Grain Belt Nordeast - August Schell Brewing Company

theHoff77

Minnesota

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

Not really worth doing a full a review, but I'm just going say this is my preferred drinking beer. Being from Minnesota this is easily accessible and cheap, and my go to if I'm at the bar and not feeling adventurous or if you want a beer to give to guests without stooping to the bottom beers. Tastes decent and goes down easy, and if I had more then a couple I wouldn't feel bad about it. For what it is it's my ideal beer on a budget.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 17:32:43 | More by theHoff77

jsprain1

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Amber, quite clear. Head is thin and white. Retention is mediocre.
S- Very mild, but toast, earth, a bit of caramel.
T- Not much to it. Earthy, toast, a faint bit of caramel. Pretty clean.
M- Fairly light but that's to be expected. Carbonation is overly harsh.
O- Merely mediocre. It's Grian Belt Premium plus a bit of flavor minus a bit of nostalgia.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 01:56:38 | More by jsprain1

JamesMN

Minnesota

3.28/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Translucent brown/caramel color.

Aroma: Almost no smell detectable. Just a tiny bit of malt. It gets marked down for this only because there is nothing to grade it on in this department. There are no bad smells either.

Taste: A little bready, a little malty. No hop presence. Basically no bitterness. However, it is real easy to swig down with no bad flavors to speak of.

Mouthfeel: Exceptional. Great carbonation level and one of the easiest drinking beers I've ever had. It could use a little more body but overall not much to complain about.

Final Thoughts: I've had this beer before and didn't really think much of it. It's one of those beers that you have on hand once in a while but doesn't deserve to be on a regular rotation in your fridge. However, for the novice beer drinker Nordeast is a good starting point if you want to get into darker beers but fear that they might be overwhelming.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 00:34:37 | More by JamesMN

TTAmod

Michigan

3.65/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It's impossible to get this beer around these parts. My friend Brian was in MN and picked me up a 12 pack. Thanks a lot, Brian!

A: Orange/amber clear with a pretty thick white head.

S: Slightly hoppier and maltier than a typical macro lager.

T: Taste steps it up a bit more. It has a clean malty and hoppy taste. There's a nice caramel maltiness, grass, and a nice bit of fruit. It ends pleasantly bitter.

M: Good mouthfeel. Extremely smooth and easy to drink.

O: Yum. Love this beer. Every time one of my friends to MN, I always tell them to get me some of this. It's in the same league as other macros, but the taste is far superior.

Serving type: bottle

07-05-2012 00:09:27 | More by TTAmod

rfbenavi80

Missouri

3.23/5  rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into a Nonic Pint. Best by 7-31-12.
Brought back by a friend that went on a trip to Iowa.

Known simply as "The Belt" in my circle of friends, Grain Belt has proven to be a cheap easy drinker most of us enjoy when we can get our hands on it.

A- Pours a clear burnt orange color with 1 finger of sudsy off white head that dissipates rather quickly to a thin cap on top and leaving no lacing on the glass.

S- Not too much there to smell, faint scents of caramelized malts, almost no hop aroma.

T- A tad sweet. The major flavor here is a toasted grain taste.

M- Light Medium body. Medium amount of carbonation.

O- Like I said before, "The Belt" is an easy drinking, cheap alternative to all the macro choices out there. This is one for people who don't want to be like every body else. By far, not the best beer out there, but definitely worth a try sometime.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 06:49:38 | More by rfbenavi80

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.2/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Serving type: 16-ounce can. There are smudged batch codes printed on the bottom of the can but no discernable freshness date.

Appearance: Poured into a becker glass. The color is dirty amber. Two fingers of dense, fluffy, eggshell-colored head dissipated slowly, leaving trails along the glass, a thin lacing, and a ring of buttery foam.

Smell: Like Minnesota. (It reminds me of a trip to the Twin Cities in January.) Or at least like a Schell lager. Caramel covered apple, musty grain, a little toffee, and that distinct Schell hairspray. It smells like it wants to be an ale but is still coming to terms with the fact it is just lager. It is a beer that needs some talk therapy.

Taste: Like Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge. Toasted caramel and toasted grains. Honey, toffee, a little hop bitterness (it is like a beefed up macro with taste). It has a mouthfeel much like Coca-Cola, covering my teeth in some kind of dentist contrived corn syrup conspiracy.

Drinkability: You know… I, um… Probably won’t be buying this again unless I find myself at one of those frozen lake fishing contests where a handful of people fish and everyone else gets drunk. I love Minnesota, but Schell lagers are just not my thing.

Serving type: can

06-08-2012 04:05:30 | More by TheQuietMan22

Mora2000

Texas

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thanks to swalden28 for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours a yellow-orange color with a white head. The aroma doesn't have much going on other than a heavy dose of grain and sweet malt. The flavor is very similar, with grain and a little bit of fruit, which I can't really identify. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Fairly straightforward and not offensive, but something I cared too much for.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 03:44:27 | More by Mora2000

jimmah120

Minnesota

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

On tap into pint glass

A dark shade of amber, head/lacing unimpressive. Smell is reminiscent of a red ale: sweet malt, apples, pine trees, and earthy grain. Taste is on the sweet side, lots of sweet malt and grain, with a slight touch of bitter almost medicinal hops. Mouthfeel is light, well carbonated, fuller feeling than regular GB.

It's OK. A lot of people love this beer, I just like it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-16-2012 10:34:44 | More by jimmah120

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A big shout out to cpolking for sending this beer. Poured from a clear 12 oz. bottle. Has an amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of malts, caramel. Taste is very refreshing, crisp, bready, some malts and caramel, just a touch of hops. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2012 19:07:40 | More by tone77

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

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

Acquired via trade from cpolking, so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light copper color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains light caramelized malts, lager yeast, some honey, some fruit and a touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out a little sweet with flavors of fruit and honey followed by some breadiness from the lager yeast and a thin malt character. The hops presence is mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, light-to-medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean.

D: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, decent representation of style, this is a solid beer to drink for a while, but there are better beers in the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2012 00:57:19 | More by TheManiacalOne

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a completely transparent standard amber color with a foam collar and no lacing. At first the aroma was strictly metallic, but as it warmed up it changed into a grassy hopping on top of raw grain aroma. Tastes of mostly raw grains (and a bit of wheat chaff) as well, the moniker "grain belt" was definitely well-chosen. The grassy hopping rises up and settles down without a fuss in the light bodied finish that definitely refreshes like a lawnmower beer. Not bad, not great.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 07:11:03 | More by WastingFreetime

yamar68

Minnesota

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

A much anticipated release from Schell's' newly acquired Grain Belt brand...

A - looks just as any amber should: amber.... thin head/lacing that doesn't wait around for you

S - smells metallic, very reminiscent of "primo" plus some extra umph... bit more malty

T - tastes decent for what it is... copper, oats, nothing too exciting really

M - feels spot-on, thin but appropriately carbonated

O - overall a decent brew for the price point, perhaps a step up from the run of the mill premium

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 04:47:17 | More by yamar68

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

amber in color with some garnet highlights that showed off the sides of the glass quite nicely. Small white head was short lived and left behind a broken crown and only minimal lacing. Aroma of bready malts, hints of caramel, candied sugar, a touch of spicy apple at times, but seemed to be a little light to me. Warming brought out a touch of a roasted note for me now as well. Clean feel, nicely carbonated albeit a touch thin for the style. Flavor did not hold up as well as the aroma did to be honest. I was really expecting a bit more from this one.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:50:13 | More by mikesgroove

BeerNutz324

Minnesota

2.95/5  rDev -16%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Ap- this beer actually looks pretty damn good sititing in the glass. A light amber color with nice head (inch or so) that holds on to retention fairly well. Leaves good lacing on the glass too.

Ar- the beer starts to go downhill from here. Smells of malt and lager yeast. Smells sweet and grainy.

T- sweet roasted like malts hit you up front and then the lager yeast towards the end. Not the best finish to a beer.

M- thin and watery and lots of carbonation

O- Depends on how you look at it. It isn't even close to as good as most craft brews. But when you compare it to the BMCs of the world, it ain't so bad.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 19:37:24 | More by BeerNutz324

Lauthaha

Michigan

4.58/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 ounce bottle into a beer mug.

Appearance: Beer is a deep copper color with great carbonation. Head is foamy and rich-looking, with excellent retention and heavy lacing as it recedes.

Smell: Woody hops, sweet malt flavor, and an elusive fruity scent (is it berries or citrus or a little of both). Awesome.

Taste/Mouthfeel: This is simply beautiful. Beer is of a light- to medium-heaviness, but there's a great balance with the carbonation which fools you into thinking you've got a thick beer here. Bitterness up front, but as the bubbles form, there's a real apple-like tartness which is not unpleasant matched by a gentle ester vibe. Beer finishes mostly wet, and goes down smoothly.

Overall: A surprise winner! I got this from a neighbor who works at a distributor...he told me his favorite beer was Bud Light, and I was a bit concerned when he recommended the Grain Belt Nordeast...but man, I definitely trust him now!

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2011 02:50:56 | More by Lauthaha

emerge077

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a pint glass, it has a coppery color with bright clarity, completely transparent, with saturated color. A finger or two of foam rises and falls, leaving an ample skim and irregular lacing on the opposite side of the glass.

Sweet malty smell, maple syrup and caramel, a touch grainy and sugary. Flavors are similar, sweet and malty, caramel and husky toasted grains blend with an odd fruity "Hawaiian Punch" note. Not too far off from cereals like Froot Loops or Fruity Pebbles, for what it's worth. Watery but fairly malty, it's merely average. Not terrible, sort of a macro version of a craft lager. Something I wouldn't refuse if offered, but probably wouldn't seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2011 02:12:21 | More by emerge077

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Found this one in the bottle drawer of my doppelganger's fridge. Figured why not; a tick is a tick afterall... Served from bottle into a Greenville Beer Exchange shaker. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head to none quickly. There was no lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, nutmeg, and subtle caramel. The flavor was of sweet malt, caramel, grain, wheat, and subtle caramel hop. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a decent brew. Nothing really too exciting going on here at all. I can tell that they were aiming for an Amber, but they fell short with the hop profiles on this one. Better than most adjunct lagers, but that isn't saying too much.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 12:26:42 | More by thagr81us

DaCheesehead

Iowa

2.73/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear darkish copper with a thin eggshell head. Aroma is cereal grain, light grassy and spicy hops, toast and a hint of corn sweetness, some caramel notes come out as it warms a bit. Flavor is cereal, a little toast, more corny sweetness, hay, some spicy hops and a touch of corn sileage. Palate is thin and has a neutral, watery feel throughout with a fairly heavy carbonation. Better than I expected, honestly.

Serving type: on-tap

08-16-2011 21:13:24 | More by DaCheesehead

MattyG85

Minnesota

3.9/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

Appearance: Clear amber reddish brown with a tint of orange and lots of bubbles. Solid two and a half finger off white head with very good retention and moderate lacing.

Smell: Sweet aroma of grains and caramel malts with a bit of corn. Light hints of earthy hops lingering. Mostly malts.

Taste: Big kick of sweet caramel malts that have a toasty quality. Good amount of grains throughout with a light hint of hop bitterness in the end. Starts very sweet but balances out towards the finish.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with a moderate level of carbonation. Very crisp and smooth. Creamy.

Overall: A solid and easy drinking red lager. Sweet and fairly balanced.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2011 01:07:00 | More by MattyG85

GilGarp

Colorado

3.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served cold in a clear glass bottle.

Lightly redish brown color with good clarity and head.

Aroma is malty sweet, a little nutty, no hops.

Flavor reminds me of New Castle with similar sweetness, caramel brown ale base with very little bitterness. Nuts and forces with a little roasty malt character.

Mouthfeel is smooth but would be better with lower carbonation, maybe on tap.

Overall a solid dark lager and a nice easy- drinking Minnesota throw-back beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 19:03:04 | More by GilGarp

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.55/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

After a long winter and a crappy spring Memorial Day 2011 brings hot and humid weather to bring on the summer. Garden work lead to the need for a lawn mower beer and this one fits the bill.
Damn clear glass bottles - slight skunky aroma with a yeast background and slightly sweet malt. No hops to speak of - maybe just a faint light grass aroma.
Very attractive in my pilsner glass. Dense off-white head settles slowly and covers a brilliantly clear amber body (brown/orange copper).
First time I drank this I didn't catch much adjunct, but it was a social situation and that contributed. More noticeable today, but not too heavy. It blends with the soft malt - that holds a tasty caramel flavor that is the touch of sweetness up front and moves through the drink later. Slight yeast quality. Very mild hop flavor and finishes with a kiss of bitterness, a little yeast and the tickling to sharper carbonation. Very soft feels from the bubbles - which are appropriately ample and filling (burp). There is a little body to this so it doesn't feel like water going down.
This is a good lawn mower beer. Hot day, in the sun, lighter drinker with some flavor. Drink cold though that adjunct begins to show with time.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 21:54:04 | More by garymuchow

ermeis06

Minnesota

3.8/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Amber/light brown color. Light head with some lacing (more would be a plus).

S: Malty, sweet with some earthy notes. Not anything overpowering.

T: Extremely smooth and drinkable. Not a strong hop presence, but it has a nice balance between the flavors from the yeast, malt and hops. Some earthy undertones in there as well.

M: Smooth, good carbonation, almost has a crisp/lightly bitter finish. Medium body which fits the beer.

Overall I enjoy this beer. I've had Grain Belt Premium and I think it tastes like blueberries, which grosses me out about halfway through my 2nd bottle. This however has a great balance of flavor, has just the right body for the heavier malt/yeast flavor. I recommend at least trying it.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 17:15:52 | More by ermeis06

ewurm

Minnesota

2.35/5  rDev -33%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Served in a clear glass bottle. Sin #1.

Appearance- This beer appears to be a malty lager with a tan/red/brown. Upon uncapping a small head forms and remains.

Smell- Not much going on here. A hint of malt.

Taste- It tastes like it smells. It has a hint of malt. Basically like an American lager with a touch of malt. Cheap lager aftertaste. I've had beers that were less expensive with better flavor, even at $1.00 a bottle retail. It is drinkable, but not impressive.

Mouthfeel- It's a fairly smooth drink.

Overall- The quality of this beer does not match the local hype. While it is significantly better and differentiated from Grain Belt Premium, this is not much of a step up. The flavor is not present enough to call this a craft beer. It's a pseudo-craft beer. While it isn't something that need be poured down the drain, I would not recommend it to those who are looking for premium craft beer quality. Then again, it isn't sold at a craft beer price.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2011 23:20:07 | More by ewurm

PokerGod

Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a seidel mug.

Color- dark reddish brown tint. color is beautiful, but leaves little to no head, which vanishes quickly. Also leaves absolutely none of that beautiful lacework around the glass like a love to see.

smell- not much impressive going on here. Some bready scents that are pleasing but not very strong. I really feel this beer is lacking in this department as I really do believe that half of the taste is in the smell.

taste- now this is where the Nordeast makes up some ground. Deliciously smooth beer, with a very sweet caramel finish to it. Almost like candy, it's so good. No real hop presence here, all malts and yeasts. But it is spot on.

Mouthfeel- Not an overly carbonated beer, leaves a light bite noted to the sides of the tongue.

Overall, this is without a doubt one of the easiest beers to pound one after the other. Also, very affordable. If I could give an award for the best taste for your money to a local Minnesota beer it would be Nordeast. It may not be as complex as some of it's competitors, but I think it's a great tasting beer, and really that's the most important factor of all.

Prosit!

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2011 03:18:19 | More by PokerGod

drpimento

Wisconsin

2.58/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I looked at the website description before sampling. It was served with a nice cream colored to very light tan, fine head, that slowly subsided to a ring around the top, a tiny bit of lace, some bubble streams. Color was a nice clear medium amber. Aroma was beery and a bit of malt. Flavor was mainly sweet with a little malt thrown in. Body and carbonation were ok. Finish was like flavor. Fairly shallow overall. The darker color, I think, predisposes one to think there's more malt in here than there is. Didn't really pick up on the advertised bitterness. Not planning on having more.

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2011 20:31:01 | More by drpimento