Victoria Bitter (VB) - Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

2.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25

375ml bottle served in a Weizen glass.

A: Pours a regular and clear yellow color forming a medium and fluffy and very bubbled white head. Medium retention and many lacings left in the glass

S: Sweet grains. Adjunct malts, mainly. Notes of corn, flowery hops and Lager yeasts

T: Sweet malts upfront followed bit a skunky and bit citrus hop bitterness. In overall, a quite dry taste. Adjunct malts are quite annoying. Strong notes of corn and the hops bitterness is medium and quite dry too. Bready Lager style yeasts

M: Light body. Strong carbonation. Adjunct grains and a medium dry hoppy bitterness

O: Low drinkability. I was curious about this beer for long years. Quite disappointing. Not recommended at all

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 12:21:03 | More by eduardolinhalis

soju6

Missouri

2.03/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: From the iconic brown stubby. Pours a clear copper color with a small head and no real lacing.

S: Has that iconic musty aroma of malt sweetness and grain.

T:Taste of malt sweetness with some grain. Mild bitterness and a slightly sticky finish. pretty bland.

F: Light body, mild crispness and kind of boring.

O: One of the better known lagers from down under. Goes best with hot weather. Enough said.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2012 04:52:15 | More by soju6

EmperorBevis

United Kingdom (England)

2.25/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Straw coloured body with wispy white bubbles
Smells like super malt with a hint of vegimite lmao

big flat taste the malt hits the tongue like muted sugar and you expect the traditional hops kick, nada but a metallic finish and a cheap wine flirt

fizzy and light
makes a half decent lager or an utterly shit bitter.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2012 18:11:40 | More by EmperorBevis

Gazza

1.98/5  rDev -15%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Not a good beer whatsoever. Disappointing that an Australian icon like this one is such a bad beer. The bitter taste is way too overwhelming and not balanced or interesting. Needs some nice hops and malts and contrasting flavours to level this out a bit. Really tastes bad in your mouth. Even trying to drink this one really fast too get it over with doesn't work. The taste may not be lingering but it's not a nice feeling in your mouth the moment you take a drink. You will want to pour this one on the garden before you finish and I cannot blame you. Okay it's a working man's beer. The problem is that people drink this religiously and are so faithful they do not even recognise that Carlton and United have stripped down the alcohol content and brainwashed their drinkers as they are only intent on making a profit. What is left is a completely preservative rich and additive rich beer which is completely carbonated and full of chemicals and no longer a natural easy-drinking beer after a hard days work. AVOID. I repeat AVOID (DO NOT BUY A CASE OF THIS, YOU WILL REGRET LOSING YOUR MONEY BUT EVEN MORE, HAVING TO DRINK THIS STUFF). Sorry VB, I wish I could love you.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 06:32:13 | More by Gazza

Bitterbill

Wyoming

2.93/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

It pours a light gold with a 2 finger head of foam and leaves some lacing. A pretty good looking brew.

The smell is of corn, grain, and a nondescript bitterness.

The taste isn't bad up front; there's a decent balance between the corn and grainy sweetness and a light bitterness. On the back end it does get a bit too corny and sweet but overall, it's not that bad. Some compliment for a beer, eh?

Usual carbonation and body for the style, it's easy drinking. It might have been even better before the best by of Aug 2011. :^)

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 23:12:22 | More by Bitterbill

Everydayoff

Thailand

2.33/5  rDev 0%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

375ml bottle poured into a pint glass by freshness date.

L:
Pour a clear rather dark golden color with average white head but short retention. It fades into thin bubble film on the surface with wee lacing, medium visible carbonation.

S:
Adjunct cereal, grain, corn with hint of some dry malt.

T+M:
Dry grain with some malt trait also slight metallic, hop is mute. The body is medium with soothing carbonation, smooth. Finish is dry.

O:
Not all over bad but still could not consider as worthy. No go for serious drinker.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 15:24:27 | More by Everydayoff

dansmcd

Australia

1.53/5  rDev -34.3%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A - Clear and pale straw coloured, for a second there is even a few bubbles that could possibly pass for a head. Or not.

S - Slight grass, lemon, bucketloads of chemicals.

T - Again, faint lemon and grass flavours absolutely assaulted by metallic foulness and horrible chemicals.

M - Water thin and highly carbonated.

O - Hells bells this is some downright terrible stuff. Such a shame that so many people, here and overseas, think of this stuff when you say Australian beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 05:15:29 | More by dansmcd

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A 375ml stubby bottle with a BB of Sept 2011 - so just out of date. Picked up cheap from my local off-licence.

Poured into a standard pint glass. A clear pale gold hue with some floating sediment and medium carbonation. Produces a small head of white foam that disappears almost immediately. Faint aroma of light malt with a stale, musty note in the background.

Tastes of light malt with a mild hint of stewed leaves. No depth to the flavour, and an acrid note lingering on the finish. Mouthfeel is watery and thin, with tingly carbonation. Leaves the palate slightly dry, with an unpleasant stale aftertaste.

Poor, even for industrial lager. Watery and tasteless. It might be that this is a bit old, but I'm not gonna rush out and get more to double-check. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 21:05:36 | More by jazzyjeff13

aeolianshredhead

Australia

1.1/5  rDev -52.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Here it is: one of the main offenders to the Australian beer industry, VB itself. I do have fond memories of my friend and I stealing our respective father's supply of this and drinking them in the backyard when we were younger, but as a beer itself? How does it compare?

A- It has that extremely fake appearance sported by most Aussie macros. This is cheap and factory assembled. An aggressive pour gets a miniscule head, which vanishes but for a blotch on top. The carbonation loses its bite quickly as it becomes stagnant and tepid.

S- Judging a book by its cover works when smelling this beer. It smells as it looks: artificial. Basically, some kind of awful, out of place sweetness assaults my sense of smell. The worst part is, I really can't tell what is causing this scent. Is it malt? God no. Is it hops? I sincerely doubt that. Whatever it is, smells like it should definitely not be there.

T- To this beer's credit, it is very consistent from nose to palate. That is most certainly not a desirable thing, though. This tastes quite rank. That saccharin-esque sweetness is horribly discernable throughout and leaves a sickly feeling on your tongue. Also, it finishes with the dreaded and most feared of all things- POR. I prefer the taste of XXXX to this and believe me, that is saying something.

M- It's bloating, gassy, abrasive and watery. These are not good things, people. The fizziness just does not work here. This is a true pain to drink.

O- As I expected, VB is a disgrace to the great name of beer. People, if you want refreshment, go for a hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2011 09:53:27 | More by aeolianshredhead

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.2/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Mild amber with decent head retention. Lots of grain in the taste & the smell and pretty poor overall really. Much like every other mass-market pale lager but with a strong bitter taste on the finish. Not a beer I'd recommend.

1001 Beers To Try Blog:
http://abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2011 10:47:21 | More by flyingpig

SolomonGrundy

California

2.93/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

That's right, it's not a typo. A wonderful extra from excellent trader MrKennedy. I specifically requested a couple of these because I want to feel the full Aussie Metalhead effect!!! THRASH!!!

By the way, I love the band Coheed and Cambria and after seeing them again last night, I have even more respect for the talent of Claudio Sanchez...If someone doesn't find a way to put out a solo acoustic album with him, I'll finance the freaking thing myself!!!

This beer is exactly what you'd expect from the biggest selling beer in any particular region, but this screams Aussie Thrash Metal party!!! Put on some Abominator and grill up some fat burgers!!! Thrash!!!

It's clear....It's cold...THAT'S SOME HIGH QUALITY H2O!!!

Look, you're not gonna wow anyone with this, but it sure goes down quick and has a surprising amount of flavor for what basically amounts to an AAL (American Adjunct Lager, for those not into the acronymics)...In fact, I have to say I prefer this to most BMC style stuff...And I'll bet it's cheaper than good water in some parts of the world, so there you go...

What I like most: Hey, what's NOT to love?? THRASH!!!

What I like least: Hey, who said this was high-falutin' stuff? Not me, that's for sure...THRASH!!!

Verdict: Never tries to be anything it isn't, and I'll bet you can get a case for less than a nice steak. THRASH!!!!

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2011 20:14:53 | More by SolomonGrundy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

1.78/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

i shall not all out the ba that sent me this one as an extra no matter how funny he was trying to be, but needless to say i had to indulge his joke an try it.

poured into a pint glass the fizzy yellow liquid instantly popped up a nice head of white that quickly faded and left, well fizzy pale liquid. aroma was that of stale corn, wet hay that had been, well lets not go there, it was a mess. each sip was soo light and indescribable it was hard to really put in words. it was just liquified corn and hay, just not needed.

overall fits right in with american macros, just a bad, bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 01:54:20 | More by mikesgroove

Antikythera

New York

3.1/5  rDev +33%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is not undrinkable. It was only slightly bitter, so if you like bitter hoppy stuff you won't like this. It has a very light flavour and carbonation, and I can see it being pretty refreshing in hot weather. More flavour than your average mass-produced two-four beer. Depending on the price I might pick some up in the summer, or I may just stick with my favourite lagers.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2011 05:38:24 | More by Antikythera

NATOuk

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

2.83/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:
Clear and Straw coloured, well carbonated. Head forms and dissipates quickly.

Smell:
Earthy, grassy smell which isn't strong

Taste:
Not a particularly strong tasting beer. The initial taste is mostly of the carbonation, the finish has a slight hop bitterness which fades quickly. While not unpleasant, the taste is rather weak.

Mouthfeel:
Light bodied, Pleasant medium carbonation.

Drinkability:
This is a disappointing beer as I had heard a lot of good things prior to trying it but I find it tastes rather weak and nondescript. Saying that, it is not unpleasant, it would a good choice for a summer BBQ or hot day where a lager taste would be preferred.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2011 15:11:45 | More by NATOuk

tai4ji2x

Massachusetts

1.95/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

from notes, tasted mid to late june 2009, kro's nest, beijing, china

best by date of apr 15, 2010. importer label indicates a bottling date of one year before that.

poured into mug.

clear golden straw. 1-finger fizzy white head soon fades to wispy thin layer, then just ring. no lace.

aroma is nearly non-existent, even as it warms. slight hint of euro hops, almost sulfurous. touch of saltine crackers. maybe some white grape esters? maybe.

taste: hints of malty bread and yeasty fermentation w/ sulfur hint underneath a bold hop bitterness, with almost no other hop flavor such as leafy, herbal or grassy. touch of chemical note only ends up accentuating the sulfur in an unpleasant way.

relatively thin and watery. not undrinkable, but carbonation is fizzy and doesn't really help to cleanse the acrid chemical astringency.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2011 18:17:08 | More by tai4ji2x

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

2.15/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

500ml can poured into pint glass jan3 2011

A golden yellow with lots of tiny particles and almost no carbonation and a three finger head that was gone as soon as I turned my head and left no lace

S skunky lemon and maybe some grass

T not far from the smell but even less pleasant, it just tastes off nothing worth drinking

M fairly watery and pretty flat

D not drain pour but nothing I'd ever pay for again

My spouse is from Melbourne and even she thinks this beer sucks, her father however may smash you to pieces if you ever badmouthed VB

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2011 06:42:37 | More by wordemupg

vacax

California

2.93/5  rDev +25.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

750 mL brown bottle with a twist off cap. The pour is gold with a good couple fingers of foamy white head. Retention is moderate, a few big bubbles make it look a bit soapy, but looks like a nice brew. The aroma is fairly sweet on the malt side with a somewhat prevalent corn scent.

Clean malt flavor initially makes for a very pleasant ingress, pleasant bitterness on the midpalate along with corn that carries through into the finish. Big chlorine / chemical taste on the finish also, but pretty crisp. Better than a lot of American adjunct lagers actually, despite multiple flaws. Light body, moderate to high carbonation, I like that it isn't too bubbly. More drinkable than the average adjunct lager.

Serving type: bottle

07-04-2010 06:07:26 | More by vacax

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

2.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a light golden brown with a very thin layer of head which dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

S - Very light scent, mostly bready and grassy in nature. The smell is reminiscent of Stella Artois.

T - Grassy malts and bitter on the finish. A bit of a sour lemon flavour present, though this is very mild.

M - Light, bubbly and smooth. Goes down easily, especially on a hot summer day.

D - Not really a memorable beer, but I would never turn one down if offered. It quenches your thirst, but the flavour is rather mild.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2010 02:56:46 | More by andrenaline

chaosmaster

Rhode Island

1.68/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

this is an aussie version of budweiser but with a little bit, if you can tell the diffrerence, bitterness, but I had to pay a premium price for it. Not worth the money. Immediately rinse your mouth with budweiser or MGD if you happen to have one. I won't try it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 16:12:53 | More by chaosmaster

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

2.5/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Short brown, as pictured above. Not an Bitter or ESB as might be expected from the name/label.
Basic adjunct lager: yellow color, white foam that disappears before forming a head. Smell us a bit vegetal, with other sweetness from some unknown adjunct additives. Sourish grainy taste, a bit metalic aftertaste. Alcohol burn comes through at the end. Not much else to say, unfortunatly not really worth the 'import' price tag.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2009 04:33:57 | More by BigBry

DIM

Pennsylvania

2.05/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

a: This was a pale golden color. It poured with a short lived fizzy head.

s: A little sweet grain and some generic bitterness.

t: Mirrors the smell, not much going on.

m: Fizzy and wet.

d: I had this beer in paradise (Wilson Island). It didn't help.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 11:44:53 | More by DIM

Seanibus

California

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

I was given this by an actual Australian expat who says she paid way too much for a case just to get an authentic taste of home.

Pours thin and yellowish with a decent white head that falls to surprisingly strong lacing. The aroma is surprisingly robust, with a little honey and grain, like a strong adjunct lager. The flavor is decent as well, a little bready, sweet, a kiss of honey, and just the faintest flicker of hops. The mouthfeel is thin and there is just a hint of bitterness on the finish. Not too bad for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2009 12:20:46 | More by Seanibus

allboutbierge

Austria

1.6/5  rDev -31.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I tried this on a whim...and ended up disappointed.

Its a cheap golden adjunct lager...fizzy with boisterous, but short lived head. Lots of corn in there, not much rice. A mild crispness in the forefront, but has a rough grainy finish. Not much really to analyze. It was served cold and I guess served it's purpose. I should learn to have lesser expectations...I thought I was buying an actual Bitter mild.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2009 15:21:00 | More by allboutbierge

Sunnanek

Sweden

1.48/5  rDev -36.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

A: Light golden with a nice rather large white head that leaves nice lacings.

S: Almost not traceable, but I can sence citrus and alcohol.

T: Flat! But if I'm trying to find something positive - there is some malt.

M: Thin with no flavours - some carbonic acid.

D: Avoid! This must be for those who aren't into big malty or hoppy flavours. It quenches ones thirst, but that's about it.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2009 17:50:46 | More by Sunnanek

jbro434

Switzerland

2.28/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I finally decided to shell out the 3 francs to buy this and I was hoping for a good showing. Pours a decent deep gold with small, bubbled head and just about zero lacing. The taste up front is grainy and light. I have a soft spot for Fosters and I was hoping for something close. This just fizzled in my mouth like a typical macro with no hint of anything other than grain and a quck dash of hops. Finished with mostly carbonation and a metalic twang that would only have me repeating this experience if I were out in the Outback on a hot and dusty day with nothing else available. If you have to go native, just hope it is so cold that you avoid the boring taste of this brew.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 15:40:15 | More by jbro434