Rainier Ale - Pabst Brewing Company

jeffjeff1

California

2.35/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I found this today at Travis AFB.

Poured into a pint glass

Appearance- gold color, no head

Smell- adjunct grains mostly corn, made me turn my head away

Taste- corn mostly

Mouthfeel- light to medium bodied

Drinkability- I didn't like it very much. It would be better colder and that's what I will do with the rest that I got.

Serving type: can

02-06-2012 00:33:23 | More by jeffjeff1

Asics

Washington

3/5  rDev +27.1%

05-18-2013 21:49:40 | More by Asics

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.3/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured from the pounder can. A finger and half of head on a golden colored body.
The aroma is honey mixed with metal and lemon.
The taste is super sweet without a hint of bitterness. A long sweet finish too, in case you hadn't had enough.
The texture is sticky with moderate carbonation.
Just a really sweet ale with no redeeming quality.

Serving type: can

04-29-2013 03:20:54 | More by Fatehunter

hurdjg

Iowa

2.5/5  rDev +5.9%

04-21-2013 14:20:26 | More by hurdjg

UCLABrewN84

California

2.73/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.5

Best by 4/15/13. 7.3% ABV per the label.

Pours a clear gold with a foamy orange-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and some fruity and grassy aromas. Taste is much the same with sugary, chlorine, and vegetal flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a low level of carbonation with an almost flat mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty poor beer with a decent aroma but it's not very drinkable with the odd flavors I am getting.

Serving type: can

04-17-2013 02:06:52 | More by UCLABrewN84

OMPH

California

1.75/5  rDev -25.8%

04-15-2013 03:41:57 | More by OMPH

Jameswoody

Montana

2.25/5  rDev -4.7%

04-01-2013 19:46:41 | More by Jameswoody

dertyd

California

3/5  rDev +27.1%

03-03-2013 06:24:21 | More by dertyd

troobie

California

4/5  rDev +69.5%

02-16-2013 10:16:35 | More by troobie

spycow

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -36.4%

01-17-2013 06:40:13 | More by spycow

AllisonWunderland

1/5  rDev -57.6%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

"Green Death" is what we called Rainier Ale when I was a kid, too young to legally drink. But we drank it anyway, because it was potent. Hard to know if we got sick from drinking it because we were kids and unaccustomed to consuming alcohol, or if it's just really heavy, sweet, and sick tasting which leaves you holding your head, or your friend's head while they toss their cookies.

But a lot of serious memories tied up in this stuff!

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 22:37:19 | More by AllisonWunderland

SargeC

Japan

3.5/5  rDev +48.3%

12-30-2011 09:21:39 | More by SargeC

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

1.45/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Golden color, actually produced a reasonable amount of head. Lacing? Fuggetaboutit.

Wicked alcohol and corn aroma. Awful really describes it, and if you're a masochist, smell it (and drink it) when it warms up substantially.
More corn and rubbing alcohol in the taste. Decent hopping, pretty bitter, but unfortunately, the taste of rubbing alcohol and an old ashtray is tough to overcome.

From the 40oz tasting with elrogish back in the day. Yeah man, that one. Ugh.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 23:55:41 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Halcyondays

California

3.38/5  rDev +43.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint can, says brewed in Irwindale, a trite 35 miles away along the 10, Vitamin R, Green Death, whatever you call it, it's a classic beer in the West, as a so-called "grandfather beer," I wanted to try it, my cans say 7.3%,

A: Pours gold with a firm soapy fizzy macro lager head, very good retention for the style.

S: Corn, with a bit of fusel alcohol/malt liquor booze smell.

T: Light corn flavour, mild booze. There are some good bready notes which were enjoyable and even a hint of hops.

M: Surprisingly very smooth and not boozy at all. Clean, very good.

D: $6.79 for a 6-pack of pint cans, a de facto 8-pack, so around a fiver for a sixer. A hell of a lot better than Bud in this price range, not too bad at all. I'd probably put this more in the Cream Ale category than malt liquor, as macro as it is it does show a bit of an ale yeast character, think Genesee, but a little worse, but cheaper.

Serving type: can

09-22-2010 04:43:34 | More by Halcyondays

zacgosteli

Washington

3.85/5  rDev +63.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 5

Its better than drinking steel reserve or a similar beverage.
and you definitely feel like your drinking a beer that is 7.3%
I do agree the taste isn't the best, but if you buy it when you're already drinking (why would you buy it sober?) it tastes fine.

Plus the can looks sweet.

Serving type: can

08-01-2010 02:24:57 | More by zacgosteli

beertunes

Washington

3.03/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a clean, clear, bright yellow with a tall, fluffy white head that had good retention and light-to-moderate lacing.

The mostly benign aroma did have some grain and sweetness in it. There was some corn taste to with the grain and a slight bit of hoppiness at the back.

The body was typically thin. Drinkability is dependent on your taste for this style. Overall, for a cheap, strong fizzy yellow beer, this isn't totally terrible and pretty average for the style.

Serving type: can

06-07-2010 22:06:33 | More by beertunes

andyfrancis

California

1.83/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Bought the sixer while drunk, only because it looked comically bad. The can says copyright Rainier Brewing Company, Irwindale, CA, but I'm 0% surprised to discover an association to G. Heileman. It looks ok in a glass, but smells like my grandparents' old recycle bin, full of Special Export empties. Or a derivative of any of their other swills. It claims to be an ale, but definitely has a malt liquor taste and feel. If you really like Mickey's or Steel Reserve, but are on a budget, grab yourself an ice cold Rainier. Otherwise, stay away.

Serving type: can

04-30-2010 00:40:23 | More by andyfrancis

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This was claimed by Rainier BC of Irwindale, CA, further, if it was an ale, I was disappointed.

Nose had a cereal sweetness. Oof. Color was a golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Hmmm.
Mouthfeel was medium with a very sweet cereal-like taste. Finish was too sweet to distinguish it from other beers. Man, I CANnot get in front of this one.

Serving type: can

08-03-2009 04:19:48 | More by woodychandler

magictrokini

California

1.6/5  rDev -32.2%
look: 1 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Oh Lord, the green death. Light yellow with a fizzy head. The smell is quite pleasant, kind of like a forest with a lot of wet leaves on the ground. Then you actually taste it. Sugary sweet corn and cereal with the taste of rotting wood. And when I say rotten wood, I can only imagine it is that log you see lying in the mud that breaks apart when you touch it. Ugh.

Serving type: can

12-10-2008 19:28:05 | More by magictrokini

Murchmac

California

3/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

White head, golden ale, cut grass, sweet, thin taste. All delectable adjectives when describing this watered down pabst. I enjoyed it and felt deliciously white trash drink it. Also, for 1.39 it's hard to beat the price. So put on your mesh beer drinking hat, bust out your skoal, and throw down a tall can.

Serving type: can

10-24-2008 01:25:11 | More by Murchmac

pleasewearpants

California

3.23/5  rDev +36.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer's best quality is its attractive green sixteen ounce can. HOWEVER! This is one of the better malt liquors ol' Montell has had for a long time.

Medium golden color, light ethanol nose (but also pleasantly bready if you don't inhale too hard). Best served cold and not held on the palate for too long. The alcohol aftertaste is there but not as pronounced as say Mickey's or 211. At 7.3% it does the job.

If you have to drink malt liquor this is a fantastic way to stand out in a crowd and still get nasty. Mountain fresh!

Serving type: can

08-10-2008 22:08:25 | More by pleasewearpants

Offa

California

3.68/5  rDev +55.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is one of my favourite higher alcohol "malt liquor" types - it is fairly robust, warm, and pungent, yet exceedingly smooth and drinkable, and it goes really well with food.

It's slightly deep gold with a thick, dense white head that lasts and slowly shrinks to a thin, wispy top that leaves some weak lacing.

The aroma is sweetish grainy malt, a little flowery with a hint of herbs.

The taste is lightly but consistently malty with a lot of grain, a hint of pine, light fruitiness, a warm pungency, and a spicey grain finish. It is lightly sweet with faint bitterness, while the alcohol mostly adds to the body and spicy warmth without any off-putting odd, moldy fruit or vinegary wine qualities that such beers sometimes have. It's very smooth and satisyfing in its pungency.

Serving type: can

04-23-2008 17:06:10 | More by Offa

stephendr

California

1/5  rDev -57.6%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Sixteen ounce aluminum can- color of pale yellow, with a thin white head - nose of skunk , and metal – taste of bile, and skunk- body is watery, and with high carbonation – aftertaste of bile- just horrible I could not finish this so called liquid claiming to be “beer”

Serving type: can

01-04-2008 05:12:00 | More by stephendr

Zorro

California

2.15/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured in my glass there seems to have been a recipe change since the early 1990s when I had this. It used to be a red colored ale.

This current version is a clear gold colored beer with a tall but fast fading white head.

The smell sweet and a little herbal and soapy smelling. There is a clear ethanol scent here.

The flavor begins sweet and corny with an alcohol burn to it. Not much beyond that, not the beer I remember from my proto beer geek days. At best it is the best tasting malt liquor, better than crap like Elephant for instance.

The mouthfeel is thin.

Either the formula has changed, which I do believe based upon the color, or my taste buds have grown immensely. I used to hold this beer in such high esteem, I no longer do. This is pretty much easy to drink Hooch at this point.

Serving type: can

07-16-2007 00:19:52 | More by Zorro

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.03/5  rDev +28.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've got to say this is more of a malt liquor than a cream ale. Anyhow, it pours out to a medium yellow color with a small head of white foam that held up pretty well. Aromas of fresh, young hops and mild adjunct and malts. Taste was fair for a brew with such a high ABV; Medium bodied malts and sharp grains, with corn and hops blending in to give the notion of "malt liquor". Alcohol is noted. Mouthfeel is slighlty smooth, and has some consistancy. Drinkability is average at best. Special thanks goes out to dubbercody for the 40 oz sample.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2006 00:06:11 | More by Frozensoul327