Schell's Deer Brand - August Schell Brewing Company

gmfessen

Michigan

2.78/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I guess they're calling this one "Deer Brand" now rather than "Original". Poured from the bottle into a pilsner glass, beer is a very light straw color, completely clear and has a thin cap of fizzy white carbonation on top. Bubbles slowly rise from the depths of the glass; looks like your typical American Macro Lager. The nose is almost indiscernible, again like most American Macro Lagers, and what is there are brief hints of sweet malt and grainy corn. The taste follows suit, not much going on here, slightly sweet graininess that lingers on the palate, bittered just to balance - not much to say. The mouthfeel is light in body and has a moderate, mouth-burning carbonation. Overall, like most other beers in its category - definitely nothing that stands out about this one. Probably easy to pound down and refreshing when it's hot out... those are probably the best traits of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2009 22:02:33 | More by gmfessen

LordAdmNelson

Ohio

3.43/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pale yellow with pretty big white head that fades rapidly. Spotty lace.

S- Corn, slight biscuit, touch of hops. Nothing too strong, but better than your average macro.

T- Corn, biscuit, fades into a rather nice grassy hoppiness. Slight orange zest. Finishes with a little green apple. I might be reaching for these flavors though.

M- Light bodied, fizzy.

D- Pretty high, drinks like a macro, but with more flavor. Not a bad brew, but I want some more flavor.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2009 20:44:27 | More by LordAdmNelson

HardTarget

Texas

3.55/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A) Bright yellow body with a white cap that leaves spotty lace

S) A richer, deeper aroma than expected, mild orange rind gives some complexity

T) Some fruit in the taste, some hops that are citric (the orange rind and grapefruit), fairly balanced

M) Medium light body, medium carbonation

O) A very nice flavor lends drinkability. The citric notes along with some honey aspects make for an easy session beer.

Serving type: can

04-24-2009 18:57:41 | More by HardTarget

zeff80

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a clear, fizzy, auburn color with a bubbly, foamy, white, two-finger head. It left minor trails of lace.

S - It smelled of caramel malt, grains and barley. It had a very subtle floral aroma.

T - It tasted of sweet caramel malt. It wasn't overly sweet but it was good. It had a slight bitter hop kick.

M - It was crisp, sharp and a little fizzy. A light bodied lager.

D - This is a nice solid, sessionable lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2009 15:00:52 | More by zeff80

jjanega08

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 5

A= a darker than macro fizzy yellow color with a pretty decent head
S= corn and rice
T= sweeter than I expected. Really tastes like minnesota grown bi color sweetcorn. Pretty good I must say
M= average all around
D= high. I like the sweetcorn taste. Good summer beer I think. Not bad at all

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2009 16:22:22 | More by jjanega08

Greggy

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've got to get this off my chest. Straight from the Schells website it puts this at 70 grain/30 corn. Therefor, shouldn't be a munich helles... whew... ok

A- Pours a clear yellow with faint sediment dancing around. The head is 1 finger in height, white, and short lived as it recedes down to a micro cap in about a minute.

S- Not a bad nose at all. I get notes of some hops, some graininess, a bit of nutmeg,caramel, some breadiness and sweet malt.

T- Starts out rather malty but a hoppy edge comes in to balance out the caramel and biscuit notes. The finish retains a bit of the caramel and grainy bread notes. I can't help but to gather bits of green apple skins on the finish.

M- Medium carbonation scrubs the palette in a delicate manner. The finish is long and actually has CHARACTER!

D- What a great beer. I tended to shy away from this beer as the deer just screamed macro, however, this turned out to be a nice sessionable beer with ample character for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 04:50:06 | More by Greggy

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer pours a clear pale straw color. The head is half an inch in height, and recedes quickly into nothing. The bready malt with soft hints of caramel. The taste is like the aroma. Malty and straight forward. The bodied is a little fuller than light bodied with appropriately high carbonation. Overall, this is a pretty good American Lager. I could drink this again on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2008 19:35:04 | More by KarlHungus

hardy008

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pale in color much like a mass produced beer.

Smell - Presence of hops, not overpowering.

Taste - Hops and some sweetness are present.

Mouthfeel - Smooth and clean.

Drinkability - It would be easy to drink several of these in one session. Very drinkable.

Serving type - 12 ounce bottle.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2008 15:04:37 | More by hardy008

shadow1961

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

August Schell Original pours a stiff white head over a clear yellow brew. Carbonation
is extremely active- those clouds of bubbles maintain a finger of head all through the
session. The nose is your basic macro brew corn and rice. The flavor is surprisingly
good- sure there's sweet corn up front, but there's also a bit of herbal hop in the finish,
and a little grain flavor in the aftertaste. Mouthfeel is light, of course, but there's something
of the hop here, otherwise there would be no lacing at all. There's nothing special here, but
it's still a bit better than your run of the mill macros, and really, that's what counts. If you're gonna
get some swill for lawnmowing, stick with the fresh local stuff. Cheap, slammable, sessionable,
and for what it is, surprisingly good.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2008 08:53:49 | More by shadow1961

daledeee

Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This has been my choice of "regular" beer. Not quite a macro. This is easy to drink.

The beer pours typical medium head and straw colored. Not much nose. Taste is a little hoppy any malty. Clean tasting, good cheap session beer. I was able to get this for $9.99 a case of cold bottles . It has fallen from favor recently in our area. Still able to get this at my old reliable great beer store. I still like this to drink when I am not in the mood to be critical.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2008 05:09:17 | More by daledeee

kimcgolf

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle to a light yellow with thin white head that dissipated quickly and left little lacing. Aroma was grassy, grainy hops and the flavor followed suit, with just a touch of malty sweetness toward the end. Mouthfeel was thin and the finish was short and stale.

Not much better than the BMC’s and if this is the "flagship beer", I’m afraid this ship might sink.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2007 01:56:07 | More by kimcgolf

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

"Helles" indeed, pouring a bright and clear yellow, capped with a two-finger head that settles too quickly and leaves no lace.

Flowery hops and lemon in the nose, a little fruity...a very clean, uncomplicated aroma.

Flavors are flowery, lightly sweet, mild citrus fruit (esp. lemon), mild grains, a slight honey-ish stick to the finish.

Extremely light in the mouth without being thin or watery...pretty crisp...raised up by healthy carbonation.

It would be easy to knock this if you're looking for a big beer...but this isn't even trying to be a tastebud-ripper. This is good, solid and enjoyable for the style...it's completely hitting the spot on this hot final day of August...and it's the best of the August Schell stuff I've had so far.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2007 22:02:53 | More by Metalmonk

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a pilsner glass, the beer pours a pale gold with a very small white head. It smells like sweet malt, corn and citrusy hops. The taste isn't too strong, but it tastes mainly like malt and corn, with a slight bitter aftertaste. The mouthfeel is light, but the beer is crisp and goes down easy. Overall, it's an OK beer. Nothing great, nothing awful.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2006 23:40:22 | More by bluejacket74

hanco005

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle, marked 06158 and 00024676, poured into a pilsner glass

A—clear pale yellow with a ¾ inch fizzy white head that quickly dissolves to a thin sheet, no lacing produced by this one

S—sweet grains, some lemon notes, a bit sour as well

T—not as sweet as the smell, mild grains overall, not much in distinct flavor really, just a bunch of mild grain flavors blended together

M—a bit thin, light bodied, mild carbonation

D—not bad, but nothing outstanding. Easily drinkable in mass quantities if you are going for that.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2006 17:37:59 | More by hanco005

garymuchow

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Somewhat sweet malt aroma with some adjunct. Simple. Bit of sourness noted too.
Water clear. Straw yellow-gold. Big white noisy head that settles in moderate amount of time.
Simple malt character, not very sweet, but nicely flavored. It does show metallic qualities, which seems to come and go, but doesn't taste very good. Very mild bitterness from mid to finish, which also notes a somewhat more than mild dryness.
Nicely and appropriately carbonated, but somewhat filling. Appropriately thin, but not water like.
Goes down simple and easy. Doesn't warm up to badly. Rather give the money to Schells than others.

Serving type: can

07-09-2006 22:40:29 | More by garymuchow

hylton44

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Wow-whatever it is most others are seeing & tasting in this beer, I'm not. I'm halfway through a six-pack I got, and my opinion has not changed from the first one. It's a weak, pale straw color with a fizzy head. Smells "can-like" even after poured from a bottle into my pint glass. Grassy, grainy (adjunct-like), rather thin taste for what I was expecting. I would have preferred a little more substance and sweetness from the malts, and a bit more character from the hops. Aside from slightly more presence in my mouth, it was really hard to tell I'm not just drinking a Budweiser.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2006 20:21:34 | More by hylton44

objectivemonkey

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a light golden color, quite clear, with little head or lacing. I smell some malty sweetness, corn, ... and thats about all. Not at all very strong aroma, but still decently pleasant. Taste is nothing special or complicated, but I expect that out of lagers. Indeed, it is one of my least favorite styles of beer, but I can still tell that this is a decent lager. Bright, clisp and clean is how I'd discribe this beer. A good lager taste that fades quickly, which isn't so bad. When I first saw this when I poured it, I thought it'd be somewhat tasteless, flat, thin, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Good taste, good body, good carbonation. So this doesn't score too high, but still its a quality beer. Schell lived up to my expectations... yay!

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2005 23:12:22 | More by objectivemonkey

alexgash

Connecticut

3.08/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale straw body with a fluff of fizzy white head. Grainy malt aromas with hints of sweetbread balanced against spicy, floral hops. Slight adjunct-tinged malt up front. Dry, with increasing cereal sweetness. Light metallic taste leads to a mildly bitter, clean finish. Light bodied lager with a dryish feel. Thirst-quenching, but rather boring. I'll take Grain Belt over this.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2005 00:57:59 | More by alexgash

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.13/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

( served in a talk hefe-weizen glass)

A-This beer is a clear straw yellow color with a pure white head. gentle carbonation.

S- light pils malt nose with some German hops bitterness, no strong aroma of fresh green hops just bitterness

T- German hops and pale malt are the main flavors with a light almost lemon apple hint. a slight honey malt in the finish as it warms, but very faint.

M- medium light mouthfeel with a light fizz to the feel.

D-This is a smooth clean beer that is refreshing yet has some interesting character but very subtle to mach the style.

Serving type: on-tap

07-16-2005 18:55:56 | More by rhoadsrage

Bighuge

Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -10%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Slightly hazy pale yellow hue. Very light in color. Thin off white head disappears quickly. Carbonation appears to be vigorous. Malt is faint and sweet on the nose. Light notes of grain as well. And just a bit of herbal hoppiness as well. Adjunct like sweetness with corn coming into play. There's a straw/hay like quality. Dusty grain. Crisp. A bit quenching, but lacking in depth of flavor overall. Good enough to drink on a hot summer day if there's no beer of substance to be found.

Serving type: can

03-03-2005 23:33:35 | More by Bighuge

Tballz420

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This brew is a very pale straw color, with a minimal white head on the top. Lagered bready malt is the main scent. The main taste of this brew is clean grain malt, with some slight flowery hop in the back. Thin mouth. All I have to say about this brew is that it is like a quality macro. Very basic taste, not horrible, but not one that wet dreams are made of.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2004 19:45:15 | More by Tballz420

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.45/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Contrary to the report from our man in Des Moines, this says nothing about Deer Brand on the label, though it is known coloquially as such..no, wait, I found it on the 6-pack, Deer Brand, it is...haven't had one in several years, so my palate is pretty fresh for it...away we go...
Crystal-clear, golden color, big, fluffy, pristine white head, perfect fit for a lager.
Aroma, some hops, bright and floral, but a bit soapy, growing sweet, smellish cornish...wonder what adjuncts are at play here? Okay, I'll play nice...but it is "corny"...
Taste: clean, brisk, almost crisp, then fading quick. Very refreshing, highly downable, tastes pretty decent, actually. Not too much flavor, but it doesn't taste bad, and almost squeaky clean. I though this would be an empty, hollow, even unpleasant experience, and I'm a Schell's fan...silly me, it's a nice lager, nothing but. I'd never choose it against many of my favorites, but I can imagine this being quite a nice alternative in many Minnesota/Midwest locations where the only other options are Bud, High Life and the like.
Yeah, I can drink these, and it's not bad for $4.97 a 6'er! (At that's at an expensive downtown Mpls shop, must be cheapo outside of the cities.)

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2004 02:08:39 | More by feloniousmonk

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.48/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The label proudly proclaims "'Deer Brand' original beer" with no mention of the actual style. I've heard of near beer, but never deer beer. Venison-flavored perhaps?

Mildly hazy, soft lemon-gold with a modest number of tiny floaters swimming amidst the fine carbonation. The head is small, off-white and falls to a thin film rather quickly. I've seen higher quality heads on some macros. The nose is nice though; not a hint of skunkiness, adjuncts or off-aromas. It's mostly lightly toasted grain, but is pleasant for all that.

The flavor is mildly enjoyable as well and is sweeter than most Munich Helles Lagers. It's softly malty, and therefore almost wheat beer-like, and has a nearly nonexistent hop profile. Thankfully, there's no hint of venison. Even though this is not great beer by any stretch of the imagination, neither does it have any serious faults. The body could be more full, but it's a pretty drinkable offering and might even be considered a sessionable one.

Schell Original is a decent effort. I'll be on the lookout for more of their beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2004 14:53:16 | More by BuckeyeNation

TastyTaste

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I drank this straight from the 12 oz. brown longneck, with a brown deer label. The smell of this beer was dominated by malt, but I was expecting that. The taste was full and robust, but the thing that stood out from macro offerings, was the absence of any adjunct/corn flavors whatsoever. In the price range, and the lager category, this is one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2004 05:43:37 | More by TastyTaste

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.48/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Color is a clearish golden yellow, very thin white head fizzed away super fast as it poured. Smell is all sweet fruity malts, very close to a white wine fruity likeness in the aroma, late notes of popcorn as it warms. Taste is smooth, crisp, mostly malts of light fruityness and grain, over quite quickly with a light creamy feel with a light fizzy carbonation and just a touch of hops carries over in the swallow. End is lightly crisp and dry. Nothing heavy here, its all about the light drinkin' and easy-goin'-down-smoothability. Which it has alot of. Its just a bit boring on the palette, basic, run of the mill, slightly-better-then-macro beer. Perhaps with a little help in the longer lasting taste dept., this could be a very good Munich Lager style brew.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2003 19:19:24 | More by tavernjef