Estrella Damm - Damm S. A.

secondtooth

Indiana

2.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a straw yellow, with a nice couple of fingers of white carbonation. Lace is thin and wispy.

Nose is adjunct grains. I get the requisite cream corn and rice notes. Unremarkable and pedestrian.

Taste is sweet and malty, with accents of cream corn and rice. Hops are there, but oh-so-lightly resigned to the background. The Bud Lite of Spain? Seems like it. Nothing more to see here.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 23:45:51 | More by secondtooth

DrewSnyc667

Massachusetts

2.71/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

On tap at la Bocqueria in NYC

A - Pale yellow water, little bit of fiz and a little bit of lacing

S - a little skunky but mainly metallic

T - Butter sweet and Metallic nothing else to it

M - Could use a bit more carbonation to make it at least refreshing, kind of leaves too much sweetness in the mouth

O - It's what's in tapas bars so you have little other choice, but honestly, it's not that good

Serving type: on-tap

03-23-2013 00:34:40 | More by DrewSnyc667

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.63/5  rDev +28.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I see this beer all the time, but I have never had it. Until I grabbed this to review, I didn't even know what Estrella Damm meant! Estrella means "star", but had no idea Damm came from the guy who started the entire operation. Cool story, and cool how they changed the name of the brewery to honor him. This is a VERY old recipe, and I am excited to try it. Not usually a fan of American Adjunct Lagers, but this one has a good brand and comes to us from Barcelona. Actually it comes to us from the Total Wine & More in Scottsdale, Arizona. But you get the idea.

This is our first beer from this brewing company, but there are several more on the list. Let's see how the Estrella Damm stacks up. Bottoms up, people!

In the Glass: The beer looks pretty boring in the glass. It is thin, and you can see right through it. Some bubbles are rushing to the top, but not much action. Very little to no lace is offered here. Before I stick my nose in the glass, know that I do not expect great things. I expect this to be slightly better than an American domestic product, but a tad bit sweet like I have come to expect from boring European lagers.

Nose: Smells like beer. It has a weak aroma, but what I am getting is grassy and smells like liquid bread. That is what beer is, anyway. Liquid bread! A deep second whiff gives me yeast and some more bread aromas. Expecting a lot of that from the flavor.

Flavor: The first impression is somewhat sweet. It hits your tongue and the sweetness sort of explodes across your palate. Then it drinks like any other American Adjunct Lager I have had, then finishes sweet leaving a linger aftertaste of yeast and bread. Considering my expectations here, I am VERY impressed with this offering. The sweetness sort of took me for a loop. Wasn't expecting that.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel is full, and flavorful ending with a smooth sweetness left on the tongue. There aren't a lot of bubbles, and it is a beer you could literally chug all day long. I bet this does well at futbol games in Europe and other foreign countries. This would be a good example of a domestic beer for countries like Spain, Italy, and France. I haven't been to Barcelona, but this will be the first beer I order when I step off the plane.

Aftertaste: The aftertaste is nice, dry, and bittersweet. The sweetness you get from the flavor hangs on and it just continues to get dry as I swallow. I bet the aftertaste hangs around a good 5-7 minutes. VERY impressed with this offering. Fun learning what "estrella" means and neat knowing the man that started this was named Damm. Consider this beer a learning experience all around!

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 20:42:25 | More by rickyleepotts

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

11.2 oz bottle, 07/13 plus another code stamped on the neck label.

appears a pale straw color, with thin frothy white head. smells like sweet corn, not hops. taste is similar. clean mild grain flavor. slightly sweet. lingering aftertaste. thin body, fizzy higher carbonation.

overall - very similar to American made adjunct lagers.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 03:38:41 | More by jmdrpi

UCLABrewN84

California

3.08/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle pour at the BevMo Holiday Beerfest held at Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles, CA.

Pours a clear light yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, and a fruity aroma. Taste is much the same with a mild bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an average beer but it's drinkable and not offensive.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 06:56:27 | More by UCLABrewN84

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.2/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Finger of foamy head. Clear, golden colored body.
Smell is grain and barnyard/wet hay.
The taste is mild bitterness, fizzy and short.
Crisp texture, too much carbonation though.
Not terribly offensive but the fizziness and boring flavor make this a one and done.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 01:34:14 | More by Fatehunter

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.05/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

From the 11.2 fl. oz. bottle stamped 06/11-L080214. Sampled on September 24, 2012.

It pours straw yellow with the slightest of chill haze and a thin white head that lingers to the end.

The aroma is grainy and malty with a sort of butterscotch element to it. No immediate hop character.

The body is light and smooth.

The taste begins malty and has this low to moderate bitterness on the backside but it leaves an odd aftertaste. Really nothing special here.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 23:29:39 | More by puboflyons

McStagger

California

2.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a very pale straw. Good carbonation. Moderate white head that dissipates rapidly. Moderate to minimal retention.

S: Hop extract. Fruity sweetness. Cooked veggies/mild skunkiness.

T: Cereal sweetness that is borderline cloying. Adjuncts, extract and some serious processing. Bit of a metallic note. Not nearly bitter enough on the finish.

M: Pretty spot on. Good carbonation. Wish this sucker finished dryer.

O: About to the level of many of the other mass produced Euro Lagers. Unfortunately, it's a bit more expensive. Would probably be better in Barcelona, watching some poor bastard getting gored during the Bull Run.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 06:46:17 | More by McStagger

RickS95

Indiana

2.33/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Budweiser only with a decent head. Very clear, pale straw color. Extremely clarified. Looks like piss in a glass. But I'm giving it a two because it's got a nice head. Bright white, foamy, good retention and a crusty lace as it dies.

Smells like an American macro. Corn, grainy esters, facsimile of some sort of Pilsner malt.

Vague fruitiness with some floral notes. Not awful, just not good. Same grainy flavor as the smell.

Pretty smooth for piss in a glass. Has some sweetness to it, a grainy bite. Sort of a hoppy bite in the finish, though even that's masked by all the adjunct crap added.

I feel for the Spanish. This would be a good beer if you were stranded in the desert, otherwise, don't bother.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 02:50:17 | More by RickS95

Cavanaghty

Maine

2.58/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into a standard beer glass.

Appearance: Clear Yellowish color with heavy carbonation. Head was about two fingers and did not last long, except for a very thin layer on top that lasted almost the whole beer.

Smell: Almost nothing in the way of smell. Maybe some cereal type grains but faint.

Mouthfeel/Taste: Lighter bodied and smooth. Some sweet and bitter qualities about this beer. But it was a bit watered down, which I would expect from these types of beers. It had a dry and bitter after taste that I have noticed is common in a lot of the American Adjunct Lagers made in Spanish and Latino countries.

Overall: Not a horrible beer. I can honestly say I enjoyed it. Good beer for a hot summer day, and I drank the whole six pack. Not my immediate choice, but would have again.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2012 13:08:06 | More by Cavanaghty

Brabander

Netherlands

3.05/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I had this beer on tap in the early and late 2000's and in that time this beer was not very spectacular. My brother in law was in Spain a week ago and he bought a few beers for me. Thanks Gerard!

Poured this beer in one of my Dutch beerglasses. Nice golden pour with a big fluffy head and some nice carbonation. The start is good. Lacing, the head sticks in the glass.

Smell is a bit grassy. Taste is a bit too watery for me. No crispyness in this beer. It is a good lager but not more than that. No real bitterness or sweetness in this beer...

Serving type: can

06-30-2012 16:06:41 | More by Brabander

dbrauneis

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on tap at Mulligan's in Hoboken, NJ.

A: Pours a crystal clear medium yellow in color with moderate to significant amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall bright white head that quickly reduces to a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer, a thick patch, and a thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate to significant lacing is observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of grain adjunct malts with lighter hints of rice and corn adjunct malts. There is also a moderate presence of grassy hops. Starts out sweet and finishes with some light bitterness.

T: The flavors of the adjunct malts are quite present (grain, rice, and corn) along with a very light hint of citrus. Also, there is a light bitterness from the grassy hops.

M: Light bodied with a heavy amount of carbonation.

O: This beer is easy to drink and quite sessionable. The beer is not anything special but it was sessionable and seemed to go down quite well during the Euro game with my cornish pastie.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2012 00:38:42 | More by dbrauneis

frankiepop

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a tasty beer with a hint of sweetness. A good balance between a light sweet maltiness and dry hoppiness to quench a thirst for a meal. A light golden brown hue. Good clarity. Good medium carbonation for easy drinking. I think the beer really rather fitting of the Spanish culture and food. A very good compliment of the wonderful cuisin of the land. This is not a big splash, but I do not understand some of the lower marks some have thrown against this beer. I find Estrella to be of fine quality.

This beer goes well with a Euro Soccer match, dontcha think?

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2012 06:35:57 | More by frankiepop

biorens

Spain

3.75/5  rDev +32.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A good beer with a thick head. Golden and clear.
Not much smell but a good taste. It starts with a medium-hard bitter flavor that is just equilibrated at final by the malt with a little fruity acid.
Good post-final with a sweet bitterness. Refreshing and nice tasty.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2012 00:54:18 | More by biorens

Zimbo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

3.18/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Drunk in my Mallorcan holiday hotel on my executive balcony minutes before dinner.
Decent continental Germaniclike nose. Medium gold, bald to whispy head.
A handful of reasonable lines of bead with some reasonable length and some chewy hoppiness ending with a degree of bite. Good core strength for what it is which pushes outward.
Almost good and better that the other usual Spanish offerings.

Serving type: can

04-29-2012 13:26:55 | More by Zimbo

depechemode1983

Texas

2.8/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

crystal clear golden color with a foamy white head. retention is above average for the style and there seems to be a bit of lacing going on. little sweetness in the nose. light malts and grains. not much else. nothing offensive. i like that there isnt any metal smell. the taste is where i think it fails. its a little off balance. too much artificial tasting sweetness and not enough hop profile. if they toned down the sweetness it would get a better grade. kinda reminds me of dog bit high gravity lager. Mouth feel is average. medium bodied with bordering high carbonation. This stuff is typical I guess. I know its an American Adjunct Lager but I had high hopes for some reason. oh well. No reason to ever purchase this again.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 02:37:08 | More by depechemode1983

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.43/5  rDev +56.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Estrella Damm has a very thick, white head and a clear, straw appearance, with lots of streaming bubbles and ample lacing. The aroma is of sweet, bready malt and clean water, and the taste is of lightly-toasted cracker, sugar, water, and bitter hops. Mouthfeel is light and watery, and Estrella Damm finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and dry. This beer is a clear winner.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2012 17:46:21 | More by RonaldTheriot

CrazyDavros

Australia

1.95/5  rDev -31.1%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours gold with a large, fading white head.
Nose shows hay, vegetal notes, cardboard and faint spicy characters. Also some cereal-like aromas.
Flavours are very faint, just some sweet hay and cardboard. Not exactly unpleasant though.
Body is very watery.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 08:09:54 | More by CrazyDavros

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.48/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Clear & pale looking yellow straw colour with a thin bubbly, white lacing for a head. This settles to a very fine lacing around the surface, mainly sticking to the circumference of the glass though.

As I had anticipated, this one is very light on the nose with very little in the way of a noticeable aroma. There is however a faint grassy hops aroma and a slight bit of grain with hints of a skunky aroma. There is a light touch of citrus throughout although not a lot else.

Very much a lager here with the usual hops and a mild citrus flavour in the background. There is a sticky, sweetness towards the end and a bit of skunk too but again, not a lot else.

Quite light and smooth with a gassy, strongly carbonated feel to it. Not great on the palate, acceptable at best probably.

A pretty typical pale lager with not a lot going for it other than it goes down fairly easily. There is a skunky flavour lurking in the background throughout this beer and it wasn’t great although it wasn’t exactly offence on the taste buds either. Still not one that I would buy again though.

1001 Beers:
http:/abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2012 21:42:45 | More by flyingpig

ggilman

Maine

2.45/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Very light straw colored, unnatural white head that disappears quickly. Smells of cider vinegar, like the inside of a keg cup, and high school. Tastes the same with a hint of citrus. Delayed metallic aftertaste. Relatively smooth up front, with a dry carbonated finish. Light bodied, yet pretty potent at 5.2%.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 01:38:05 | More by ggilman

kennylopez

New Jersey

2.45/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 11.2oz bottle into pint.

Appearance: a clear golden color with a fine white head that fades fast.

Smells: faint lemon and citrus hop

Tastes: a typical lager with a unique hop character.

Mouthfeel: this is a crisp mildly carbonated beer with a surprising flavorful aftertaste and no burn from the ABV.

Overall: I am personally not the biggest fan of this beer but my older brother likes it because he says "it is easy drinking"

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 22:56:22 | More by kennylopez

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer poured out as a clear looking yellow color with a thin white head on top. The smell of the beer was sweet with grains and malts. The taste of those same things came through and had very little hop bitterness at all. The mouthfeel of this beer is light and is fairly easy to drink on a regular basis. Overall this brew isn't anything special, I don't even know if I'd buy it again or not. But I am glad I tried it.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 02:59:01 | More by Knapp85

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

A. Pours out a clear pee-yellow with a mininal head that fizzles out almost instantly, no lacing to be found at all in this one.
S. Simple sweet grainy aroma, no frills to be found at all, sort of boring actually.
T. Simple sweetness again, with a touch of floral hopping holding the pleasant finish together.
M. Body is on the lighter side of medium thickness, carbonation is just adequate...overall this is a nice but forgettable lager.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 02:03:14 | More by WastingFreetime

gtermi

Texas

2.23/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: The beer poured a basic light amber with a thick head that quickly faded.

S: I am not getting much at all. Maybe some hops, but thats very faint too.

T: The beer is very weak and doesnt ahve much beer. Some grain and maybe some corn is all I am really getting. Pretty bad.

M: The beer has an average mouthfeel. Not tons of carbonation and a little crispness. Not bad ata ll.

O: I would never buy this beer. It is very weak and bland and just like a lot of the other Adjunct Lagers.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 07:32:13 | More by gtermi

rwrk42

New Jersey

2.53/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Decent head at first pour but settles very quickly.

Smell: Very light & mild hop aroma. Other than that there is not much to it.

Taste: Very Light bodied but clean and smooth. Slight and I mean a slight hop taste. A very faint citrus taste finish.

An okay beer but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 03:47:09 | More by rwrk42