Beerlao Lager - Lao Brewery Co.

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

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

2.63/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Straw yellow apperance with foamy white head that quickly disappears. Smell is medicinal, very sweet with a hint of grain.

Taste is similar to the smell, sweet and medicinal. Picked up some grain and odd spices to it as well. Has a hint of citrus and malt to it. Light bodied with high carbonation. Aftertaste has a lingering sweetness.

Overall, reminds me of the bargain beers in Canada. Good for the novelty of drinking a beer from Laos (a country not know for beer). If you get ahold of a bottle, don't hesitate to try it out for that reason. Nothing special though.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 03:33:26 | More by CrazyMike

daliandragon

North Carolina

1.93/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Yes, it's just another boring lager from a foreign country I'll likely never get a chance to visit but it has a tiger on the label, and some cool script I can't remotely read. That's good enough these days. Straw golden with white head that caps in a minute or two. Sigh. Nose has a little citrus or berry with the grainy rice.

Taste is interesting but not really in a good way. I mean, yeah, it's just grainy rice with an astringent, sawdust like finish but there is something else foreign on the palate. Mouthfeel isn't helping at all. Not quite a drain pour but closer than I'd like. But, hey, Laos...

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2011 05:02:05 | More by daliandragon

Everydayoff

Thailand

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

Poured 330ml bottle into a pils glass with filling date on Dec'10 but no best before date.

A:
Slightly pale yellow color with thick white frothy head that retain for average time and leave plenty of nice lacing stick. Carbonation is little to medium.

S:
Blend with malt and grain with hint of hop spice.

T:
Graininess, malt sweet, mild hop bitterness all flavors are mellow and quite balance nothing too sharp or overtone. Finish by rice grain.

M:
Light body, mild yet crisp with dry finish.

D:
This was my revisited after I had plenty during my trip to Laos good to see it available on local beer store. Good drinkable and nice refreshing against the local climate here.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2011 15:07:54 | More by Everydayoff

yesyouam

New York

2.05/5  rDev -31.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Beerlao Lager is a slightly hazy pale gold with a fluffy white head that has nice retention and lacing. There is spice and funk in the aroma. It smells fruity and sweaty. Is that a touch of coconut? It smells strange, but sexy. It's pretty light bodied and sudsy. The quick finish leaves the tongue a little numb. There is no bitterness and no sweetness. A strong, funky taste washes up and then vanishes. There does seem to be a touch of coconut in here. Am I crazy? There's a fusel taste toward the finish. It took me a lot of willpower to finish this little bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2011 15:32:10 | More by yesyouam

NODAK

Tennessee

3.6/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer from Laos! Apparently this is the national beer of Laos....and tourists apparently love it. So I'm happy to have it over here in the USA.

The smell was almost exclusively of grains...very grainy, presumably from the rice it's made from.

The taste isn't earth shattering, though it's pretty drinkable. The body of the beer has a grain taste to it that has an interesting flavor to it that I struggle to describe, though I'd say that it's certainly from the rice. It's different. The backend, however, is simple. There's a touch of hop bitterness, which finishes the beer pretty dryly....and a whole lot of grain popping up afterwards.

Not bad, but not a top-tier beer either. I could quaff a few of these on a hot day. And hey, it's from Laos!

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 03:16:30 | More by NODAK

basica

Singapore

3.63/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours an amber golden color into my Samuel Adams Globe pint glass with a thick head that quickly reduces to a pleasant half-finger thick milky white layer with clear lacing on the side and active fizzling (4)

S - Mild nose of malts and light grassy hop aromas as well as hints of citrus and a light dash of spice. Pretty interesting for a mass lager. (3.5)

T - Malts upfront, backed nicely with some grassy hops, meeting some spices and a mild, short-lived bitterness in the middle. A pleasant lemonish citrus zest shows up towards the finish followed by a dash of light biscuity malts at the back. The flavor was light but definitely well-balanced and ever so very slightly complex for the style. May have been a 4 had the flavors been slightly stronger. (3.5)

M - Light-bodied with minimal carbonation bite and watery-foamy smoothness. Pretty smooth for the style and really may deserve a tad higher a rating on this. (3.5)

D - A mass lager that's of surprising quality in all sense; pleasant, well-balanced flavors with a watery-foamy smoothness that makes it so drinkable and sessionable. Beer Lao is definitely impressive for its style. (4.0)

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2010 16:20:40 | More by basica

philphilphil

Australia

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

Pours a cloudyish yellow and has thick white head.
Smells lager with a touch of lemon, not bad, not amazing.
Tastes pretty much the same.
Mouthfeel is average.
Pretty good for the price it is, i could drink a six pack of this next time im getting smashed.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2010 00:22:43 | More by philphilphil

tempest

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had a bottle at Wave Thai in Queens with my street noddles dish. It wasn't anything special, but it was a nice, well-made lager completely capable of washing down spicy food. Frankly, I'd take this over most Euro lagers. This actually tasted faintly like a Dortmunder Export with soft bready malts and a little bit of body to it. It's certainly the best Asian lager I've had at a Thai place.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2010 19:40:39 | More by tempest

thegodfather2701

North Carolina

3.48/5  rDev +16.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A-Yellow/lemon color with a bright white head. There is some yeast at the bottom of the bottle and floating around in the beer itself.

S-Noble which have a lemon, grassy, and spicy character. There is also some malt.

T-Very balanced between hops and malts. Not a strong flavor, but what sticks out is some lemon and just a hint of caramel. The noble hops become more present as it warms. While it is watery and isn't packed with flavor it is very refreshing.

M-Thicker than expected and sticky.

D-This is one drinkable beer. I could drink this all day and would love to drink it alongside some Asian food.

Overall, I really enjoyed this beer. Its very tasty and easy to drink. One of the best examples of the style I have had.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 19:39:54 | More by thegodfather2701

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Beerlao Lager
12 oz green bottle
MFG Date: JCABBJAJ
Served in a pilsner glass

Pours a mustard yellow with mini carbonation bubbles that race to the top of the glass. Decent head on top with good trails.

Funky aroma of sweetness and skunk traces.

Surprisingly I found this beer at my local my Stop & Shop. In many ways, it was what I expected, yet I was pleasantly surprised. A euro and asian lager combo. Sweet malts with some grassy flavors.

I think there is a nice lager yeast in here, because I find this beer pretty smooth. I'd like to pair this beer up with some Thai or Chinese food. An interesting beer. Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2010 00:34:26 | More by Hibernator

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

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

Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VIII:

Laos is not known for their beer culture, with only two breweries in the whole country. Not much of a selection if you wanted to open up a beer bar and serve local beer, but we guess they make due.

Perfect clarity with a pale straw yellow color, good foaming action here as it pushes up four fingers in height and leaves a thick crowning of white lace on the glass. A delicate but complex aroma; sweet lemon oil, mellow spice and thin, cracker-like graininess. Mild crispness and light-bodied. Faint lemon oil meets a clean and dry graininess. Mild on the hop bitterness, though there is a spiciness within that has a jasmine-like bite. Very faint cooked corn flavor in the back. Finishes slightly husky and dry.

Not half bad, drinkable and refreshing for what it is, and a few odd complexities make this one interesting.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2010 05:18:54 | More by BeerAdvocate

flagmantho

Washington

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

Poured from 330mL bottle into a Pilsner glass.

Appearance: pale straw hue with a touch of haze, which I'm not used to in beers of this style. Tons of apparent effervescence in the body. Head is three fingers of pillowy white foam. Not too bad, but a bit pale and non-clear for me.

Smell: mostly inoffensive aroma of raw grain. Luckily, there are none of the unpleasant off aromas I usually associate with this kind of graininess; still, it's not my favorite aroma of all time.

Taste: light, malty/grainy flavor. There's actually some noticeable malt flavor here; not too bad, though there is then a sour touch at the end which isn't too great. Hops are very mild and contribute to a low but pleasing bitterness.

Mouthfeel: pretty light body, bordering on watery, but the carbonation is quite high which I tend to like. Call it average.

Drinkability: boy, this has been one middle-of-the-road beer. It's drinkable in a pinch, but it isn't outstanding in any particular area (for better or for worse).

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2010 01:53:46 | More by flagmantho

UTGrad

Tennessee

4.38/5  rDev +46.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Typical straw color of macro lagers with slight lacing in the glass.

Smell: Nice, crisp lager smell without the skunk.

Taste: I love this beer...very full taste and one I will definately try again.

Mouthfeel: Smooth

Drinkability: Very good...

I've never tried a beer from former French Indochina but this one did not disappoint. It was a full bodied lager that was enjoyable. I hope I can find a six pack.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2010 00:34:12 | More by UTGrad

Chizoad

California

2.63/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Clear yellow with a pure white 2 finger head that faded fast. Nothing special.

Definitely some sweet malts on the nose, and that's just about the only thing it tastes like. Sugary to a fault, like they should have let it keep fermenting for a while rather than bottling it and serving it to me. Doesn't taste bad though.

Light beer, a little low on carbonation which as a result doesn't balance out the sugar. Too sweet to really be that drinkable. I think the Beerlao Dark is a good bit better.

But hey it's Laotian Beer! So why not if you have the chance.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 04:59:30 | More by Chizoad

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

2.65/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

330ml bottle poured in a chalice.

A: Extremely pale yellow color. Extremely clear too. One finger white and fluffy head which lasts a bit leaving only few laces around
S: Despite of simple, its smell is quite disappointing. Sweet grains and malts, basically. Not much hops
T: Pretty much like the smell. Very light and malty. Dry and with a not bad light bitter end
M: Very light body with a noticed carbonation
D: Not bad but extremely watery beer. Very "Asian" Lager with notes of rice which does not help too much

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 20:15:05 | More by eduardolinhalis

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

330ml bottle poured into pint glass april 7 2010

A pale straw yellow with lots of carbonation feeding a nice thumbs width of head that has decent retention and leaves a few patches of lace

S sweet grains and some grassy hops but pretty basic

T as it smells but with a bad rubber flavor aftertaste that's rather unpleasant, almost like someone burnt an eraser unlike anything else I can think of

M light and well carbonated, pretty basic

D I can't focus on anything else other then the bad taste it left in my mouth, takes away from what potential this beer may have had

you may see me drink this if I'm in some south east Asian jungle and this is a safe alternative for water

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 05:32:25 | More by wordemupg

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tough to find fault in how this lager looks. Crystal clear pale amber colour, very impressive, rich, foamy white head and absolute gobs of lacing left on the sides of the glass.

Grainy malts, a musty hint of aroma that smells slightly like canned mushrooms, faint grassy hop.

Very light in taste intially. HInt of sweetness, with a very light maltiness that gets overshadowed slightly but spicy euro hop. Annoying metallic twang towads the end. Finish is quite dry.

Acceptable mouthfeel for an Asian lager. Light, with nice carbonation

Would pair well with Thai food.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2010 04:01:50 | More by Shadman

utah44

Louisiana

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

Poured into standard pint glass revealed a minimal head which did not persist the requisite amount of time to impress most folks. Carbonation seems to be minimal. Yellow color typical of many beers of this type. Smell was pleasing despite being minimal. Taste was surprisingly good with hints of the normal ingredients for this type of beer. Mouthfeel was about as good as it gets for this type of beer. This was an average lager but not without merit. I would consider drinking this brew again if ever I encounter it in a package store.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2010 04:25:16 | More by utah44

sprucetip

Alaska

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

From notes. Clear, piss yellow, mild/moderate activity, copious big bubble foam with some retention. Looks like a macro lager.

Smell absolutely nothing at first. Maybe just the faintest sprinklinof ops and some grainy maltiness. All of which come a little stronger, as it warms (which is something to avoid with this and all Asian lagers), but still not much.

Same grainy malty sweetness as the nose, and some barely perceptible hops. Sometimes it is enjoyable when the weather is hot and the beer cold. But I have been generous with my score in the taste category, as it is a cut above the others in the region (though that isn't saying much). To me, it does taste like it is all malt, or at least with less adjunct than the others.

Actually has some body to it, and doesn't feel as thin as the others. Finishes pretty clean.

The teen waitress found my swirling and sniffing in an attempt to find something in the nose quite humorous. Surely she sees foreigners do strange things, but smelling beer??? There is a general consensus among travelers in the region that Beerlao is better than the other, especially Thai, regional beers. While I am agreeing, also note that the competition is extremely weak. As with the others of this ilk, it is best slammed colUd before being allowed to warm. It is common for locals to pour it into a glass with ice to keep it cold, and the thinning isn't all that noticeable since it is pretty thin to start with. Gives you an idea of the beer scene in SE Asia...

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 14:56:59 | More by sprucetip

StevenBilodeau

Connecticut

3.1/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is my first beer from Laos. It was better than I expected, but it wasn't crazy good either. Pours pale gold into a glass, with a quickly dissipating head, little to almost no lacing. Sweet aromas, easy drinking, and very light in body.

This beer reminds me of a sweeten Pilsner beer.

I would drink this again, I wouldn't go to a store looking for it, but it is something cool to get once and a while or bring to a party of beer drinkers who don't mind trying strange and new things.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2010 22:59:23 | More by StevenBilodeau

buschbeer

Ohio

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

I poured into a pint glass to two fingers of white head. It is yellow in color. It has a sweet adjunct lager smell to it. There is nothing special about this beer. It is not as bad as I anticipated, but it's not something I will seek out again. It reminds me of an adjunct lager all the way around.

Can Chen!

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2010 03:08:24 | More by buschbeer

ATPete

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, green glass.

(reviewed from notes taken in 1/10)

Definitey first beer from Lao. Pours a very clear yellow color with a small foamy white head. Skunky, corny malt malt, bitter hops, overall pretty clean and light, refreshing and very easy to drink. Would easily pick this over any BMC or the like, especially if i knew it was fresh. Not bad, not bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 19:51:57 | More by ATPete

dgilks

Australia

3.3/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Great example of the style in terms of appearance. Light gold colour, very clear and with a big, white head with good retention.

Medium low malt aroma with good sweet notes. A tiny bit grainy. Some nice light spicy hop aroma is good.

Moderate malty sweetness with just a wisp of bitterness and touch of hop flavour. Not as dry as it should be.

Could be crisper. The medium body and moderate carbonation are too middling.

A decent Premium American Lager but it lacks the crisp, dryness of a good lager.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 02:00:06 | More by dgilks

Otterburn

Quebec (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer. I drank quite a few of them. usually big bottle. In Lao, the weather is hot, humid
and you feel very thirsty if you walk a little bit,. So a beer is always welcome, and its less dangerous than the water on tap.

appearance is standard golden yellow kind of beer

smell nothing wrong

taste pretty refreshing, nothing to say here. Its a beer in Laos

Mouthfeel is alright, not to picky here

Drinkability is good, you can drink a lot of fluid in Asia, because you need it.

you dont go to asia to have nice brew, if you beer travel, go to Belgium or something, US not Laos

so thats it. beer lao is the beer over there

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2010 03:56:08 | More by Otterburn