Country Club Malt Liquor - Pabst Brewing Company

LumpyGuitar

New York

2.9/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I can't even believe I bought this, however, I am a firm believer that every beer has some redeeming value, however small, so for the sake of knowledge and experience I dropped a WHOLE DOLLAR on a 40 oz. bottle of this liquid beast.

For one, it comes in a clear bottle, bright yellow, a bubble or two at the top but thats it. I didn't even bother to pour it, however, the little that I did had no head whatsoever.

Smells like beer and a faint hint of corn, not much else.

Taste was, I have to say, better than I expected. I am NOT a fan at all of malt liquor, it gives me a nasty gut cramp, so I aproached this one with trepidation. The taste was a bit sweet, malty and a mix of corn and grain. Not really any strong tastes, and it went down pretty smooth with little to no aftertaste.

Mouthfeel was very smooth, went down much like water. Almost no detectable carbonation and no aftetaste. Weight was really light.

Drinkability here is a bit above average. In the event that I ever want a cheap ( and seriously, it's only a damn dollar) malt beverage, this is a viable option. I'll probably get a few more.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 03:30:27 | More by LumpyGuitar

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

2.85/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A brilliant, golden body sparkles with hundreds of fast-rising, tiny bubbles. It's frothy bright-white head holds surprisingly well for the style, and it maintains a thin but solid cap of creamy foam throughout the entire serving. Surprisingly for a malt liquor, it also leaves some sheets of lace that stand a half-inch or so above the level of the beer as it drops with each sip. The nose is limited, offering only alcohol over a note of sweet malt. The body is medium and it's gently crisp in the mouth. Not unlike the aroma, the flavor delivers a dull, semi-dry malt that expresses very little grain flavor and a noticeable amount of alcohol. Still, it's well balanced by an underlying bitterness and it's not as sickly sweet as some examples of the style tend to be. It finishes clean and dry with just a mild note of residual, lightly sweet malt, a touch of fruitiness that's not really noticeable while in the mouth, and a gentle wash of drying alcohol. Well-balanced and clean; but I'd expect a little more character in a beer that displays its alcohol content so readily.

Serving type: can

08-02-2003 15:48:01 | More by NeroFiddled

MarkBlackout

Indiana

2.7/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Ah, Country Club, how close we've gotten over the past several months. Strangely, this beer actually was marketed towards middle-class whites when it first came out. The ads showed classy folks having a classy time with this new "malt liquor" product. It was one of the very first malt liquors, in fact, and appear to have been sold largely in small, maybe 8oz. cans? This was marketed and sold to improve white people's lives. Those days are over, and "the Club" as I like to call it is now mostly available in lower-income areas in order to poison the poor and keep them sedated and content. It's working for me. And I got a dollar left! Here in Brooklyn, it's often the cheapest choice in the store, whether you opt for a 12oz can or a full "half quart" Forties also can be fucked with (for a mere $1.59). Still has a touch of class; it'd be a dollar-fifty even if it was really bottom-shelf. As we all know.

But enough history and value considerations. Onto the beer. I chose a single cold 12oz. can for this review. Unlike some other malt liquors, the Club is best in the can. You want it to be cold, very cold while you drink it, and I find the cans have a crisper taste. Has a sort of strange, corny, medichemical(?) stale beer smell. I'm finding this sample to be not nearly cold enough, as sour, off flavors invade immediately as it cools. At this point, one must go for broke and pound the fucker. It ain't going to get any better. The mouthfeel is OK, too 'fizzy' and scalds the throat like most lower-end malt liquors (yes, there is a lower end to the lower end of this beverage we call 'beer'). Tastes like cheap, folks.

Serving type: can

07-04-2006 15:30:40 | More by MarkBlackout

Floydster

California

2.7/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

40 ounce bottle from Food 4 Less in Redlands

Poured a golden color with a pretty thick foamy head due to a lot of carbonation and a little rolling around on the way home

Smell was real weak and had a little yeast and nothing else

Taste was bitter and sweet kind of like an Olde English

Could drink a lot of this if you wanted to

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2007 03:25:18 | More by Floydster

Avryle

New York

2.7/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A- Poured into Piraat tulip (This is an entropic attempt based on my expectations of this consumable.) Clear, pale golden in color with a suprisingly fluffy white head. Hmmm... Not a bad start.

S- Sweet adjucts & corn. I mean, sweet corn and adjuncts. Smells like a frat party.

T- I'm told this is one of the better malt liquors on the market, but I didn't grow up in Section 8 housing, so I can't verify that. Just tastes like corn and adjuncts. There is a pleasing sweetness to the finish that's a bit shocking. I kinda expected it to taste like poverty.

M- Thin and nasty. Astringent-y. Eww.

D- Review's done. The remainder's going down the drain unless aerozeppl wants to finish it.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2008 23:05:41 | More by Avryle

aerozeppl

New York

2.68/5  rDev +17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

40oz bottle into my Molson pilsner glass and drank from the bottle to the dome.

A: Crystal clear olden color. Pours with a finger of fluffy white head. Hints of lacing.

S:Sweet malt and corn. No real big surprise there.

T: Not too bad for the style. The sweet corn really does dominate. Fairly bland really.

M: Sex in a canoe. Carbonation is decent. Mouthfeel finishes very dry.

D: For what it is not too bad. Had not drank a 40 in a long time. I did feel dirty buying it and it was the first time I got carded in a while.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2008 23:05:42 | More by aerozeppl

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.53/5  rDev +11%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Purchased across from the cop shop in Weed, CA. Rough yellow appearance. Looks like the return on rented beer. Mild sweet, corny aroma, not offensive.

Sweet, stale alcohol breath flavor to it, no hopping, might be an all corn beer, or at least a substantial portion of it. I've had worse. A little gritty, reminds me of grain belt. Doesn't seem all that alcoholic taste wise. Does seem oxidized what is there.

Wasn't bad to have before lunch. Poured a tad of it out for Macho Man, who died the day before.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 22:12:47 | More by Beerandraiderfan

nlmartin

Ohio

2.42/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

One more daring trip down the gas station beer cooler. The beer was served cold and poured in a glass.

Appearance: The beer has a straw yellow coloration. The head is about 1 finger high. Fairly good retention noted on the head.

Smell: The beers aroma smells like a sack of wet grain.

Taste: The flavor is sweetened corn. The alcohol gives it a slight twang to break the sweetness. Nothing unexpected to the flavor. No off flavors noted.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability: The beer has a light body. The carbonation is high. The drinkability is ok as long as the beer is ice cold and drank fast.

Serving type: can

02-07-2009 01:00:21 | More by nlmartin

Lacesoutcody

North Carolina

2.35/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Drank from a 32 oz. bottle.

A: A typical dingy yellow.

S: Corn, Metal, And a sick sweet finish.

T: Bready, Slight Alcohol, And Corn.

M: Fairly thin, not overbearing.

O: It's a malt, not great, not terrible, it's cheap and efficient. Have one, it's fairly rare, but there is much better things out there.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 02:28:19 | More by Lacesoutcody

wiseguy142

New York

2.33/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Never heard of this before and wanted to give it a try...

Nice minimalistic (ie cheap) label on the front.. standard yellowish brew inside.

Aroma is not too clean and heavy on the corn and bready malt.

Taste is sort of like MHL and Coors blended together but a little more dry and with some perceptible hop flavor lingering in there.

Mouthfeel is extrordinarily light and dry and almost acidic.

An interesting buy, but I'll stick to OE when I'm in the mood for a 40.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2009 05:41:20 | More by wiseguy142

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I noticed that many of my fellow CAN reviewers mentioned their background with this beer and I sadly, I have none. We heard of this when we were young and underage but other beers were available and this never seemed to make it our way. In the interim, as a budding historian and a collector of patches to be sewn onto my many jackets, I became curious to at least try it. CAN you dig it?

The pour produced two rocky, bone-white fingers' worth of head that fell like yesterday's snow but actually left some lacing in its wake. Color was a golden yellow with NE-quality clarity. The nose really left something to be desired - it was at once metallic, fusel, grapey, cereal sweet, like the worst of everything blended together into a hot mess. Yow! Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was not as unpleasant as the nose led me to expect. It was sweet, sure, but the alcohol was not up front making it bearable. Finish was also slightly sweet but not unbearable. I was left bemused by the whole thing. If this is what I missed out on in my youth, I did not miss much.

Serving type: can

02-11-2010 18:54:15 | More by woodychandler

fastrodney

North Carolina

2.23/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Served from a 12oz can into a Sam pint glass.

A: Light golden. Head dissipates as quickly as it arrives and becomes nothing more than a thin white rim afterwards.

S: Smells of apple cider. Sugary sweet.

T: Alcohol overpowers the slight sweetness of the less-regarded grains.

M: Medium-carbonated, but under-carbonated for the style. Thin-to-medium body.

O: Not sure where to place this on the scale of the style. Certainly not the best. Maybe not the most offensive, but I can't think of an example that's rougher at the moment. Carbonation is too thin and not nearly sweet enough to cover-up the rough alcohol taste that is ever-more apparent as it warms up.

Serving type: can

05-13-2012 02:41:06 | More by fastrodney

Beastdog75

New Jersey

2.2/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Country Club - "America's Premium Malt Liquor" according to the label. The label also says "Pearl Brewing Co." which means that it was probably a G. Heileman brew at one point and is now part of the Pabst portfolio which is now all contract brewed by Miller in Milwaukee. Anyway, the name seems like a vain attempt to add some "classy" appeal to what is otherwise the least classy type of beer you can find.

Country Club pours a clear, bright urine yellow color with a decent foam white head that lasts about a minute. The smell isn't too harsh and basically consists of cheap adjunct grain smells (that cheap grainy/husky/musty scent, if you will). The mouthfeel was watery, but not as fizzy as some other standard fizzy yellow beers. The initial taste was on the light side. Some slight sweetness and adjunct graininess. Some dirty/soapy water taste along with a very light hop bitterness. In addition there was some alcohol taste here, but it had almost a fruity character to it. Not too gagging. Overall, a standard and unoverpowering flavor. The aftertaste was a little bit cleaner then I expected: just some continuing graininess and alcohol. It all finishes with the standard malt liquor warmth (and beginnings of a headache).

Overall, not too bad. If I had to pick a 40, I'd choose Colt 45 over this. I'm not sure of the abv, but my head was slightly humming about halfway through the bottle (I gave the other half to my bro).

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2003 19:46:51 | More by Beastdog75

PintOHops

California

2.2/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured some from a 40oz bottle into a pint glass, drank the rest from the bottle.

Appearance/Smell - Appears pale straw yellow with about half and inch of frothy head, and surprisingly, it retains very well and even leaves soapy lacing. Highly carbonated, lots of little strings of never ending carbonation, one of the better looking Malt liquors Iv ever seen! Smells of a very potent, acidic, tart grape aroma, coupled with an almost as powerful corn & grain aroma. Ugh! It almost made me sick, the aromas get very tiring, in fact it almost reminded me of a more powerful smelling Miller High Life.

Taste/Mouthfeel - Tastes of a dominate sweet, grainy/rice flavor, coupled with apple, tart grape, pair, and lite citrus flavors, there manages to be some apparent bitterness on the finish as well. Very corny overall and not to enjoyable. Mouthfeel is smooth, lots of bite on the tongue from the carbonation, watery, and very lite bodied.

Drinkability/Final thoughts - In a way this Malt was very easy to drink, but the flavors and aroma quickly get old, if not sickening, as they did with me. To me, it tasted like a really bad American Adjunct Lager, and there wasn't even any classic Malt Liquor flavors. I enjoy Malt Liquor, but this was just tiring to me, way to corny! I don't recommend this Malt at all, if your looking for something easy to drink and with a lower ABV, than Id say go with Mickeys, or King Cobra. Just not this stuff, not a fan.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2009 23:15:01 | More by PintOHops

BEERchitect

Kentucky

2.17/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I had no real justification for buying or drinking this beer, I just saw it on the shelf and said, "what the heck".

Appearance certainly fit the bill with a brilliant straw sheen and fared quite well in the head formation and retention catagory despite seeming fizzy at times. Actually left some lacing on the glass and had some foam left when I finished the glass... yes I poured it into a glass, but did feel like I should have wrapped the glass in a papper bag.

Aromas, yea not so well. The beer has a wet grain scent with mild pilsner malts lying closely behind. No real hop character to mention in the nose.

Tastes the same grain-forawrd maltiness with only a subtle hint of delicate pilzn malts--does it save the beer? Well no, but it keeps it from pure disaster. A serious pang of alcohol (ethanol) and lends a sharp bitterness aside from the hops.

Textures are thin because of the lack of meaningful maltiness and the over-use of simple sugars to boost alcohol. Somehow the beer strives to acheive a balance that keeps the beer from becoming a total drain-pour. A bit less than clean in the finish but, again, this is a malt liquor.

Ultimately a tolerable beer if you like most ice-beers. I was able to finish the foudy, but barely.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2009 04:14:56 | More by BEERchitect

rrob311

New Hampshire

2.15/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

I bought a 40 of this at Safeway many years ago.

A- Looks like normal beer to me, very clear.

S- Didnt smell all too great from what I remember, not terribly bad though.

T- This is probably my least favorite malt liquor that I can think of.

M- Mouthfeel is very bubbly.

D- I probably will not buy this again, I might drink a glass if someone had some that was cold.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 21:25:46 | More by rrob311

mrfrancis

Kentucky

1.55/5  rDev -32%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A: From the can, this beer pours a clear yellow with a big, rocky white head. Head retention is much better than I would normally expect from a beer of this style.

S: Very sterile on the nose, with aromas of roasted corn, grain husks, and an odd fruity smell reminiscent of green apple. The aromas present are a bit repellent, but I don't think that any malt liquor is designed to smell good, so it doesn't really matter.

T: This beer starts off sweet with definite fruity accents. I'm picking up green apple, as well as grain husks, roasted corn, minerals, wet straw, and a touch of grassy hops. As the beer warms a bit, cooked vegetable, lemon, and alcohol notes creep out of the woodwork. The finish is short and simple with grain husk and corn notes.

M: Light bodied and dry. The beer has a flabby, lethargic feel to it despite the presence of relatively active, crisp carbonation. Not drinkable at all.

O: Well, it is a typical American malt liquor, which is to say that this beer was probably never intended to be all that great. Compared to other examples of the style, it's not absolutely wretched, but it is extremely close. Actually, scratch that. It's wretched.

Serving type: can

11-30-2011 15:26:39 | More by mrfrancis

Overlord

California

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

Now this is one atrocious beer, even for its type.

Pours the same sickly yellow color we come to expect. Not much head.

Just a disgusting skunky corn taste. No redeeming quality. I used to reject this regularly in favor of more palatable malt liquors.

Cool name, and that's about it.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2008 08:48:47 | More by Overlord

illidurit

California

1.4/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

My housemate bought me this because it was literally the cheapest beer per ounce at Safeway.

Appearance is like post-asparagus urine. A slimy white froth sits atop the column of liquid.

Doesn't smell really like anything, maybe a bit mealy and corn syrupy.

Taste is pretty clean but still unappealing. Standard malt liquor corn sweetness with no hops whatsoever. Towards the end it degrades into basically sugary spritzer water.

Mouthfeel is too carbonated, paper thin, dirty.

This gave me a headache. Even for novelty's sake I won't be drinking this again.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2007 20:41:31 | More by illidurit

mwa423

Ohio

1.3/5  rDev -43%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

A - Very light golden color, almost thought it was water watching it to come out of the can. A finger of very thin white head quickly disappear. Shake up a can of sprite and and pour it, it'll hold head longer.

S - Cereal, bready, some alcohol...I'm dreading drinking this

T - I was expecting horrible, so when it hit the tongue with all the flavor of Natural Light, I was pleasantly surprised...but then it hit me. It was like a shot of vodka that had been bombed into the beer. Gah, the alcohol made my face twist.

M/D - Mouthfeel worked, until the alcohol burn hit. Blech. Drinkability? You have to be kidding. If you want to imagine Popov vodka and bad beer, that's how drinkable it is.

Serving type: can

02-12-2010 04:27:39 | More by mwa423

ncvbc

North Carolina

1.18/5  rDev -48.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

So there I am at the gas station checking out the beer section, which was extremely limited I might add. I glanced through the malt liquors and had to do a double take. Did that say Country Club? Holy shit, Country Club malt liquor! For entertainment's sake, it was worth the $0.99 price tag for half a quart. Tonight, my friends, will be a high class night.

Pour was a light golden with nice carbonation bubbling up into a fizzy, white head that proceeded to fade quickly like my interest in this beer.

Smell was of sweet malts and a little alcohol comes through also.

Taste, especially after consuming a couple good beers before, is cringe worthy. So damn sweet with a corn flavor as well. It overtakes the mouth and makes me pucker as if I were spinning the bottle over a decade ago.

Mouthfeel is syrupy water to me. Too sweet to even keep in my mouth and determine any qualities, or lack of for that matter.

I drained this before I got half way through...this doesn't do anything for me. I've had better malt liquor in my day, though after trying this one, I doubt I'll drink a malt liquor again.

If this is Country Club, get my ass on the public course from here on.

Serving type: can

07-04-2007 16:17:05 | More by ncvbc

Dmann

California

1.13/5  rDev -50.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

This has got to be one of the worst beers I have ever had. It poured a straw color yellow with a small fizzy white head that lasted a couple seconds and left no lace. The smell was just nasty and was 100% adjunct with a hint of alchohol. The flavor was about the same and was tollerable when it was super cold but once it warmed up it lost all hope. This is a beer to avoid for sure, go with Mickey's or Icehouse if you must get a beer like this.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2004 11:22:10 | More by Dmann

rkuhnel

California

1.13/5  rDev -50.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Safeway gets 3 for $5 for a big bottle of this stuff so it is even cheap enough for our homeless population. What really gets me is that this was the cheap drunk of my youth. Makes me appreciate how far we have come in 50 years of beer making.

Tastes and smells like alcohol and stale water. Vodka is alcohol and water also, but this water has a rancid, chemical odor and flavor. I guess I would have to describe the flavor as a chemical-like bitterness.

Mouthfeel is like water, and there is simply nothing to like about this. I simply amazed at how many good ratings this swill gets, but many of them seem to be drinking it from the can so maybe that is better. I supposed if you chill it down to 33 degrees so the flavor is mostly lost you could choke this down, but to me this is one of the poorest “beers” on the market. Good for nothing but a cheap drunk. This may be the lowest rating I have ever given. Can you get a bad bottle of a bad beer? There must be some reason why my rating is so low compared to everyone else.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2007 21:17:59 | More by rkuhnel