Dundee Original Honey Brown Lager - Genesee Brewing Co. / Dundee Brewing Co.

bmills1608

Pennsylvania

1.02/5  rDev -67.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

I really hate this beer. The honey flavor puts me off right from the start. I never understood why this beer was so popular when it first starting getting hit the shelves in PA. If ICE cold it is still bad but gets way worse as it warms up. I can barely choke one bottle down.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2002 16:53:24 | More by bmills1608

GeoJ

Virginia

1.53/5  rDev -50.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass. Promising pouring, nice color. Aroma was kind of odd ... Like someone sprayed a shot of cheap perfume on top of a lager.

The sweetness wasn't as off-putting as the greasy, tongue-coating mouthfeel ... Feels like I need to grab my tongue-scraper to get the taste out of my mouth. Actually, that's what I'm going to do as soon as soon as I get done drain-pouring almost a full glass. I could only stand four sips of this.

Review in a nutshell:

I like honey.
I like beer.
I do NOT like honey-flavored beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2011 01:36:02 | More by GeoJ

Teeter

New Jersey

1.65/5  rDev -46.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Last weekend fellow BA Das Freak showed up with the Dundee craft pack sampler. After tasting the PA,IPA,Porter and Pale Bock Lager I thought we had stumbled onto something above average, then came the Honey Brown Lager. At first I thought it had a funky after taste but it doesn't wait until after. When my dog broke wind I thought I was at a beer pairing in hell. Sorry for the negativity but if I can save one BA from this fate it will have been worth it.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2009 16:39:13 | More by Teeter

Lupe

New York

1.7/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Clear amber color with a generous white head and suprisingly wonderful lace.Mildly sweet to the nose with a thin malt aroma. Finishes clean and crisp with some dryness. To me it tasted like watered down Sprite. A little overboard with the sweetness is and tastes processed. Not an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2002 09:11:40 | More by Lupe

DrunkMcDermott

Illinois

1.7/5  rDev -45.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

I notice the label now says "Honey Flavored Lager." Flavored? As in "not actually brewed with?" As in "No bees went hungry so you can drink this stuff?" Because there’s very much of a honey "flavor," almost an artificial one, and not much beer flavor. Odd little whiskey and honey note appears midway through, but the sickly honey smell is off-putting. Like I sometimes say, it’s not bad, it’s just not beer! I just can't figure out why this is so widely distributed. Seems to be available nationwide; or at least as far west as Illinois.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2005 14:32:13 | More by DrunkMcDermott

thechaacster

Illinois

1.73/5  rDev -44.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

Pours a pale not-at-all-brown with a decent head. Honey sweet and slightly malty smell. Buh, the sweetness is way too much. It's not a natural honey flavor, i.e. Dogfish Midas Touch, either. Just sickly sweet with barely any beer taste. Really horrible syrupy mouthfeel. I couldn't finish my pint.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2005 04:57:17 | More by thechaacster

psugrad98

Pennsylvania

1.75/5  rDev -43.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer makes me sick. Maybe I just don't like honey beers. It's light wood color with thick large bubbled head. Smell is of a touch of sweetness with almost a bread smell. Mouthfeel is fizzy and mouthcoating. Not very sweet, but its the kind of sweet that makes you gag. I can never finish one of these.

Serving type: on-tap

05-30-2002 11:46:41 | More by psugrad98

davor45

Texas

1.83/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

It is one of the flattest beers of its type. I suppose you have to develop a taste for it.
To say it has a watered down taste is an understatement. However, this is a beer that
you either like or you don’t like. My guess is that the more different beers you have tasted, the less you will like Honey Brown lager.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2006 22:58:45 | More by davor45

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

1.83/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Part of a Craft Beer of America pack, bought in the UK.

This was by far the worst beer in the JW Dundee's selection I have had. Poured into a Berliner Kindl straight glass, it looked sad, light brown and sickly.

The smell was of off honey.

It was a mish-mash of half flavours and nothingness, very disappointing, I just couldn't find a good point.

I do not know what the brewer is trying to do here, whatever it is, he has failed to impress me.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2006 21:10:12 | More by BlackHaddock

PBRstreetgang

Ohio

1.85/5  rDev -40.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Pours an ultra-clear light golden color. Fizzy two finger head dissapears quickly but leaves fair lacing. Massive amount of fast-moving carbonation bubbles rising to the top. Honey-ish and light malt aromas, pretty clean. Pale malt sweetness, and a nutra-sweet fake honey taste. Hops attempt to make an impact on aftertaste, but there is almost no bittter in this unblanced and off-sweet brew. Light body and champagne-like carbonation prevents the off-flavors from turning slick, but the finish is residual with artificial sweetness, and the resulting drinkability is low.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2006 06:43:05 | More by PBRstreetgang

KarlHungus

Minnesota

1.88/5  rDev -39.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This beer pours a clear yellow-green color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes quickly into sparce lacing. The aroma is of sweet biscuits, and caramel malt. It is a very generic aroma, and very faint as well. The taste is even lighter than the aroma. I keep sipping hoping I will find something, but all I can detect is a light caramel note in the aftertaste. The mouthfeel is light bodied, but a little thicker than I would expect from a beer with such little taste and aroma. Overall, I am insulted by this beer. It calls itself "Honey Brown," however, it has no honey in the flavor profile, and it is certainly not brown. I guess the brewers assume I am too stupid to know what honey tastes like, or what brown looks like. Anyway, I assuredly will not drink this beer again.

Serving type: can

10-03-2007 20:40:56 | More by KarlHungus

t3hcho53non3

Louisiana

1.9/5  rDev -38.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A: Pours a golden amber with a white one finger head that quickly leaves. Leaves little to no lacing.

S: caramel and sweet hops

T: Sweet sugar and honey. Very sweet but after the first sip starts to taste like water and nothing other than water.

M: Very light waterlike with little to no carbonation

D: YOu can pound these back like there is no tomorrow if that is what you want to do. THere is zero I mean zero complexity to this brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2009 05:13:47 | More by t3hcho53non3

jasonpeckins32

Michigan

1.93/5  rDev -37.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This actually was one of my crossover beers about five years ago. One of the first "non-mainstream" beers that led me into this wonderful world they call craft beer.

Now, obviously, I liked it a lot more then than I do now, but I've still gone back to it, maybe once a year if that, to try it once more.

Its pale and yellow, little to no head. Smell is sugary sweet, hints of bread, and otherwise quite boring. Same with the flavor. Really just a little too sweet, and it doesnt seem to taste like honey, it just seems to taste sugary and syrupy, but then again maybe thats the affect honey has on a beer.

Warning: To be given to crossover hopefulls only. If you already like craft beer, this one isnt going to impress you one bit.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2007 07:00:01 | More by jasonpeckins32

nfr5069

New Hampshire

1.95/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I wish I read ChainGangGuy's review before I bought the Dundee Sampler. I got sucked in by their packaging. Nice box, offering 6 different beers all with cool labels!! However, all coolness and satisfaction ends when you twist off the firt bottle cap. (That's right, twist off - should have been my first clue...) Anyways, regarding this beer in particular:

A- not a bad color but not what I was expecting for a honey brown. I'm pretty sure Sam Light is darker. Had a one finger depth head which almost immediately disappeared.

S- though many people say they can smell the honey I'm not getting that. The beer doesn'thave much of an odor.

T- Well it's not the worst beer I've tasted, but once again not what I expected. It tastes like they accidentally added twice the amount of water required to make a honey brown. Very watered down and bland.

M- I really don't know what to say here. The beer is too weak and lacks any complexity. Any "mouthfeel" I have is gone in a second (thankfully!)

D- Yuck!! I am having a hard time putting this oe down, and may be dumping it. I would not recommend this beer, the sampler, or any other Dundee beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2008 01:28:22 | More by nfr5069

ggroller

Pennsylvania

1.98/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

The bottle was real cool. The beer wasn't.

Very nice silk screened brown bottle bearing the Honey Brown logo.

The beer was barely brown for a brown lager at just a shade or two darker than a traditional lager. Decent head but no lacing.

Smells sweet and tastes even sweeter. Who poured sugar in my beer? Yuk. This stuff is not my cup of tea. I couldn't even get through the first glass. I gave the last half to my Mom.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2005 21:06:44 | More by ggroller

goochpunch

Texas

1.98/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours out a golden honey (no shit?) color with a thinnish head that leaves some scattered lacing. Smells grainy, and, honestly, it's hard to pick out much else. Lot of sweetness in the nose too. Flavor is pretty much, grain, honey, and a metallic twang. Not much else. Faint hint of rubber bands too. Too sweet. Mouthfeel is sticky and fizzy. I'm not impressed with this. How the hell did I used to drink this? Give me a High Life over this any day. At least High Life does't have this cloying sweetness.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2007 05:08:52 | More by goochpunch

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

1.98/5  rDev -36.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

I CANnot believe how many people have come forward in support of the CANQuest! sliverX is one of them and he recently sent me an amazing package for which I owe him big time. CAN you dig it?!?

Biere mit honning, eh? My Old Lady is both an apiarist and a meaderist so I wonder what she thinks of this, or maybe I don't, since she is rather outspoken. The pour gave me just over a finger of fluffy eggshell-white head with great retention and the beginnings of decent lacing. Color was a bit on the golden side for an Amber/Red, but it did exhibit NE-quality clarity. Nose had an odd nicotine/tobacco smell and I am sitting in my ABSOLUTELY smoke-free kitchen as I type this. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium with a slight sweetness on the tongue. I also experienced an odd flavor that reminded me of freshly bleached laundry. Oof. Finish was slightly sweet, but overall this was not worthy. Sorry.

Serving type: can

06-16-2010 23:13:27 | More by woodychandler

Mitchster

Michigan

2.05/5  rDev -34.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Pours out to a brilliantly clear bronze, forming a small soapy white head with poor retention and minimal lacing. Not really a brown ale at all. Carbonation is moderate. Aroma is kinda like a cross between a bland EuroLager, and an even blander continental macro. Fermentation is clean...suggestion of pale malts, corn, grassy hops. Mouthfeel is wet and mild with a medium-light body. Taste...again, like the smell but with little hop flavor or bitterness, allowing the residual malt sugars to be perceptable. If I concentrate, perhaps I can fool myself into thinking there is honey in there somewhere, but tastes closer to corn syrup. Touches of grass, caramel flavoring, and vanilla in the middle. Finish is wet, clean, and brief.

Rather dull, with little redeeming qualities. Not horrible, but not good either.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2004 23:22:56 | More by Mitchster

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.08/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer is by no means horrible, but what I will say is that it definitely falls under the macro label. The high carbonation is evident in the pour, along with a short lasting fizzy white head. The one thing that is somewhat impressive about it's appearance is that it's not your typical pale golden straw color, instead it is a deep honey colored brown. The sweetness is quite evident in the nose, but I don't think it is related to a malt character. Probably the artificial honey aroma/flavoring. The first sip is overbearing with honey flavor, so much that there really isn't a beer there anymore, just watered down honey. However the body for this style is relatively full, in comparison to macros or honey beers I have had.
The drinkability of JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager would have to be judged in the fact that most people would like it for it's honey flavor sweetness, but I find that I didn't enjoy this one nor would I enjoy it one right after another. Too sweet to be enjoyed in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2003 10:53:08 | More by WVbeergeek

jmz62565

Connecticut

2.08/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This pours a light amber with a smallish white head. The smell is very light,almost no smell, with a little sweet malt aroma. The taste is like any large macro lager beer. Light,crisp and very little taste. The m/f is light,weak and watery. I really can't imagine ever having this again.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2006 06:14:24 | More by jmz62565

CortexBomb

Michigan

2.1/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours out with a decent brownish colour, with plenty of carbonation, though that quickly heads off into the stratosphere. Scent is sweet, but that's about it.

As for the flavour, typically bland macro with a touch of sweetness which to my palate didn't closely resemble honey. Perhaps I was expecting as stronger honey flavour with this one, but the taste definitely lacked what I was looking for.

Mouthfeel was very watery, and the drinkability was low, I had difficulty finishing the bomber.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2004 01:40:35 | More by CortexBomb

vdread

Texas

2.1/5  rDev -32.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

Dundee Original Honey Brown Lager pours a golden amber with a white foamy head. leaves some lacing. smells of sweet caramel and...honey.

the overwhelming sweet sugar and honey taste is immediate, caramel malt that is way too sweet. i cannot appreciate any other flavors. feels heavy in the mouth. i get absolutely no enjoyment out of drinking this beer.

this beer came in a dundee craft pack with a porter, ipa, pale ale, wheat beer, and a bock.

though i've never had a 'honey' beer before, i didn't know what to expect. this beer is unbearable for me to drink. it's way too sweet and not in a good way.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2009 18:37:28 | More by vdread

soper2000

Texas

2.13/5  rDev -31.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

This stuff is pretty ubiquitous here on campus, the price was 1.25 per draft so i decided to try it. Received this beer in a clear plastic cup so to the best of my knowledge the pour was an amber color with a quickly disappating white head. Not really much smell to this one. Flavor was subdued but there was a little bit of malty sweetness present. This is a pretty light beer. It's nothing special but then again it's not god awful either.

Serving type: on-tap

04-15-2004 00:46:05 | More by soper2000

marc77

California

2.15/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Dark copper hue, clear and effervescent. The head settles into a respectable layer that coats the glass. Sweet caramel malt and cooked corn in aroma, and not much else. Lightly bodied from the copious use of adjuncts. There's a one - dimensional, non caramel malt derived sweetness in flavor that is quite offputting, and borderlines of being cloying. Malt complexity is sorely lacking. Hop bitterness is meager, and thus allows for the sugary sweetness. Tastes like a typical macrobrew w/ sugar added. Mild honey flavors emerge in the finish, then vanish quickly leaving an empty blandness. Honey Brown is not an enjoyable beer. The sweetness is cloying and tastes processed.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2002 18:04:23 | More by marc77

StevieW

Florida

2.15/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

On tap tonight, I have had the bottles as well. Slighty darker than yellow to light brown color. Thin faint white head, sweet, honey smell, with some sourness as well. Tasted overly sweet, with a serious stale, sour finish. Didn't get much malt or, hop balance, just sourness. Thin feel, not much to keep you drinking more. I remember the bottles being much better. I may have had it from a stale keg. Not memorable, and I won't buy it again for a long time.

Serving type: on-tap

06-18-2002 19:33:41 | More by StevieW