Little Kings Cream Ale - Hudepohl-Schoenling Brewing Co.

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.95/5  rDev -2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Scene 1: (Ohio, high school, many years ago)

classmate: "hey, how many brewskis have you guys had tonight?"
me (and friends): "we've already had a sixer each" <of Little Kings, hehehe>

Scene 2: (Iowa, 2005)

wife: (with a note of mild irritation) "How many have you had today?"
me: "honest Hon, I've only had one" <growler, hehehe>

Now I just lie in a different direction. I'm so ashamed.

Pale, lightly hazed lemon-amber topped by a small, off-white head that is disappearing before my very eyes. Other than the fact that it's strange to see an entire bottle fill barely half of my pint glass, there isn't a whole lot of interest here. Little Kings looks like any other macro lager, though the cap is smaller and shorter lived than most.

There isn't much of interest in the nose either. The aroma is even more muted than it would otherwise be since the beer is several inches away (maybe I should have poured it into a small juice glass). Sweet, untoasted grain... that's about it. No nastiness.

This is far from good beer, but it's a damn sight better than the standard offerings from BMC. The fact that it's a cream ale rather than an adjunct lager might have something to do with that (although I'm sure that adjuncts have been used). The flavor is semi-bold, a little appley and maltier than expected. I could drink a few of these if I was hot and they were cold.

The finish is criminally short, but that's probably for the best. Even though the flavor is sort of agreeable, I'm not sure that it would fare too well if examined with a great deal of scrutiny. The mouthfeel is ale-like, which is only right since it's an ale rather than a lager. Slightly too bubbly, but not enough to annoy.

I have to admit, despite the nostalgia thing, I wasn't expecting much out of this little 7 ounce bottle. I didn't really get much either, but I do think more highly of it than I expected to. Even though I'm glad that Little Kings is still being brewed, I doubt that I'd buy it on a regular basis. Maybe once a year if I felt like reliving my youth. Okay, so I'm a sentimental liar.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2005 13:29:45 | More by BuckeyeNation

BEERchitect

Kentucky

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

The recent news of this beer comming back to Cincinnati made me want to support the return. A cute little bottle dispensed about three drinks of beer. If I am going to catch a buzz from this, it will take a lot of trips back and forth to the fridge.

The beer delivers a brightly colored straw hue with timid but withstanding head formation and retention-- a pretty standard Budweiser-ish look.

Pilsner malts and cereal grains take the dominant role in the moderate aroma. Light German-type hops struggle to balance, allowing the wet grain scent to prevail.

The taste is sweeter than expected, with a stronger malt taste than most cream ales. Still the beer takes on cereal proportions and with a touch of grain husk to accompany the slight hop flavor late. Fairly low levels of sulfer taste with a modest fruity hint late.

Also maltier in the mouthfeel than expected. However, the sheer sweetness of the beer makes it a bit difficult. A better balance is preferred. Light on astringency and mild on alcohol warmth.

This beer actually turned out to be fairly well brewed and is easy to drink. I'd prefer this to many American lagers.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 19:31:31 | More by BEERchitect

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev +25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Gale Sayers shaker pint glass.

What a cute wittwe bottwe! It pours a clear pale copper topped by a finger of white froth. The nose comprises flowers, wheat, lemongrass, and a pinch of powdered sugar. The taste holds notes of wheat, grass, flowers, light vanilla, and a touch of cream cheese. The body is rather light, with a light carbonation and a slightly watery feel. Overall, a nice little cream ale. Well worth the minuscule price tag, considering how easy it is to drink.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 08:14:54 | More by TMoney2591

zeff80

Missouri

2.9/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had to try one. Threw it in a mix a six.

A - Poured out a clear, golden orange color with no head. It left no lacing, either. Not a good start.

S - It smelled of grains, caramel and an unusual floral presence. Not your typical hoppy floral notes.

T - Okay. Sweet with grains and caramel. Just a touch of bitter adds balance.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light bodied ale with a dry finish.

O - This was okay. It was fun to try once, but I probably won't be going back for this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 23:47:51 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.15/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 7oz bottle into a becker pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a very thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains sweet malts, grain and a little bit of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of grain and a thin malt character. Then some sweetness comes in along with a mild but complementary hops presence creating a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

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

D: A little tasty, goes down quite easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, this is a poundable beer worth drinking for a while when you want something very light.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 03:44:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

emerge077

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A tiny $0.99 bottle, how could I resist? Never have seen this in Chicago, I found this single in Sycamore, IL, although Lunar Brewing offers this on their beer list.

Poured into an equally tiny Gaffel Kolsch stange glass, topping out at .2L There was a decent 2 fingers of head at first that puffed above the rim. A nice halo of intricate lace inside the glass that I wasn't expecting. Gold and bright, with a slight haze appropriate for a Cream Ale. The last few drops produced visible yeast in the glass.

Skunky aroma at first, becoming grainy and musty after that. Inoffensive papery grain flavor, slightly bitter in the finish. Fairly light, sort of crisp, but still a bit watery. Vague suggestion of sweet apple in the aftertaste. Fairly simple and easy to drink in a non-intellectual way. An average lawnmower beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 23:59:51 | More by emerge077

smcolw

Massachusetts

1.45/5  rDev -51.8%
look: 1 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Served in a green (ugh!) 7 ounce bottle. Even with a vigorous pour, there is no head. Hazy with a dirty gold color.

First impression on the smell is plastic. Don't know why. Light fruitiness. No typical smells of malt or hop.

This is a sweet beer that seems like a macro with three teaspoons of sugar added. Not creamy but I would say it is full bodied with a low level of carbonation. The aftertaste is similar to the aftertaste of Coca-Cola.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 16:42:36 | More by smcolw

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev +29.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in a tulip sampler size glass) The 7 oz. bottle filled up the glass.
A- The crystal clear golden yellow hued body had a sea of microbubbles popping up to the surface. The head was a lumpy snow-white that last for the full beer.
S- The green licorice aroma was soft with a slight sweetness that fades into a field corn aroma with the sweetness growing a bit in the finish.
T- The soft taste of cereal had a sulfury sweetness to follow and some soft hops in the finish with a slight berry quality. As the beer warms there was a slight cream quality to the dry cereal taste.
M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a creamy fizz in the finish.
D- This beer was clean and light but had some interesting depth to the flavors that were there. It went down smooth and didn't really have one flavor that overpowered any other flavor. It's to bad it was a 7oz. bottle as I could have drank a whole 12 oz. in one session.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 02:56:46 | More by rhoadsrage

Wasatch

Utah

2/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

7oz. Bottle

Pours a clean/clear golden pale yellow color, some carbonation, little fizzy white head, very little sticky lacing left behind. The nose is malty, slight hop note. The taste is slightly sweet, malty, with a hop note in there. Light body. Barely Drinkable, not impressed at all. This brew showed up in the SLS here in Layton, what a bunch of wasted space for this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2010 21:46:26 | More by Wasatch

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.15/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Straight-up pour gives a one finger white head that fades to a ring leaving a trace of lace. Almost clear amber color. Light bodied and light carbonation. Nose is a faint lemon and corn. Starts with some sweetness, mild flavor in fact hardly any flavor not worth 89¢ for a wussy 7 oz bottle from John's Grocery Iowa City, IA.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2006 23:17:16 | More by jdhilt

Gusler

Arizona

2.63/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

The beer evacuates the stubby green bottle a limpid gold color with a bright white modest creamy head that erodes leaving a thin layer of lace to obfuscate the glass. Nose is crisp and clean, sweet malt dominates, start is sweet and pleasantly malted, top is thin in its feel upon the palate. Finish is benign in its acidity and the hops light in their spiciness, dry aftertaste, a drinkable beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2004 19:43:34 | More by Gusler

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The CANQuest (TM) CANtinues to close in on the seemingly-unbelievable # 600, thanks to Another6Pack, who not only sent me a Little Kings CAN, but in a Slim Line CAN to boot!

From the CAN: "It's Good To Be King."

The Crack & Glug produced two thick, foamy fingers of bone-white head with decent retention. Color was a very pretty sunshine-yellow with NE-quality clarity which brightened my day on the post-snowy day leading up to Hallowistmas. Nose was very sweet, almost sugary in its intensity. I CAN agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned pineapple esters in his review. Mouthfeel was medium with a sweet CANned corn taste in the mouth. Finish was still very sweet and I began to fear for an onset of diabetes. It was not bad, but it just was not my cuppa tea.

Serving type: can

10-30-2011 13:54:55 | More by woodychandler

plaid75

New York

3.05/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a medium straw hue with a two finger foamy white head. There was dood retention and very good lacing.

The smell featured sweet adjuncts a grassy hop and a touch of metal.

The taste was likewise sweet with soft malts and a light grassiness. Fruity notes detected as well.

The mouthfeel was typical of the style.

Overall a tasty cream ale. Not an overly exciting style, but a good rendition nonetheless.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 00:48:30 | More by plaid75

Dogbrick

Ohio

1.98/5  rDev -34.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Acquired via trade. I guess when I was afraid that I would never see a bottle of Little Kings on store shelves ever again I figured I owed it to the Ohio brewing community to at least try it. Needless to say getting through the seemingly insubstantial 7oz was no small task. The beer pours a rather bright yellow color with a thin and quickly dying head. No real lacing to speak of. The aroma is a little musty but there are some hops trying to make their presence felt. The body is weak, and so is the watery hops flavor with hints of sourness here and there. The finish is kind of the last gasp in this little guy. I guess on some level I am glad I tried it but it's just not a good beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2004 23:14:47 | More by Dogbrick

tavernjef

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Color is of yellow light gold, close to pale, but definately not clear, thin white head of loose froth fades some to a thin haze always present and no lace. Smell is all sweet corn and not much else, maybe a hint of floralness, hard to get past the sweetness. Taste is more sweetened corn and grains, creamy, and airy frothed malts, very fresh and farmy, like a farmers own home brew with the ingredients grown in his fields out on a Iowa flat. In that fashion, it has a quality like no other Cream ale. Feel is a light delight of creamy easyness and light carbonation which makes for a good "little" summer drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-19-2003 21:05:52 | More by tavernjef

ZAP

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -28.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

This has an awful smell to it like bad b.o.(body odor)..it has a creamy texture and a sweetish adjuncty type taste. The taste is OK, but the smell is killing me everytime I take a drink of this. I also smell some alcohol and faint hops but the first strong smell is of B.O. The little bottles are cool, and at one time I thought this was a treat to find. Not any more. Genny Cream Ale is a clear step up from this.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2002 21:21:03 | More by ZAP

twiggamortis420

Texas

3.28/5  rDev +9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

7 oz green bottle returns to Texas after a long hiatus. Pours a clear, medium gold color with a magically disappearing head...where did it go?

Nose is pretty typical for the style; grainy malts, sweet cream and some lagery sulfur. Not bad, and better than a recent Genesee I had, less skunky.

Taste makes me thankful these are only in 7 oz bottles! Grainy adjuncts with a decent amount of ale yeast fruitiness. Creamy body is not bad, and is pretty well done for the style. It is drinkable in the way that an American Malt Liquor can be when the need strikes. A bit pricey for that to entice me to purchase an 8-pack anytime soon...a fotay of OE 800 can do the trick for about a fifth of the price. Meh, not impressed, but didn't have too much problem finishing my mini-bottle.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2010 00:19:26 | More by twiggamortis420

LilBeerDoctor

New York

3.25/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle at PPRBSG09 thanks to beastiefan2k. Pours a clear yellow with a white head. Aroma of sweet pale malt. Flavor of light corn malt, some bready notes and sweet fruits. Actually I found this chill and drinkable...(apparently Eugene and I are alone in thinking this)

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 15:42:16 | More by LilBeerDoctor

Brent

Kentucky

2.35/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clean, slightly astringent front with moderate hops showing up in the middle and holding through the finish. Rice/corn adjunct flavors added a little crispness, for whatever that is worth.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2001 21:36:10 | More by Brent

JoeyBeerBelly

New York

3.5/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

7oz bottle served in a glass beer mug.

L - a hearty pour created a white creamy head over a golden colored beer. The head settled down but left a nice coat of thin lacing.

S - sweet grainy creamed-corn aroma.

T - sweet and pretty decent tasting cream ale.

F - medium bodied with mild carbonation.

O - this is a better than average cream ale and I'll be certain to drink more than a few this summer.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 00:26:27 | More by JoeyBeerBelly

tdm168

North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - dark copper with a short-lived, bubbly, white head; there are a ton of carbonation bubbles rising to the top

S - cereal grains

T - cereal grains, a bit sweet, a little grassy

M - light bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a light, very sessionable beer that can replace and American lager. There's just enough flavor to keep you interested and a light body that allows you to put away several of these little bottles.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 01:47:46 | More by tdm168

merlin48

Kentucky

2.45/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A trip down memory lane here, when a keg of fresh Cincinnati beer, or a few Little Kings were the college thing to do, in Lexington, Ky. This review is based on serving one of these little 7 oz buggers in a glass, instead of drinking them straight from the bottle as intended.

Appearance gets an extra .5 point for the cute, little 7 ounce bottles. Otherwise, it pours a clear, light gold body with a skimpy white head that immediately falls into a film. No lacing is present.

Aroma is subdued, thankfully. Not much to smell, other than what I perceive as carbonated corn syrup.

Mouthfeel is very light bodied, with adequate carbonation.

Taste is unremarkable. Vaguely reminiscent of Rolling Rock, but without the skunk. No malt presence is noted, but this does seem to have some bittering hops. A faint metallic note is also present. Very watery for a cream ale. Adjuncts(corn?) seem to dominate the mild taste.

This isn't awful, but I sense nothing to really recommend it, other than its historical relationship to the old Cincinnati breweries.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2004 18:16:33 | More by merlin48

tone77

Pennsylvania

2.93/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from 2 green 7 oz. bottles. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is a bit skunky, could be those dreaded green bottles. Taste also has a bit of skunk to it, a touch of sweetness, and slightly bitter at the finish. Feels light in the mouth and overall is a mediocre beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 14:27:44 | More by tone77

mynie

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I have a history with this beer.

It was a warm summertime twilight, the last time I felt like a kid. I was barely 17, my first summer out of high school. Dad took me and my sister and a pair of our friends all the way to Ohio to visit Cedar Point, the rollercoasteryest theme park in the entire goddamn world. Seven hour drive but it was strangely happy. No fights, even in the heat. Not that we were too old to fight; we were too excited.

We got there and we were kids, finally. Never had the money for theme parks when we were really little. In the backyard, the little pricks up the street wore their damn Mickey Mouse ears for almost two weeks after they got back. We hated them, and it was jealousy. They didn't deserve it.

But, fuckit, we went there! We spent two days at the best theme park in the world. I ate nothing but cotton candy and cheated so I could ride the Millennium Force twice within a span of 15 minutes. I almost blacked out. It was awesome.

And now, this night, we were tired. Two days of sun, walking all over, getting blown violently through space two or three times an hour. We were going to a new hotel, slightly closer to home, but first... a mysterious destination. Port Clinton, Ohio. An island about twenty city blocks long and twelve wide, right in the middle of a big fucking lake that we had to take a jet powered ferry to get to. I had never been on a boat before. My hair flew back, the white streaks of foam beneath me, and I knew I would die if I fell in, but I knew I would never let go of the railing.

Here we were, on a small island consisting of nothing but bars, pizza places, and a giant lighthouse that was the site of the world's first ship to shore radio broadcast. A-and they had world's longest bar, too. There was even a plaque to prove it!

I couldn't drink at the bars. I was too young to want to. I wanted pizza, soda pop. Drinking beer was what you did behind a shed or at the home of a really poor kid whose parents were too drunk to care.

Noise everywhere. Downwind of a carnival. Acoustic guitars, the high, desperate laughter of the mirthless, squeezing out every ounce of fun from this one night of seven when they weren't miserable. Not careless, not really happy. Just not miserable, for a little while.

It smelled like grilling meat and freshwater. Near the lighthouse, it smelled like grass.

At the lighthouse, we snuck in. Everybody, and dad opened up a duffle bag I hadn't noticed him holding. And inside there was a pack of tiny little bottles. I was out of highschool, he said, old enough to drink a little. As many as I wanted, here in the lighthouse. My friend, too. Don't tell your parents. He wouldn't, he promised.

The ride home was even blurrier, the jet ferry moved even faster, and I felt even more of a disconnect between us and the hordes of drunken middle aged people being shipped back to their cars. We were a group, beerwarm, sun tired, full of pizza. I don't remember the drive home, or anything after it.

Aside from Hamm's, that was my first beer that didn't come from BMC, and my first in front of my father. I got to be a kid and an adult in the same day.

The pour, almost six years later:

Aww, isn't that cute? Little guy doesn't even fill up the whole glass! Slight haze. Decent gold. Almost no head, almost no lacing.

Light and crisp, adjunct corn, prickly fruit esters, and a slight cream. Not bad at all, actually. Think Rolling Rock, only with the canned veggies taken down a notch and replaced with creaminess. No hint of adjunct metal.

Corn, cream, fruit. Ends with a very strong node of sweet cream and a slight, lingering hop. Totally decent. Actually, pretty good. Nice creamy body, and it's easy to drink an entire eight pack.

Every year since then, right as it's starting to get warm, I start thinking about taking another trip to Cedar Point, to Port Clinton. I'd pay (most) of my own way now, of course, but it'd be pretty much the same. Me, Dad, Sis, and whatever friends we want to bring along. I always talk about it to whoever is around when the idea comes into my head, they always agree that it's great, we should definitely do it, and it's never spoken of after that night. It wouldn't be the same. I always realize that when I sober up.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2006 03:33:38 | More by mynie

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

2/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance - all 7 ounces pour easily into a pilsner glass leaving room at the top to spare. Yellowish, straw beer, a white fizzy head is short-lived and actually maintains a partial cover thanks to some good beading. Even some scant lace along the edges.

Aroma - sweet, grainy, like a diluted malt liquor.

Taste - husky grain flavor, very middle of the road. A trace of cereal and skunk, a little more than a trace actually, more coming out with warming. Even a touch of metal. Basic macro beer with too many issues.

Mouthfeel - thin, crispy, zippy.

Drinkability - sampled for posterity's sake. Not my kind of beer, though I would buy it now and then to accomodate the swill-mongers.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2007 18:46:15 | More by brewdlyhooked13