Bowen Island Lager - Bowen Island Brewing Co. Ltd.

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +22.8%

02-17-2012 07:11:05 | More by LampertLand

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

1.75/5  rDev -38.6%

11-29-2012 01:58:10 | More by KalanM

bumchilly25

British Columbia (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev -3.5%

07-19-2012 01:18:57 | More by bumchilly25

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got three cans in their sampler pack (~$1.63 per can). This is the one I was least looking forward to. It pours with a small but decent white foamy head with lacing down the sides. It has a yellow (slightly golden) body that is slightly cloudy. The aroma is mostly of bread and yeast with that distinct adjunct grain smell. I also get a hazelnut and coffee-yogurt aroma. The breadiness continues into the taste, and features a bitter citrus and slight banana flavour. There is a boozy, wine-quality to it. It has a medium-to-full body for a lager. It has a medium amount of carbonation but its presence prickles the tongue which give a spicy feel to it. Overall, I can recognize the distinct, complex taste, unique for an American adjunct lager, but I don't particularly care for it. I'm sure some people would better appreciate it.

Serving type: can

06-19-2012 04:11:28 | More by maclean25

papawu76

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev +5.3%

12-02-2011 21:55:34 | More by papawu76

pudoo

British Columbia (Canada)

3/5  rDev +5.3%

11-27-2011 01:36:48 | More by pudoo

clocktower

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - looks like my piss after a multivitamin

S - really grainy, almost to a fault. maybe a bit of floral in there but not much

T - Biggest thing i notice is the malt. Lots of it. Graininess and some chemical thing i cant put my finger on.

M - lively carbonation, not tiring or heavy. quite pleasant actually

O - Nothing real impressive, but i picked up a six-pack for about 6$ i can't complain too much.

Serving type: can

06-27-2011 01:13:13 | More by clocktower

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Golden-bronze, plenty of head, good retention & lace.

Light sulfury aroma reveals that this is an actual lager. Some nice floral hopping, hints of grass & grainy biscuit.

That sulfury character might be DMS, but it's just above the flavour threshold, and I think it's alright here. There's some nice floral hopping, grainy biscuit, modest bitterness.

Average mouthfeel for the style, a little heavy on the carbonation.

I don't mind drinking this in the summer. It's nice to get some true lager character from the yeast. This is a decent example of the style.

Serving type: can

05-23-2011 23:45:02 | More by Derek

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

2.58/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance. Light straw with a little haze and a finger of bubbly head.

Smell. A little toasty light grains and bland hops.

Taste. Very light toasty wheat, slightly sweet with a mild bitter finish. Drinkable, but not very exciting.

Mouthfeel. Light body with medium-strong, bubbly carbonation.

Drinkability. Easy drinker. Alcohol pretty well hidden ...with what, I'm not sure.

Serving type: can

03-04-2011 00:12:03 | More by Rutager

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Different packaging, now that it's made by Kamloops Brewing - definitely better looking than what I'm expecting, given the cost.

This beer pours a slightly hazy pale golden colour, with two fingers of foamy white head, which leaves some thin iceberg lace around the glass after it settles. It smells of biscuity, bready grain, and some weedy hops. The taste is sweet, nondescript grainy malt, a light bitter nuttiness, and dull grassy hops. The carbonation is on the high and sharp side, the body medium weight, and smooth but for the fizz. It finishes clean, and a little sweet.

For the buck-a-beer market, you could do a whole lot worse, and not much better.

Serving type: can

12-09-2010 23:33:35 | More by biboergosum

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Straw yellow appearance with minimal head. Smell is minimal but sweet and grainy.

Taste is malty with a slightly sweet and grassy taste. Very light bodied with high carbonation. Aftertaste is creamy but otherwise non existent,

Overall, this beer is bland but drinkable. If you weigh it out, this isn't bad for the price, but there are better and more unique beers out there.

Serving type: can

12-09-2010 04:03:37 | More by CrazyMike

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +32.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bowen Island Lager pours a bright gold, with a little more color than the average macro lager. The aroma is sweet and slightly fruity with a touch of graininess and plenty of pale lager malt character. The flavor is sweet and lightly malty, with a grainy aftertaste. All around this beer has a lot of flavor for what it is, without sacrificing too much drinkability.

Serving type: can

09-18-2010 23:15:50 | More by ericj551

Graham5161986

British Columbia (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

pours with a very limited head that dissipates quickly, practically disappears and leaves no lacing. Smell is predominantly of sweet grain malt with just a slight nutty undertone. Taste is nothing much to speak of - nutty, sweet malts, not much in the way of hops and some typical lager grassiness on the finish. A bit nutty on the linger, which is actually somewhat pleasant (probably the best part of this beer). Mouthfeel is light, decently crisp with an oily finish - could be a lot cleaner. As for drinkability, it goes down pretty easy. There's nothing offensive about this beer, it's just a bit bland all around. I could drink a bunch of these with no problem, I just wouldn't choose to do so.

Serving type: can

03-21-2010 04:47:45 | More by Graham5161986

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

2.45/5  rDev -14%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A yellow fizz, poured it hard to the bottom of the glass and still nothing

S sweet grain

T not much going on here, tasted like it smells, however at 7.50$ im happy, you could spend more money on much worse beer

M/D pretty average easy to drink, once again i did not gag as you would except from such a cheap brew

Dont go out of your way for this one, but a good value if you just gotta drink

Serving type: can

07-17-2009 01:30:24 | More by wordemupg

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

2/5  rDev -29.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Black and silver 355ml can - 5% alc. Starts off looking alright - golden color, small white head. Foam quickly disappears to thin ring then to nothing. No discernable smell at all. Pretty much a generic lager, bit of a sweetness in the taste. Overall pretty bland. Meant to compete with other low cost beers, so that is where it fits.

Serving type: can

01-02-2006 11:59:21 | More by BigBry

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

2.23/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Quite the paper trail left behind this stuff, I had to do a bit of sleuthing. This then is a lager by the Bowen Island Brewing Co. Ltd. which is brewed by the Whistler Brewing Company LTD. according to the small print on the side of the can, at the Big Rock Brewery here in Calgary according to the postal code given. And all that work for a beer that costs less than a dollar a can. I'd say this would be direct competition for Big Rock's AGD, but I'm sure they're getting a nice slice from the production costs to not worry too much about it, they're making money either way, whether you buy the Bowen Island or their AGD.

Comes in a black can, gold and aluminum Bowen Island logo on the front. Pours out a very limpid yellow, light watery apple juice, but with a decent frothy white head, I grant it that. The aroma is not bad at first, but after letting it sit for a couple of minutes a bit of sour grain starts to permeate through. No big deal, it has a less offensive smell than most of the big brands, and at almost half the price--I'll give it kudos on that point. The flavour is very plain, in fact a bit bland, but that also means no real off-flavours either. Once again, nothing special or noteworthy, or even good, but good enough for the fact that it at least is palatable and unoffensive, which tends to be the real perameters for this style. The mouthfeel, while light and a bit watery, tends to have a bit of backbone, smooth over the palate rather than caustic from over-carbonation. And considering how pale and limp the body appears.

Lets not beat around the bush here, this is a cheap lawnmower beer, or a great grab for students on a tight budget (or anyone on a budget for that matter). For the price that I paid alone for this stuff I'm fairly impressed with what I got. It's not a quality beer with regards to flavour at all (what flavour?), but it is not god awful and undrinkable either, which is what I was expecting. Just boring and cheap. If that's what they were aiming for, then they succeeded.

Serving type: can

10-23-2005 17:10:49 | More by IronDjinn