Beerlao Lager - Lao Brewery Co.

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.34/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

This is our last beer from Lao Brewery. There were only two on the list. I can't imagine craft brewing is a big business in Laos. I do, however, like beers that use rice in the brewing process. I was curious to learn they serve this warm over ice in Laos. I am drinking it cold from the fridge, but if and when we are in Laos I will order it room temperature. Drink it like the locals do. They also mention the local food, and that would be my favorite part! I don't have big expectations for this one, but here goes nothing.

In the Glass: It looks like a typical domestic beer. It does have a nice head, and I am seeing a TON of tiny bubbles rushing to the top. It almost looks like champagne below the surface.

Nose: That is what I'm talking about. This smells great. It has a nice creamy aroma and a hint of sweetness coming through from the rice. Speaking of rice, I LOVE the Flying Fish Wild Rice DIPA that recently came out. This isn't an IPA, but will be (I promise) easy to drink leaving a nice somewhat sweet aftertaste begging for another drink. Let's try it!

Flavor: There are times I sit in a bar and say, "What should I order?" I did that on Sunday at Papago Brewing Company. I wish I had this flavor on my mind when I was trying to order. They didn't have any Euro pale lagers on tap, but still. This is a creamy bottle of deliciousness. The sweetness really comes through here, and like I said… it is VERY easy to drink. This would taste great on a hot summer day. See, why don't golf courses have a Beerlao cart?

Mouthfeel: This is my favorite part of this beer. It is nice, somewhat thick, and creamy. The beer leaves a nice thin layer of sweetness on the palate. That is coming from the rice. I would love to see a brewing company make a batch of beer with rice. I have no idea how they do it… now I must find out. I wonder if Steve McFate at Fate Brewing Company here in Scottsdale would let me work with him on a wild rice beer. Like I have time for that!

Aftertaste: Those same sweet notes carry over, and every time I swallow it begins to dry. (The burp is pretty boring. Tasted more like my lunch than it did the beer I am drinking.) This is a beer, regardless of the ABV, is easy to drink and I can see myself drinking a pitcher of this. I would also like to visit Laos for that food. I am also going to look into other Laos brewing companies. This is good. It's not great, but I could drink a bunch of this carbonated sweet nectar. Yummy!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 21:31:56 | More by rickyleepotts

metter98

New York

2.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

A: The beer is clear light straw yellow in color and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger high bright white head that died down but left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and the sides of the glass.
S: Light aromas of sweet malts are present in the nose.
T: The overall taste has a slight bit of sweetness with flavors of corn and rice as well as a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied (but not watery) and somewhat clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is rather drinkable but nothing really stands out about the taste that would want to make me want to try this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 00:28:44 | More by metter98

rangerred

Tennessee

3.09/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a pint glass.

pours a crystal clear light straw yellow with a one finger white head. I was impressed by the head retention and the pretty substantial lacing on the sides of the glass. Quite nice.

Aroma is very grassy with just a little hint of cooked vegetables and metal. Some lemon sneakinig through as well but overall, it is a bit on the weak side.

More bread and grass on the aroma with really no hint of metal. Some lemon sneaking through along with a little DMS although it remains nicely restrained. Mouthfeel is quite soft averall with just a touch of sweetness leading to a dry finish.

Overall, another run of the mill Europ pale lager although this one is better than average. Paired really nice with curry and pleasant to drink on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 23:34:26 | More by rangerred

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.79/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

640 mL bottle at a restaurant in Savannakhet. Served with a branded rocks glass. From notes.

A - Dehydrated urine colour of a medium yellowy golden. Two finger soapy white head faded but not too fast. Mild carbonation. Minimal spotty lace, half finger retention.

S - Corn, sweet but not too offensive. Bubblegum. Grainy. Doesn't offend as much as some from the region. Mild hop and grass.

T - Grainy, bubblegum again, a little corn.

M - Mild carbonation, medium body, a little oily. More viscous than it should be.

O/D - From the bottle it's much better, with the bubblegum and grass coming through a lot more. Not a poorly made lager by regional standards and for the style, it can hold its own. Drinkable as the flavour can hold its own just barely. Not bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 10:26:43 | More by tbeckett

SerialHiker

Illinois

2.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Golden and fairly transparent…head is basically white and doesn’t last long…there is definitely some sediment floating about on the inside…(2.5/5)

Smell: Grassy and grainy…very wheaty…there is a skunkiness to it…(2.5/5)

Taste: Grainy and bitter initially…it’s a fuller lager with bready malts dominating…some grassy hops help balance the malt but it’s malty…reminds me of a european style lager… mild bitter aftertaste…(3/5)

Mouthfeel: Light carbonation does bring the grassy notes…it’s pretty balanced so it’s not overly malty nor is there much bitter hops flavor…light and crisp…there is a bit of bitter/skunk aftertaste, but that’s expected for this beer…(3/5)

Overall: While this is definitely not my normal choice of beer style, it’s not bad…it’s crisp and flavorful without lingering or dominating my palette…I would drink this beer with some guacamole and chips around a poker table…like I said, not my normal style, but for a lager, it’s good…(3/5)

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 23:34:41 | More by SerialHiker

LiquidAmber

Washington

3/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a pale yellow amber. Thin film on top with a ring around the glass leaving a bit off slippery lacing. Faint aroma of biscuit malt and wheat. Taste is mild, but pleasant sweet bready malt with a somewhat dry crackery finish with a slight hop kick. Not much here, but overall well balanced and refreshing to drink. I'd definitely consider this again as a beer with dinner.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 23:14:44 | More by LiquidAmber

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

3.68/5  rDev +23.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Beerlao has a thick, white head, an initially clear, yellow-golden appearance (which, when one swishes and pours out the bottom third, has lots of little brown flecks floating about), with streaming bubbles and a bit of lacing down the glass. The aroma is of sweet, mild barley malt, and the taste is of sweetness, some sourness, sugar, malt, cracker, paper, grain husk, alcohol, and a touch of hop bitterness to balance it. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and the finish is crisp, clean, refreshing, and highly drinkable. Overall, this is a very good beer. Try some!

RJT

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 21:16:09 | More by RonaldTheriot

SmashPants

Australia

3.48/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: reasonable light brown bottle, chinsy and sparkly south-east asian label, if that's your thing...

Appearance: decent, light straw with average head, reasonable lacing.

Aroma: malt, grassy hops and rice grains. Quite light.

Taste: light and bready malts, quite sweet rice undertone with some grassy hops. Unlike most Asian beers with rice for filler, this one actually adds a nice sweet flavour.

Aftertaste: disappears quickly, some rice sweetness remains.

Mouth feel: quite clean, a little heavier than a lot of lagers, but still light-to-medium body. Mid carbonation. Quite nice.

Overall: quite a surprise. I expected this beer to be awful thanks to its origins and the bottle, but it turned out to be quite good. Decent lager with an unusual rice sweetness undertone, as opposed to the rice simply being filler in most Asian beers.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2012 02:19:47 | More by SmashPants

stoutman

Michigan

2.13/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I had this one in Ventiane. Pours clear light golden with a small white head. Aroma is nearly nothing. Taste is mild sweet grainy, thin body, some wet paper as well. Definitely nothing special here. A locally popular rice beer that in my opinion is just something cold to drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 15:07:05 | More by stoutman

BDIMike

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden color. A lot of carbonation, but only a thin white head that dissipates very quickly.
Smell is very sweet for a Euro Pale Lager. The wheat base can be smelled, but there is a very sweet corn smell dominating.
Taste is very sweet as well. A lot of sweet malts and a sugary aftertaste.
Mouthfeel has a very crisp and carbonated feel. At first it is refreshing, but then it almost hurts it is so strong.
Drinkability is good on this beer. Very crisp, refreshing, balanced beer. However, after a while the sweetness and strong kick to the mouth gets old. Surprised by how nice this beer is.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2012 01:48:39 | More by BDIMike

Nerudamann

Arizona

3.3/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a pilsner glass.

Look - light golden color, clear, with good carbonation and about three fingers' worth of frothy white colored foam that dissipates somewhat slowly.

Smell - much like you'd expect a pale lager to smell like...much like a pilsner.

Taste - also much like a typical pilsner type of taste, but with a sweeter taste in the finish.

Mouthfeel - pretty well balanced, but does lean a little more toward the watery side.

Overall - not a bad brew at all, but not intriguing at all.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 04:15:12 | More by Nerudamann

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Another of the massive delivery courtesy of local beer trader, Tone77, who seems to keep me plied with bottles from every inch of the globe.

I decided to just dive right in with my pour and get the party started. I got two-plus foamy fingers of bone-white head and it looked like Fluf atop the beer. Color was a pale lemon-yellow with NE-quality clarity and I knew that I was not going to be winning any points in Greg Koch's eyes by drinking it, but I am not in the business of trying to impress others. Nose had that sweetish lager-like characteristic that I find hard to define, but easy to recognize. I also did not recognize any adjunct smells, so things were definitely looking up. Mouthfeel was medium and I was getting the honey-like sweetness of pure unadulterated lager on my tongue. Winning! Man, I CANnot tell you how many bad AALs I have put up with in pursuit of The CANQuest (TM), but it has been enough to make me appreciate a simple lager, free of adjuncts. Mmmmm. Finish was semi-dry and it begged for a pretzel to go with it and by coincidence, I had a bag of Hammond's Pretzels on-hand for just such an occasion (like any time that I am drinking beer). Don't bother to seek this out, but do be aware that better lagers exist than the BMC AAL type of lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2012 20:48:03 | More by woodychandler

irrgalaxy

Minnesota

3.13/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Light yellow color; large amounts of head for a pale lager

S: Undistinguished; crisp, but no strong scents

T: Lower hops than usual, with some bitterness at the end. Notes of lemon, and a definite rice taste toward the end.

M: Cool and refreshing; easy to drink quickly

O: Excellent on a hot day, especially in Laos (I imagine). Nothing particularly distinguishes this from a number of similar lagers I've had, especially from countries in Asia or Africa without a strong brewing culture.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 03:24:41 | More by irrgalaxy

dbrauneis

New Jersey

2.75/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours crystal clear pale golden yellow with a finger tall fizzy white head. The head reduces slightly but there is quite a bit of head retention over the course of the beer (about 50%). There is moderate amounts of visible carbonation. Moderate amounts of lacing are present.

S: There is not a heck of a lot of aroma to this beer but what I do detect is malts, grassy hops, a touch of rice or grain, and just a hint of skunkiness.

T: The flavor is primarily malty (light and bready) with hints of sweetness as if from honey. Some grassy hops are present and there is a nice touch of bitterness in the finish to help balance the sweetness.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high amounts of carbonation - slightly on the thin/watery side, better mouthfeel while it is colder. This beer has a rather crisp finish.

O: I was surprised, I was not expecting the beer to be quite as refreshing as it was due to the average score. I found the beer to be quite refreshing and easy to drink. While I might not run out to get this frequently, I certainly would not turn it down (and I consider myself to be a bit of a beer snob). This would pair nicely with real spicy foods - in fact I wish I had some to go with this beer tonight.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 23:12:13 | More by dbrauneis

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a pale yellow color with a 1 inch head. Smell is sweet, some malts. Taste is crisp, malts and grains, not bad but kind of mild. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is easy drinking but nothing special.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2012 15:11:49 | More by tone77

PacNWDad

Washington

2.3/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Drank the standard 11.2oz (330ml) brown bottle, poured into a pint glass.

A: Light, golden color. Decent amount of head (1cm) that lasts little while. Some lace on side of glass. Bubbles continue to stream from the bottom of the glass for 30 minutes or more.

S: Not much here. Slightly malty, corn syrup aroma. Hops does not come out.

T: Standard, slightly bitter, slightly sweet Asian lager. A bit coppery in the finish. This would complement noodles or fried rice extremely well.

M: A very refreshing beer, best served well-chilled. Nicely carbonated. Smooth and easy finish.

O: A pleasant beer. I think it would be great ice cold in the tropical heat of Laos.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 03:48:39 | More by PacNWDad

dansmcd

Australia

2.23/5  rDev -25.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A - Clear and pale yellow gold in colour, one finger of frothy white head appears yet disappears just as fast. Small spots of lace.

S - Clean floral and rice aromas balanced with some cracker malt.

T - Pretty same old macro profile minus the corn, grass and lemon skunked up with an old coin.

M - Highly carbonated and thin bodied.

O - At least they use a brown bottle.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 12:01:25 | More by dansmcd

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.5/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Crystal clear & light straw coloured with a two-fingered size, foamy white head that has very good retention, managing to stay without receding for well over two minutes.

Some light malts & faint grassy hops, a fair bit of adjuncts such as vegetables and possibly rice. There is a bit of grain in there as well & a very faint amount of skunk towards the end.

Grassy hops and some vegetable adjuncts to begin with and some faint lager malts. The flavour is basic but very nice. There is some mild honey and a touch of lemon.

Very smooth & very creamy feeling, the beer is light bodied and goes down incredibly well with a beautiful crisp finish.

Up there with the best lagers I have ever tried, it may not be quite as good as I remember when drinking it on the banks of the Mekong but it is still a great beer.

1001 Beers To Try Before You Die:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2011 22:17:27 | More by flyingpig

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.35/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

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

A: The beer is a pale yellow color with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a very thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains light malts, some adjuncts and little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out with some honey and light malt sweetness, followed by some breadiness from the thin malt character and lager yeast. The hops presence is very mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, light body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: A little flavorful, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, it’s not a beer I would drink too much of unless my choices were very limited.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 01:46:58 | More by TheManiacalOne

bat6

District of Columbia

3.85/5  rDev +28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

have readily found the bomber-size bottles of Beerlao Lager in Thailand and Cambodia, all w/ a freshness date stamped on them. Other than Kingdom Lager and Kingdom Dark Lager, this is hands-down the best bet for crisp, clean, lager I've found in SE Asia so far. Spend any time in the blazing heat and humidity of the region and you'll probably discover a deep appreciation for this beer, god knows it may have saved my life on a couple of occasions...

A - very pale gold, proper head for the style, looks like light lager should

S - very little smell, perhaps some faint graininess. any strong smell, or hint of citrus or sour, and you've got an extremely acute sense of smell or, more likely, it's past due

T - very clean and very simple. malts & hops are both virtually unnoticeable, meaning there's very little of either or they're perfectly balanced... or both... OR this was not meant to be over-analyzed but rather downed quickly by someone very hot and very thirsty. of note: unlike other similar beers of the region, this does not gain any unwanted sweetness as it warms

M/F - light, crisp, "refreshing" as it should

O - when looking for a beer during the thick weather of this region, i'm always genuinely thankful when this is available. it is clearly meant to be crisp, clean, and simple (rather than thoughtfully analyzed), as well as to be consumed very soon after bottling. i've had very few other beers of any style that hit their intended mark so well

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 08:31:26 | More by bat6

mrfrancis

Kentucky

2.73/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a clear gold topped by a thin white mousse. Looks about like every other pale lager on the planet. Nothing special here.

S: Subtle aromas of mineral water, straw, grass, and honey are present on the nose. Again, this beer smells like most other commercial pale lagers.

T: A creamy, smooth, and relatively rich entry leads to notes of honey, heavy cream, minerals, vanilla, grass, lemon, and straw. The finish is clipped with notes of lemon, straw, and grass.

M: Medium-bodied with a spritzy, carbonated feel to it that is about what one would expect for a beer of this type. Compared to most other mainstream Asian lagers, the mouthfeel of Beerlao is pretty substantial.

O: Not terrible. Actually, it's pretty solid for an Asian lager, even displaying some likable qualities. Not something I'd reach for on a regular basis, but not bad.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2011 19:48:44 | More by mrfrancis

Drew966

Florida

2.1/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Beerlao Lager pours a golden yellow with a white head that dissipates quickly from a brown 11.2 ounce bottle. The aroma is grainy and a touch sweet. The flavor is very light, grainy, perhaps a touch of grass. A tad astringent, such that it's making me thirsty to drink it. I can't really taste any hops and only a note of sweetness that I would identify as malt. Not terrible, I didn't expect much, nor does this deliver much.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 23:46:34 | More by Drew966

bluHatter

Michigan

2.4/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a clear gold color with little head that laces nicely.

S: Corn, grain

T: Grainy, malty, sweet and a touch of sour bitters.

M: Dry, thin, a little carbonation but mostly just wet.

O: I probably wouldn't drink it again. Fortunately, the reason I picked it up is because it was the last one available in my store and I didn't want to miss out at least trying it. It has some interesting notes but it's a little too foreign for my personal taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2011 21:20:12 | More by bluHatter

thierrynantes

France

2.95/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Beer bottle (33 cl.), tasted in 2011 (in Vanola Restaurant, Nantes).

Appearance : golden clear color, with white foamy head (not persistent).
Smell : moderate malty aromas.
Taste and mouthfeel : watery and grassy flavours.
Drinkability : an average beer in the style Pale Lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 15:45:02 | More by thierrynantes

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

330ml stubby-esque bottle.

This beer pours a clear pale straw colour, with two fingers of light, billowy white head, which recedes slowly, doing a pretty good meringue impression in the meantime, and leaves a few random swaths of chunky lace around the glass. It smells of sweet bready malt, a bit of mild spicy citrus, and soft grassy, floral hops. The taste is quite consistent with the aroma, a soft bread-dough like character, accented by some increasingly weedy, grassy hops. I also get a sweet, medicinal twinge - subtle, but it's there. The carbonation is fairly sedate, the body medium weight, smooth, and damned-near creamy. It finishes still semi-sweet and bready, with an understated, nondescript dryness, that does its job well enough.

Well, for a lager from one of the tropics-abutting countries, one doesn't expect much more that a pale watery thirst quencher, who's highest attribute is its lack of distance from the nearest fridge. This offering, on the other hand, is stamped from a different press - a decent malt component (from wherever it may originate), and balanced by an adequate, if not overly evident, dryness. I could easily have another of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2011 23:24:31 | More by biboergosum