Maes Pils - Brouwerij Alken-Maes

francisweizen

Australia

1.08/5  rDev -59.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

16oz can, on a corner with a baguette sandwitch in Brussels, Be. I've seen people drinking this at the bar, and if you pour it into a glass it is a piss-yellow colour with a small white head. The aromas are all corn, vegetable, and metallic notes. The taste is corny, metallic, and almost unbearable. The mouthfeel is light, watery, and horrible. As for the drinkability? I threw out the second half of the can!

Serving type: can

05-17-2004 21:35:10 | More by francisweizen

rec

Australia

1.7/5  rDev -36.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A truly horrible beer.

The pour creates a small head and lame pale yellow body. The head does however lace remarkably well - most impressive.

The aroma is typical macro, a strange metalic vibe with hopps and yeast.

The taste is a vile one, exceptionally poor. Generally speaking, a pils of this nature will neither taste bad nor good, rather be fine and drinkable. Unfortunately that's not the case with MAES due to a horrible bitterness and watery plain finish.

Steer clear of this one, it's a waste of money.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2007 05:39:55 | More by rec

tesguino

Mexico

1.93/5  rDev -28%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A beer from Alken in belgium, i try better things than this but only one thing is good, its smell, little spice and herbal; taste slowly bitter, and grassy, little heavy; its color talk about its high fermentation; i try with mexican food; serve in a pint glass.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2005 19:35:46 | More by tesguino

DoubleJ

California

2.08/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 1.75

On-tap at Celtica, on to the beer:

Pale golden color so commonly found in pale lagers. The head on top had decent retention and whisps a few spots of lace. There is little to smell. First the nose is greeted with vague grain, and it is also greeted with photomaking chemicals. That's worrying.

This is not a good pilsner. Belgium not being a land of pilsner is no excuse for this beer. My first mouthfull brings overboiled grain and photomaking chemicals. I was hoping my second mouthfull would bring something different, but it didn't. My third mouthfull,the same. Maes Pils has a very rough flavor. A light body and solid carbonation are appreciated, but utimately this is unpleasant and I can't finish my pint.

You'd think that the makers of a solid lager like Cristal could replicate the process with this other lager. This is just a waste of barley, hops, water, and yeast.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2013 05:22:43 | More by DoubleJ

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

2.1/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

a passable lager, not really a pilsener. Really faint aroma, nothin much picked up. Sweetish and very light palate, thin bodied and bland, i don't know why this is so popular in Belgium, when you consider the amount of good beer they have.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2002 05:07:16 | More by rastaman

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.13/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Presentation: Well it finally happened…….desperate to avoid a Rain Shower it meant sampling this brew in a non-descript bar in Ostende who’s name wasn’t even worth writing down. Served in one of those straight sided tumblers so ubiquitous for the golden Belgium elixir known simply as “Pils”.

Appearance: Slick pale yellow body that screams bloody murder with a plethora of streamers that support a foamy white head that lasts throughout the drink and leaves minimal lacing.

Nose: Sweaty socks, malt grain and a funky corn sweetness that has a metallic character to it.

Taste: Extremely light bitterness, but not much else. Watery feel, bloating at times, yet seemingly drunk in inordinate volumes by the locals, how do they do it???

Mouthfeel: Utterly amazing volumes of dissolved Carbon Dioxide explode through the beer up the nose and support my belches for a good 30 minutes after the 33cl glass.

Drinkability: Well….its not exactly repugnant, I’ve had worse…but it lacks taste, is over-carbonated and feels way too fizzy. <Burp>

Overall: I’ve sampled this on Draft, from the Bottle and extracted it with a vacuous slurp from the Can…..they’re all just as bad.

I tend to think of brews called “Pilsners”, as high end quality Germanic or Czech brews……but when I see a brew simply labeled as a “Pils”….I think of mass-produced Belgium light blonde ales that purport to have a link to the year 1842 yet exhibit a distinct blandness with little affiliation to anything except diuretics.

This is definitely a “Pils”.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2005 07:09:32 | More by TheLongBeachBum

stcules

Italy

2.13/5  rDev -20.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Deep blonde color, quite carbonated. Average foam, white. Quite sticky.
In the smell a noticeable maltiness. No defects, but anonymous
Same for the taste.
Clean, a little carbonated.
No good values, but no defects.
Hints of hop, light, in taste and aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2006 22:33:35 | More by stcules

janubio

Spain

2.15/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

330 m. bottle. Clear glolden colour, medium head with that dissappears quickly, leaving rings on the glass as you drink. Smell is nothing but grain and hops. Light palate, watery. Taste of grains, herbs and it reminds me somehow of Heineken because of some taste of pear. Metallic notes and some citrus in the end. Just your average mass market beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 16:51:42 | More by janubio

vancurly

Australia

2.25/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Yellow straw. Heavy set white head, persists briefly. No bubbles.
S: Husky grain. Skanky, skunky hop nose.... not good. Flour & dough.
T: Malty. Dull, nothing redeeming.
M: fair
D: I'll drink it over "dry" or "cold-filtered" beer, but other than that, has little going for it.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 11:07:29 | More by vancurly

RobeyStreet

Illinois

2.28/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

There isn't a whole lot to say about this particular beer. It was a pretty run-of-the-mill pils that didn't actually taste that great. It didn't have any particular good notes and mostly just had a bitter aftertaste. I would not recommend this... probably not worth it, and I even had this in Belgium!

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2009 21:38:37 | More by RobeyStreet

kojevergas

California

2.3/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Served on-draught into a Maes pilsner glass in Brussels. Reviewed from notes taken June 2010.

A: Pours a light soft creamy half finger head. Fair thickness but laughable retention. Body colour is a clear yellow with abundant bubbles - potentially indicative of overcarbonation.

Sm: Light cream and moderately full-bodied barley are the only notes my broken nose detects. All apologies, lads.

T: Cream and minimal floral hops over a moderately full-bodied barley foundation with a crystal malt climax and a slick boring finish. Pretty simple. Off-balance but seemingly built to style.

Mf: Smooth, wet, and a bit dry/coarse right on the finish. Complements the flavours.

Dr: Slides down pretty easily, but this is rather forgettable. Price is a bit high by local standards. Quality it just not up to par. Pedestrian as hell.

D+

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2012 18:29:31 | More by kojevergas

Wegomlegging

Virginia

2.45/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours clear yellow with decent head. Smells of classic pils of the region, slightly skunky. Flavor is not pronounced, mostly water and some small amount of wheat. Finishes slightly vomitous , which is not pleasant. Softness of water is nice and makes it go down fast. Would be easy to drink if not for the flavor. Every country has its bad beer, this honor in Belgie goes to our man here.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2011 01:45:23 | More by Wegomlegging

rvdoorn

Netherlands

2.48/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Look: Poured a clear yellow golden color with a white head
Smell: typical pilsner smell, noting special
Taste: typical pilsner taste as well, cereals, lightly bitter, but bit weaker taste than average pilsners.
Mouthfeel: High carbonation, thin body
Overall: Bit too watery, cheap beer for teenagers to get drunk.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 15:44:35 | More by rvdoorn

mactrail

California

2.58/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a foamy pale golden in the tall Peroni lager glass. Looks quite nice and has a carbonated mouthfeel with plenty of spritz. Just that faintly hoppy aroma that can be described as "beery."

I suppose you could compare this to Heineken as being pleasantly crisp with a slight dose of hops. Light bodied, lightly flavored. A little nose of hoppiness and a pleasant bit of fragrant hops in the aftertaste to remind you it's a beer.. Tastes more like a "Lite" beer. I cannot see any reason to order this except as an ice-cold thirst slaker, but if you're really thirsty this would go down nicely.

This seems to be a less-flavorful version of a Euro Lager with more alcohol than the American standards. It suffers by comparison in the German Pilsener category. From the one-third litre can bought somewhere in Belgium.

Serving type: can

12-05-2012 02:52:01 | More by mactrail

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

2.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Last bottle in an eight pack of twist-top 25cl brown bottles. Best before April 2009, drank August 2008.

Poured into a Veltins Pilsner glass and compared to a Bel Pils (Duvel Moortgat) which was poured at the same time and into a simular glass.

Bright and bubbley, good light golden colour with a pure white head that faded to a thin covering, but that did stay the distance.

No aroma, so my normal 3 points for a non-smelling lager beer.

Refreshing and crisp, not a great ammount of flavours though.

Watery and thin, it had that typical mass produced European lager feel to it.

Ideal for washing away the grime of the day, but not a session beer for me in any way.

Compared to the Bel Pils: Looked better, smell and taste not as good. Mouthfeel and drinkability also poorer than the Bel.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2008 17:03:26 | More by BlackHaddock

marcellaproust

Washington

2.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

A drinkable, pleasant beer, but not pilsworthy. Maes has nearly no smell, a slight yeasty opening which promises a heartier pils than is delivered. Hops do emerge, though bashfully mid to end. There is a puzzling metallic finish, but this doesn't detract from the beer's potential as a good, summer accompaniment to picnics and beach bumming days.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2004 02:56:59 | More by marcellaproust

HalfFull

California

2.7/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330 ml. can poured into a pils glass. This little can opens with a soda like carbonation and pours a clear deep straw with a large creamy white cap. Good retention and lace, firmly carbonated.

Aroma is standard pils though perhaps a bit light with regards to yeast and hop notes. Otherwise neutral grain and subtle lemon notes.

Tastes of pale malts and a touch of coarse spice. Simple and neutral with nothing pushing me away nor pulling me in.

Feel is full and bready with a moderate carbonation on the finish, that being lighter than expected given the pour and allowing for a smoother than expected close.

Overall a clean and average beer that stands up to a bit of warming given the lack of detracting factors, making it a fairly drinkable brew. Decent bready pils character but with a rather faint dose of hops.

Serving type: can

01-19-2013 05:25:35 | More by HalfFull

Paddez

Belgium

2.8/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Maes pils is incredibly clear and looks rather uninspired. If sparkling water would be yellow, it'd look like this. The smell and taste are both sweet with mainly malts & corn. Way too sweet and unbalanced. There's not too much evidence of any hops residing in the brew. Mouthfeel is a bit watery. Moderately drinkable.

An average to poor lager. Stella would be a better choice if you would want to opt for a Belgian macro-lager to quench your thirst on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2005 22:45:49 | More by Paddez

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Off tap. A generous, overly active stream of steady bubbles that continuously shoot up - looks like something that could be used at a science center exhibit. A healthy complexion - crisp yellow, clear as day with an ocean of fluffy white head.

The smell is not offensive. To the contrary is nearly - but not quite - pleasant. A straight up blend of Saaz hops and pilsner malt, (in other words - what it should be!) I was pleased to find no adjuncts or stale notes to spoil this one. To have these lagers fresh in Europe is entirely different from skunked, dated, green bottles found dusty on shelves in North America!

The mouthfeel is a little cardboard-like. A little stiff, not as smooth as other pilsners. The carbonation is bloating. The flavour is corn filled! Corn adjunct rings out far more than any malt. It wasn't enough to compromise the drinkability but it certainly did not make for a tasty brew. All considered, this might be an option on a hot, sunny day.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2007 14:45:20 | More by biegaman

tempest

Pennsylvania

2.83/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A friend of mine wanted to find a good PBR substitute in Belgium and here it is. A smooth, clean, light bready malt flavor with no hops or adjunct flavor. On a hot day you could drown yourself in pitchers of this. Today in Belgium, we'll settled for a platter of glasses. This is no German pils, maybe a weak Czech pils, more likely an American adjunct lager, and a good one at that.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2009 01:05:29 | More by tempest

soju6

Missouri

2.93/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Beer was a light golden color with a nice white head. No real smell to speak of. Taste was crisp & refreshing. Feel was light, more like a an American style beer than a pilsner. Saying that, it was a nice break from sampling wines all day with my wife.

Serving type: on-tap

04-14-2010 12:01:05 | More by soju6

thierrynantes

France

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

Sorry but this following comment is in french :

Appearance : biére pilsener, mousse blanche, robe blond clair
Smell : houblonnée
Taste and mouthfeel : goût franc, bouche sèche, amertume agréable
Drinkability : une bière dans le style pils, correcte mais sans plus

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2007 19:39:28 | More by thierrynantes

therica

Maryland

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

On-tap in Leuven Belgium. My first thought was, "Busch." A fine beer if you're just drinking while talking or partying, and without paying attention.

A= fine-bubbled lifeless styrofoam head

S= reasonable bouquet with malt nose

T= mild hops, malt; a staleness typical of a US Macro-beer.

M= stale US-beer-mouth

D= drinkable but that's about it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-06-2008 22:46:43 | More by therica

LittleCreature

Australia

3/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - 3.0
Poured a finger of white head that gradually reduced to a thin layer over a clear body of pale golden-orange.

Smell - 2.5
Even with warming there is almost no discernable smell. Slight pale malt sweetness, some grain, no hops on the nose at all.

Taste - 3.0
Slightly sweeter than your average pilsener and very light on both malt flavour and hop bitterness. Just plain grain and husk flavour, no real off flavours, quite crisp, finishes dry. Nothing special, especially for a Belgian (although let's face it - they are not famous for lagers are they?!).

Mouthfeel - 3.0
Quite light in the mouth with a low to moderate level of carbonation. Slightly astringent.

Drinkability - 3.5
Probably quite high for the uneducated masses, it is certainly sessionable, but for me this is so boring that I will probably never get it again.

OVERALL - 2.95
Wow, how boring is this beer!? I feel that it deserves lower than the score I gave it, but, in a similar way to Budweiser, it does not have any real flaws to mark it down for. There is very little smell or taste, but (unlike Michelob and others) it is immistakably a beer and it is easy to drink. A real supermarket white bread of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2008 10:13:17 | More by LittleCreature

ThaCreep

Belgium

3/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This review concern the new version of Maes Pils: Maes Pils be.music ABV 5.2%

Recognizing the limited potential of the former Maes taste, the brewery has decided to release a new version, this time with a lot more malt (about 35% more). Do not ask why the former was so tasteless. In short, always an easy entry on the palate, quite watery but here finally found the bitterness and slightly fruity when cereals have their say. The piquancy of malt adds his strength and power to give a taste similar to lager Jupiler but without the aftertaste dirty and characteristic of the latter.

Serving type: nitro-tap

09-07-2010 12:12:11 | More by ThaCreep