Clausthaler Premium - Binding-Brauerei AG

Rayek

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pale straw color with a soapy white head and marginal carbonation. Good clarity and decent head retention.

S: Smells like a very week Euro Lager. Faint maltiness and that's about it.

T: Surprisingly beer-like for an NA beer. Dry malt up front followed by a fair amount of bitterness relative toit. Clean and crisp. Overall, this is a mild flavored beer that doesn't offend.

M: Super-light body is a bit too fizzy.

D: Good for what it is. Not something I would buy personally, but a good take on the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 18:58:08 | More by Rayek

Pauly2X

Wisconsin

3.2/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A- Clear bright gold, very bubbly, quarter finger rocky head.

S- Very grainy and bready with some noble hop notes in the background.

T- Slightly sweet malt taste up front which gets "grainy" towards the middle. Very faint hop finish.

M- Quite fizzy, but otherwise pretty smooth.

D- Well I guess if there's no alcohol in this I could just keep going.

True, non-alcoholic beers kinda suck. However this is cleary the best one out there. I would also drink this over bud light. It's nice to know that if my liver takes a shit on me, I can at least have this.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2008 21:03:59 | More by Pauly2X

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle, best by end of 09/08. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a clear light gold color with a half inch white head. Head retention and lacing is average. It smells like sweet malt and dough/bread. No hops that I can notice. The aroma is sweet, and non-offensive. No "off" or skunky aromas. The taste is the same as the aroma, bready and sweet. A little bit too sweet for my taste. With that being said, it doesn't taste bad, I've certainly drank worse beers (yeah, I know this is non-alcoholic). Mouthfeel/body is light, it's thin but crisp. Drinkability is OK, it's not hard to drink at all. If I was somewhere that only had NA beers, I'd drink it again. For the style I think it's decent.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2008 23:52:47 | More by bluejacket74

scaliasux

Wisconsin

2.08/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Appearance - Light gold. Very clear and bubbly. Thick white, sudsy head with decent retention. Looks appetizing.

Smell - Light chemical maltiness. Similar to a macro.

Taste - Light macro sweetness. Finish is more sour than bitter. Kinda yucky aftertaste. Not a good tasting product.

Mouthfeel - Thin, very watery. Crisp.

Drinkability - Wouldn't drink it if something else was available.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2008 23:10:21 | More by scaliasux

Onslow

Texas

3.95/5  rDev +35.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beir has a wonderful bitterness, very like a NA pilsner! ... colour is light golden yellow .. low no head, but some sparse lacing .. Has a wonderful flavour to it, grassy and crisp! .. One of the nicer Non-Alcoholics!!! Clausthaler seems to know how to do NA's!!

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2008 18:34:58 | More by Onslow

goschool

California

2.7/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: The pour is golden with a large white head that gets smaller, but lasts until the last sip.

Smell: The nose has strangely sweet-doughy malts, and hops.

Taste: There are the weird sweet-doughy malts, grains, vegetable soup, and noble hops. It's like a light export lager with corn-syrup.

[Edit] rhoadsrage is absolutely right. There is definitely a light tomato flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with soft carbonation.

Drinkability: I can't know unless it really happens, but if for some reason I couldn't drink alcohol, I don't know that I would turn to this stuff too often. I would certainly drink a lot of beverages over this in that future and it's the flavor, not the lack of booze.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2006 07:27:58 | More by goschool

SuperSpy

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Very clear golden color, a 1-inch white head and some beautiful lace.

S - Smells like fresh malted barley, or maybe like I stuck my head inside a bag of dry malt extract. There is also some tomato soup in there.

T - This tastes like a grabbed a handful of pale malt and started snacking. I do that sometimes so this is a pretty nice taste. No crunch of barley kernels though so it's not as satisfying. This isn't nearly as sweet as I expected from an NA, so I am very impressed. There is some decent balance here.

D - Honestly this is an easy drinking NA. I would highly recommend this to any DD at a bar where it was available. Not something I would drink normally but if the doc said I couldn't drink alcohol anymore then this would find its way into my fridge occasionally.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2006 03:09:43 | More by SuperSpy

TheLiterati

California

2.58/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Straw colored with a white head that yields to lots of lacing.

I’d agree with other BAs that there is a weird undertone of tomatoes or tomato soup in the aroma. In fact, one BA said SpaghettiOs, and darn it all, it’s in there, along with some light malts and grains, maybe a teeny bit of hops.

Mouthfeel starts off crisp, but gives way to an unpleasantness – dry, but not in a good way. Still, the flavor is more grainy than sweet, which is a pleasant surprise for this style.

As long as your expectations of an NA beer aren’t too high, this will pass as drinkable. All in all better than many NAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2006 03:29:21 | More by TheLiterati

joecast

Australia

3.5/5  rDev +19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

well this should remind me of checking what im buying, not just grabbing something new for the sake of it. does explain the low low price.

same label as the pic, just a brown bottle. best before 04/07.

generic fizzy yellow beer, with medium high carbonation. white smallish head. leaves some light lacing.

aroma is surprising. definite hoppiness there. has the euro pale lager aroma down pat. well at least a better than average version of it. tends toward sweeter malt as it warms. also keep getting some breakfast cereal in the background. maybe just that im a cereal junkie, but its there for me anyway.

taste is light and crisp at first. probably just the higher carbonation helping keep it lively but its not bad. light bitterness, but certainly not too sweet.

easy to drink quickly, which i think is best, at .5%abv. i know we dont want to judge beer when its too cold, but here i think its more appropriate. the sharp crisp character is this beers strong suit, and it loses it quickly as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2006 05:40:56 | More by joecast

JudgeRoughneck

Louisiana

3.4/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 5

My first ever NA beer looks very inviting with a shiny gold luster and a thin, brittle, white head. Aromas are sweet and musty. Here we go, down the hatch. Damn! Not foul at all. I'm impressed. This is extremely light with very thin malt base and a big artificial fruit characer Kind of like someone steeped a red fruit-roll-up in it. That blends suprisingly well with a metallic finish. This is not a great beer, but I'm not spitting it out like I expected to. Its very drinkable, even if that is attributable to its wateriness.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2006 22:40:03 | More by JudgeRoughneck

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.55/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a strange)

A- This beer has a crystal clear straw yellow body with a thick creamy white head that last and last. The carbonation is a strong stream of tiny bubbles.

S- For the first time ever I detect a strong tomato smell in the beer. As I keep breathing in the aroma it starts to smell more and more like pale malt wort with no hops. But I still have tomato stuck in my head. It's not really offensive but then again I like tomatoes.

T- The taste of chewing fresh pale malt from the mill comes through with a very soft noble hops. The really fresh grain comes through very nicely and is still impressive. After the finish there is a strong bitter hop flavor that hangs in the back of the throat but is not really noticed on the taste buds.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel but it is more due to the fizz that it taste more full. No alcohol warmth noticed in this one.

D- Once I get past the tomato this has some nice distinct grain flavors with a little hops but it could use more.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2006 01:52:57 | More by rhoadsrage

Frozensoul327

Michigan

1.93/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

My first official NA beer review. Pours out to a medium golden color with a foamy white head. Wads of lacing inside the glass. Aromas are weak, some grain was noted, but that was the extent of it. Taste was unappealing; I could not finish this. Flavors of chemical corn, sour, watery malt and an almost salty note did not sit well. Mouthfeel was slighly bubbly, and reminded me of Alka Seltzer. Not a drinking mans brew. Pass. Now if you'll excuse me, i'm gonna get a real beer.

THE BLOODHOUND FACTOR: Benji and Peaches really dug this one. Good. I hate to see beer wasted, as I was gonna just pour it out.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2006 00:35:04 | More by Frozensoul327

RBorsato

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +57.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Light yellow-ish gold with a full creamy pillowy white head, nice carbonation, and decent lace. Spicy malt and spicy pine hop aroma and flavor. Much different profile and much more robust than the American macro versions of N/A beers. Medium bodied, smooth and creamy with a spicy dry finish.

Reminds me of Beck's a bit ... very nice for an N/A and by far my favorite one. You'd almost swear you were drinking a true German Pilsner. Had to give this one props for drinkability.

Per label: "Water, barley malt, hops, yeast".
92 cal., 18.8g carb., 1.4 g prot., 0 fat.

Best Before (end of): 01/07
Tasted: 01/08/06

($6.08 / 6-pack)

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2006 19:16:55 | More by RBorsato

badbeer

Iowa

2.03/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Pours a straw color with a half inch head that dissipates and leaves little to no lacing. Smell is of grains and a slight skunkiness to it, couldn't really find any hop aroma. Taste is real watery with a slight taste of grain and skunkiness, no hops detected. Seems to be a little overcarbonated with virtually no body. I just can't give any higher than a one for drinkability, less than one of these is more than enough.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2006 21:33:23 | More by badbeer

GClarkage

California

1.98/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

01/14/06- Snagged from the fridge at relatives house we were staying at.

Presentation- 12oz bottle, no freshness info. Poured into a chalice like glass.

Appearance- Straw colored yellow liquid. Small 1/4 inch head that soon evaporates. No lacing at all.

Smell- Pretty bad scent of a mixture of canned creamed corn and spagetti-o's. Not a pretty picture.

Taste- Doesn't taste a whole lot better than the scent. A sweet corn sryup malt sweetness with a slight hop twang. That's about it.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation, can't get past that canned corn taste though.

Drinkability- I used to think this was some pretty damn good n/a beer when I was 18 or so. Used to even think it competed with regular beer. Guess I was a touch mistaken. Not very good at all in any capacity. Drink some oj or something else good for you.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2006 23:14:05 | More by GClarkage

pentathlete

Virginia

2.13/5  rDev -27.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours pretty enough with a clear golden color and a small white head. Not much bubbling action and the foam falls to a ring. Smell is sweet barley soup, grains predominant with that euro lager hop odor. Not inviting at all. The taste is cloying, wet, like a skunky Heineken. Mouthfeel is thin, watery, with a finish that is unpleasant, probably from the unfermented malts. Not really drinkable, but this could be because I don't care for this style when it has alcohol, let alone the NA version.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2005 22:26:54 | More by pentathlete

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.05/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I have never had a low alcohol beer. So, as I prepare to drink and review my first one, the option of reviewing it *as* a low alcohol beer (in other words, in comparison with others of the style) isn't an option. Reviewing it as beer doesn't seem fair either. Therefore, I have decided to review two such offerings in a comparison tasting. By reviewing the current #3 (this one) side-by-side with the current #21 (Warsteiner Premium Fresh), I hope to find out what makes a beer of this style good, or at least palatable. Enough introductory nonsense, on with the show...

Lucent golden amber that appears darker than most light beers and is several shades darker than its competitor. The head is a fine thing indeed; eggshell in color with plenty of stickiness and a characterful texture that would make beer of any style proud. There's quite a bit of chunky lace on the glass that looks as if it won't be washed away easily. This one has nothing to be ashamed about so far.

Clausthaler Premium has the clear advantage when it comes to the nose. There's a pleasant, bright, fresh grain, citrusy aroma emanating from the glass that trounces anything currently being brewed by the Big 3 and most Euro pale lagers. This really is high-quality stuff, alcohol or not.

Taste is where these two really suffer. This one looks and smells good, but that's where the party ends. Maybe alcohol really does make an important (critical it seems) contribution to the flavor of any given beer. It's hard to put into words, but it tastes fake, as if the brewers tried to pass it off as beer without using any of the usual ingredients. There's very little grain flavor and the bright, slightly citric, character of the aroma is long gone.

The finish is a little vegetal and lingers longer than I would like. The body is light beer light and the mouthfeel matches the flavor in being overly flat. Clausthaler Premium needs something badly and that something is alcohol. But then it would cease being what it is and what's the point in that? Well...

If this is the #3 low alcohol beer on the planet then this is a style that has a looong way to go. I wouldn't think it would be that hard to brew a decent beer with low or no alcohol, but then my brewing knowledge would fit comfortably on the head of a pin. Edge to Clausthaler Premium, for whatever that's worth.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 13:13:38 | More by BuckeyeNation

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I usually drink Beck's NA as my NA beer of choice but this is a much better attempt to recreate a german Pils. Good hop nose and a decent full midbody help you beleive that this is regular beer. I will buy this again when the need arises to have no alcohol but still want beer taste.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2005 06:43:47 | More by canucklehead

Sycodrummer

Massachusetts

2.3/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

When judged with style strictly in mind this beer does a good job of filling the role of the average macro lager. In terms of many of the other beers I and others enjoy, however, this will simply not fill one's dessire for beer.

Poured from a 12oz. green bottle into a pint glass yeilding a frothy, snow-white head about one finger thick. The head sat atop a slightly straw colored pale yellow beer typical of macro fame. Not as translucent as some macro's with decent coloration and streaming bubbles of carbonation. Bits and peices of lace clung to the glass, but no appreciable rings. In short, out of the NA's this beer plays the part of real beer well based on appearance.

Smell is very grainy and bland. Lable indicated only water, malt, hops and yeast used in the brew, but its smells of other adjucts and grains.

Taste is thin and slightly watery. Stale malt and an overload of flavourless grain bombard the palate. Zero hop character detected, zero bitterness detected. Slight malt but it is masked by carbonation and is rather thin.

Very thin on the palate with club soda like carbonation.

Its drinkable in that if one cannot have alcohol for whatever reason this probably comes the closest to a BMC beer. For that crowd, this would satify the palate. However, after being exposed to so many other good beer, this is a limp, water, soda-like drink. Good for the style, not good for beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2005 01:44:18 | More by Sycodrummer

Thrasher

Oregon

2.5/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer looks the part, but it's ultimately a hollow specter lacking any real substance and unable to provide true satisfaction. The color is a fine, high gold, with a reasonably good head and lace. The aroma contains a trace of green-glass Euroskunk, with some graininess and a pleasant bread-yeast. The caramel sweetness is unhampered by alcohol, so the cake and bread crust flavors are more noticeable than a traditional beer. Hops are tart and quite forceful. There is something off, though, an unpleasant chemical flavor. Like something plastic sat in the beer for a spell. It's a fake taste, which fits 'cause you could say this is a fake beer. Cookie and shortbread flavors struggle to the top and the beer ends up being sweeter than it should be. It's not awful; in fact, if this was the only option it wouldn't be the end of the world. But there must be better NAs out there.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2005 05:45:42 | More by Thrasher

Billolick

New York

2.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 ouncer sampled (my father-in-law left a few bottles on his last visit) Time to give it a try. Pours light golden, witha white decent looking head, even leaves some light well developed lacing. no nose that I could pick up. Light malty brew, medium bodied and easy to quaff. Not much flavor or interest, but at the same time no nasty off flavors present. For what its worth, I'd rather drink this then Bud and its ilk. Probably better for ya as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-08-2005 23:47:59 | More by Billolick

mschofield

Massachusetts

2.35/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a clear medium gold, topped with a two finger puffy white head, leaves bits of lacing.
Sulfur aroma, thanks to the green bottle, lemon and grain, apart from the sulfur it's very subtle.
Grain, lemon zest and sulfur in the taste, a good amount of lemon.
Light bodied

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2004 00:33:58 | More by mschofield

mattcrill

Ohio

3.23/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is by far the best NA beer I've had. But to re-visit the point: why bother? It pours well with a nice golden color. Tastes hoppy and is on the sweet side. A very smooth beer. Nice beer to have while on the porch and chatting. Good move if you are the designated driver. Other than that, leave it alone.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2004 02:56:47 | More by mattcrill

TinusTime

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev +21.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

NOTE - this is reviewed against other NA's and not against other beers. Pours a golden colour with a stark white head. No lacing. The smell has a bit of the typical sweet smell of an NA, but there are also some traces of hops. Taste is very good for the style.. A bit of sweetness, but enough hop during the middle to not make this as sweet as other NA's such as Odouls or Sharps. Finishes crisper than most any NA I have had. Good non obtrusive carbonation, and like most NA's they are very easy drinking. Very non offensive NA. If i had to go somewhere and be a designated driver, I might just bring a sixer of this as it was fairly enjoyable to drink.

Thanks to my distributor for the sample of this and DAB low carb- lord knows i wouldnt have bought them on my own.

Serving type: bottle

04-19-2004 16:35:26 | More by TinusTime

marcobrau

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +52.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I found out last week that my gall bladder has to be removed. It's still going to be a few weeks until my surgery and until then I've decided to avoid full-stength beers and try some non-alcoholic beers. The first is Clausthaler.

When this beer is poured into a glass it certainly looks very appealing. It looks like a true German pilsner with a delicate, rocky head. The similaritites change a bit once I take a sniff of the contents of my glass. The faint trace of hops is blown away by a sort of cereal grain aroma that is reminiscent of fresh unfermented beer. I guess this makes a bit a sense seeing that this beer has so little alcohol. I take the first sip, and suddenly I'm drinking a pretty darn good German pilsner. The malt flavor is crisp and fresh. There's actually a bit of spicy hop flavor and a bitter finish. There is a bit of a slick sweetness, but by far this is the best non-alcoholic beer I've tasted.

(Please note I've rated this beer compared to other non-alcoholic brews.)

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2004 01:23:26 | More by marcobrau