1516 Bavarian Lager - Okanagan Spring Brewery

vanrassel

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had a few of these on April 23, in recognition of the day in 1516 the Reinheitsgebot took effect.

With that little bit of geekery taken care of, on to the beer: clear gold with a towering, three-finger white head. The head had good retention and left plenty of lace.

The aroma was an understated mix of bready malt, sweet honey and clover and spicy hops. A bit sulphurous, too, which isn't unusual and not enough to be unpleasant. The taste was well balanced between bready malt and bitter hops. Light-bodied, but a bit sticky with a malty aftertaste left on the palate.

Overall, this is an easy-drinking lager that's a step above macros.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2007 21:56:20 | More by vanrassel

Shadman

Alberta (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bavarian beer in the Okanogan..cool!

Good looking Helles Lager, that pale urine yellow color and a nice head and good lacing. Smells of malt and an almost vegetal smell.
Nice crisp smooth balance between the malts and the slight spicy/ slightly citrus hops. Carbonation felt just about right IMO.
Thinking this beer might make a nice introductory Helles Lager for my friends who still reside in Macro-lagerland

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2007 21:20:05 | More by Shadman

f355x3

Washington

3.88/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Had this beer for the first time on a run up to Canada. Was served on-tap and was a very popular beer at the bar. The color was pretty good, a nice amber. The smell and taste were also nice, what a straight beer should taste like in my opinion. Overall, a very nice beer to have while hanging out with some friends at the bar.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2006 11:31:31 | More by f355x3

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

2.93/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This is a beer you will find everywhere in vancouver; restaurants, bars etc. It scares no one and also challenges no one. The beer pours yellow gold with a nice head. The nose is pretty well non-existent. The taste is fairly crisp lager with a slightly sweet finish. It has one hand in the Old World but still tastes a bit like Molson Canadian. Not bad but order the pale ale instead if Ok Springs is the only choice.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2005 04:58:26 | More by canucklehead

elricorico

Alberta (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very clear pale golden colour with a three finger head from an aggressive pour. The head receded fairly quickly, but left some sticky lacing on the glass.

The smell is grassy and grainy. Not a whole bunch to say about it. It isn't strong, but it is notable.

Taste is light but nice, with a grainy, bready flavour up front, and a crisp, faintly bitter finish. Aftertaste is a touch grassy. Put together it makes a good impression.

Mouthfeel is light in body and smooth in carbonation.

As far as lagers go, this is a good one. Easy drinking and the flavour has a freshness to it. A bunch of these in a cooler on a hot summer day, and you wouldn't hear me complaining.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2005 03:01:40 | More by elricorico

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Light all malt beer. Seems styled on a light Dortmunder recipe...pours a light yellow, small white rocky head. Light malty nose over citrus-cidery notes. Light bodied malty lager with some nice cider and herbal hop tones, crisp finish...light malt after taste...a nice light all malt lager but really not all that distinct.Still it is light years ahead of the corn and rice swill from Mol-Coor-batt's

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2005 00:49:15 | More by pootz

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Standard 341 ml brown bottle, name obviously referring to the German Purity Law of 1516 (back label panel explains this. Pours clear golden hue, lots of carbonation. Malty smell, with grass or hay and light hops aroma that is kind of flowery. Nice maltiness and slight hoppy finish. Crisp lager taste, light and smooth, goes down easy. Well balanced, nothing special but my favorite session beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2005 22:04:52 | More by BigBry

Cwrw

Alberta (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Okanagan Spring has recently redone all their labels and introduced two new beers, a Munich Dark, and a Helles. This, the 1516, tastes quite similar to the Helles, so we will see if they both continue to exist.

1516 is a typical, but healthy and attractive looking pale lager. Light browns and golden straw, light honey colours. The head is definitely better than average, however. It poured with a perfect amount of head, neither overdone nor underdone. Off-white, thick, but fairly ephemeral, as it dissipates to a thin layer, the lace leaving thin serpentine patches. On a sweltering day, the appearance screams "drink me." The aroma is grainy, lightly toasted, with subtle tart milkiness like so many German lagers. Hops are well balanced, with some delicate spiciness and grass. Again, very German aroma, fittingly enough. The taste is brisk, refreshing, and thirst quenching. Good caramel malt up front, with a definite hop burst on the finish, leaving the mouth with a balanced, not overly sweet or dry feel. The freshness of the toasted malt is superb in this beer, roasted to perfection, a true credit to barley. Light butterscotch and even subtle lemon in the taste. The mouthfeel is high carbonation, light to medium bodied, and invigoratingly quenching. The drinkability, being neither offensive, strong, or heavy, is very good: an ideal summer brew; not to indicate, however, that this has little taste--on the contrary it is very flavourful. This is one beer I buy quite consistently; if I go out to buy a "six-pack" for a hot summer day, this usually is the standard. A credit to its name, 1516 is a natural refreshing German-style lager.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2004 09:06:28 | More by Cwrw

canadianbarman

Alberta (Canada)

3.15/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

--regular brown bottle, no freshness date to be found.
--Poured a very thin, clear golden color. Had a nice head that stuck around. Good lacing and bubbles.
--Smell was a slightly sweet smell, with hints of a mild malt.
This was an interesting beer. I was expecting a watered down taste based on the color of the beer but was surprised as it had a nice crisp taste. I would consider it again.
Thx

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2003 17:31:57 | More by canadianbarman

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I scoffed at this lager when it first came out, mostly due to the heavy-breathing-down-your-neck marketing campaign that endorsed it at every beer store I frequented. Plus I have issues with that 'ole purity law of 1516, so a beer marketed around it was enough of a garlic wreath to keep me away.

However it's been a very hot August, yes, even up here in the frozen Great White North, and it is lager season after all. Picked up a cold case of this to tide me over while the warm bottles of Belgians I bought along with it had time to chill. And it's not bad stuff.

Enough of the personal essay, let's get down to business. This 1516 poured out of it's 341 ml brown bottle a refreshing clear golden hue, but the erruption of bubbles I mistook for a head fell back immediately. Has a crisp hay/malt smell to it, light flowery hops rounding it off. Flavour is the light average of a crisp lager, a decent balance and it goes down smooth. However not much else going on to make it stand out either. This is a decent enough lager, I'd buy it again for another patio/barbecuing session, especially in mixed company (macro drinkers, non-beer drinkers, and beer snobs alike) but I'd reserve it for hot weather refreshment, by no means would I make it a standard of mine. Still, I'd buy this hands down over any macro on the market.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2003 02:34:22 | More by IronDjinn