like some of the American Macros you might find.

Serving type: can

01-23-2013 20:25:11 | More by Amalak

metter98

New York

2.38/5  rDev 0%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a very slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin head that quickly died down, leaving only delicate lacing covering the surface.
S: There are moderately strong aromas of musty corn in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a light amount of bitterness. It’s not skunky, just musty.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a good amount of flavors compared to others in the style, except that the taste isn’t that good.

Serving type: can

08-06-2012 01:34:11 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

2.48/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a crystal clear medium yellow with some very light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a half finger tall fizzy bright white head that quickly reduces to a small patch of very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing is observed.

S: Moderate aromas of corn, musty corn, and steamed corn husks with light amounts of sweetness.

T: Similar to the smell, the taste is dominated by the flavors of corn, mustiness, and corn husk. There is really no detectable hops and very light hints of bitterness.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: While this beer is not one of my favorites (or even one that I'm likely to get again), it is a lot more flavorful than a lot of others in the style. Pretty easy to drink and could be sessionable but not one I personally want to have more than once.

Serving type: can

08-05-2012 18:36:20 | More by dbrauneis

JohnGalt1

Idaho

2.08/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Douglas88 sent this up in trade.. shared with the normal folks...

12oz can .... Pale yellow... short lasting white head... no lacing.

Nose is pale grains and nothing else.

Flavor is standard "Bud very light" .... probably lesser Bud... but we are getting down to a scale where "Bad=Bad".

Drink this before you drink the water... I guess.

Nothing good to say, but really, what should you expect?

This review will probably be much better than the BA average, but I have to say.... for what I was ready for, this was better.

Thanks Doug for a new country. :-)

2.5/2/2/2.5/2

Serving type: can

03-25-2012 07:43:58 | More by JohnGalt1

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev +29.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Found this at Euro Market and for $1.69 and couldn't pass up the label. It's almost entirely clean, but there's a very mild sour tang. Otherwise there's a sweet, pale barley kick with light berry fruit and a crisp, dry finish. The beer as the body of your regular premium beer, though the carbonation is a touch lighter. It's not bad by any stretch, just a plain, good for the style, adjust lager like Stroh's or Narragansett.

Serving type: can

03-03-2012 03:49:23 | More by tempest

dragonWhale

New York

3.18/5  rDev +33.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Who can believe such beautiful packaging could come from the one true China?! To Taiwan's independence!
The clearest straw beer I've ever seen. I can see my fingerprint all the way through the glass. Incredible. Pours a nice white head that dissipates quickly, effervescence from the bottom of the glass continues to push bubbles throughout this wonderful experience.
Very little aroma, a little malt and rice. Slight sweetness.
On this hot day, the beer is delicious. Not great, but delicious. The rice is noticeable but not offputting. Hops are very low but there is a bitterness at the beginning.
Overall, a solid hot summer daytime beer. Cheers to independence!

Serving type: can

07-16-2011 18:43:42 | More by dragonWhale

kojevergas

California

3.63/5  rDev +52.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Can acquired from a friend's collection in Ghent, Belgium. Poured into a Malheur goblet. Reviewed from notes.

A: Half finger of poor retention. Very thin and devoid of cream. Clear yellow colour.

Sm: Buttery and hoppy. Treated butterscotch mixed with barley. A very light strength scent.

T: Cream on the finish is lovely. Very well built. Balanced nice body featuring a surprising amount of hops. Very good. Nowhere near what I expected from the comparatively poor appearance. Notes are indistinct, but form a more complex beer in a sort of "whole is more than the sum of its parts" approach. A different approach to brewing, and one I think may be lost on other reviewers.

Mf: Buttery, smooth, and wet - but not too much.

Dr: I'd have another. This is the best Asian beer I've ever had. I assume it's affordable in Taiwan.

Serving type: can

06-02-2011 03:53:00 | More by kojevergas

dbaker61

Ohio

2.13/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Brew Date: Sept. 8, 2010. Best by Sept. 8, 2011.

Appearance: Pale yellow color, had less than a finger of soapy-looking foam from a vigorous pour. Short retention time, leaving a thin ring of bubbles. Very little lacing.

Smell: Very light sweet aroma, somewhere between malt and rice.

Taste: Just on the bitter side of the sweet-bitter dichotomy. Can definitely taste some rice in there. A fairly typical, and unexciting adjunct lager.

Mouthfeel: Not much. Has about the same body as water. Crisp finish, adequate carbonation.

Overall: Another ho-hum adjunct lager. Nothing special about this one. I think I'll pass on this one next time; there are just so many better beers to have.

Serving type: can

04-23-2011 14:07:24 | More by dbaker61

soju6

Missouri

2.63/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On-Tap at my hotel in Taipei, Taiwan.

A: Served a pale yellow color with a fluffy head that fades.

S: Has a light grain aroma with a trace of fruit mixed in.

T: Sort of bland. Has a light grain flavor

F: Light body, crisp

D: Good for a couple. Goes best with food. Local version of a BMC beer.

Serving type: on-tap

01-16-2011 13:42:15 | More by soju6

vince4953529

California

2.48/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Maybe I'm biased, but I've lived in Taiwan for 10+ years and myself being a "rednecky" Tawianese. This is the default beer for every place here. Had it on tap and countless bottles and cans, this competes with Budweiser and Coors who fancy "imports" over domestic swill, obviously nationalism is not fashionable here..l i digress.

Fizzy yellow lager beer, national-owned brewery, not much to savor here to be honest. It's easy to drink for the working men here, the blue-collar appeal is certainly a plus. Much cheaper than the invading macros from the US, and does not taste any worse either. This is the national Taiwanese beer and not much else, it's inoffensive but honestly it just isn't that good.

Serving type: can

11-18-2010 00:00:33 | More by vince4953529

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +49.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 5

Beer #2 of 11 reviewed that were brought back from a trip by my in laws to China.

A- Looks like pretty much every other brew that I've seen/consumed from the Orient. Straw like coloring, crystal clear and lots of carbonation rising to the top. The head was actually about an inch thick before settling fairly quick into a thin layer over the beer. Thin lacing attempts to cling to the side of my glass before ever so slowly sliding back into the liquid...not bad; not bad though.

S- The aromas are better than expected, being primarily of sweet malt and cooked vegetables. It is something that is different but I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is more fragrant than I would have expected, very husky/grainy but on a fresher scale. No hopped bitterness noticeable. Overall not a bad aroma...just slightly different, which is good for an Asian lager.

T- Much like the aroma, the flavor isn't all that bad! It has the aforementioned sweet malts and the uniqueness of this is that it has a sweet & tart grainyness to it....I took a quick break and found out that it's made with a special "ponlai" rice which must give it the fragrant aroma/taste that I'm experiencing...an ever mild hop bitterness graces the finish.

M- Thin and watery, much like I expected from this style/area of the world. The rice malt gives this a unique finish that sticks to the palate like paste....otherwise it is clean and refreshing.

D- This is one good Asian adjunct lager and I agree that it is more like a Euro pale than the adjunct character it's labeled as. This actually has some flavor and is easy to down, and I'd especially think this is true in hot humid weather. Definitely give this a try if you come across it!

Serving type: can

10-02-2010 01:58:26 | More by ChrisCage

whtguitarguy

Virginia

3.13/5  rDev +31.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I actually liked it for a regular beer. Pours to that fizzy yellow beer look with a little bit of a head. Smell was nothing special, it reminded me of American macros. Taste was not too bad, as I said I would drink it on the regular. Very light bodied, I guess a bit watery, laced with slight malty flavor. Can definitely taste the water through it. Mouthfeel is fine, a little bit coating but not special, no aftertaste, especially when eating Chinese food.

Serving type: can

12-23-2009 03:51:53 | More by whtguitarguy

mrmanning

Ontario (Canada)

1.85/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

LCBO can from 2 years ago. I forgot I had this in my "beer cellar". Let's see how time aged this. Sparkling body with a bleached white head. Grainy tin aroma, corn and minerals too. Sweet malty corn flavour, with some grain. There were chuncks in this? Strange. I hope it doesn't make me ill. Ok.

Serving type: can

11-03-2009 16:11:21 | More by mrmanning

CpnYates

Virginia

2.93/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Someone reviewed this beer as Taiwan's Coor's Light. Probably right, and here (or at least here defining the few blocks I am willing to walk in each direction from my hotel) this passes as a pretty good option. Taiwan is not a beer mecca, and during the hot humid days Taiwan beer and it's non-offensive and light qualities hit the spot. Worth a try while in Taiwan, even if for nothing else than being cheap. And this version is much better than the lager.

Serving type: can

07-27-2009 09:56:50 | More by CpnYates