Bir Bintang Pilsner - Bintang

metter98

New York

2.99/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Bottle at Pelangi, Amsterdam, Netherlands

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high head that has good retention properties and only died down a bit.
S: Light to moderate aromas of adjunct malts are present in the nose-corn stands out in particular.
T: Like the smell, the taste is a little sweet and has flavors of corn and adjunct malts along with a very slight amount of bitterness from the hops.
M: It feels light-bodied and a little smooth on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink but isn't very flavorful and seems a little bland.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 19:47:04 | More by metter98

DrJay

Massachusetts

2.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This beer was everywhere in Bali and most street vendors had piles of Bintang shirts for sale. Let's see how it stacks up...
It poured a clear gold colour with a thin, soapy ring of bubbles. Quite fizzy with a few short-lived bubbles that clung to the glass. The aroma was a bit sour, lots of maize and veggies plus sulfury hops. Bitterness was low and the flavour was on the sweet side with corn and sugar prominent. Light bodied with moderate carbonation, definitely on the dry side. The flavour was nearly inoffensive, but the aroma wasn't to my liking. There are better options for a pale lager when visiting Bali.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2008 02:22:51 | More by DrJay

bark

Sweden

3.7/5  rDev +39.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The colour is medium yellow with a tint of god. The high head sinks down to a thick lid with a fizzing sound. No lacing.

The smell is malty with sweet notes of barley and wheat dough. Some anonymous bitterness and quite a lot of alcohol. Maybe a hint of honey, too.

The taste is a bit sweet, somewhat malty flavour of French loaf, rice and sweet exotic fruits. Some mild anonymous bitter flavours that grows a bit. The aftertaste brings a mild dry bitterness, some hints of peppermint and hints of alcohol.

The carbonation is very refreshing and quite strong, but as the liquid is very smooth, the carbonation isn't sharp in any way.

In fact, this is one of the most refreshing beers I have had in a long time!

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 19:58:16 | More by bark

StonedTrippin

Colorado

2.95/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

indonesian treasure. when you spend a week or two on a boat lookin for waves, this pilsner type ice cold (dingin selkali!) brew gets the job done. sessionable all day after a long session, a little bobby marley in the juke and a slab of bintang happening, perfect. the setting makes the beer in this case, average to lousy product served up with indonesian spirit. will never turn one of these down because theres a good chance it means amphetimines and cheap sex. rock on

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2011 08:05:36 | More by StonedTrippin

ADZA

Australia

1.02/5  rDev -61.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Im only drinking this to prove to my mate the obvious and it pours a see through pale straw colour which leaves a fizzy two finger head and no lacing,the smell is grains,metallic malts and liquid hops,the mouthfeel is nothing just like mineral water really and has the same tastes as smell grains,metallic malts and liquid hops and overall i find it funny how so many people come back from Bali and all of a sudden pronounce themselves newfound beer drinkers as this clearly is not beer in my eyes just macroswill borderlining on flavoured mineral water.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 08:46:28 | More by ADZA

thierrynantes

France

2.28/5  rDev -14%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Beer bottle (33cl), tasted in 2001.
Appearance : pale gold color, medium foam head
Smell : Aroma malty, notes of lemon ?
Taste and mouthfeel : watery ,slight bitter
Drinkability : a well known beer in Indinesia, but an average copy of German pilsener

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2008 15:54:42 | More by thierrynantes

WoodBrew

Illinois

3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Indonesia did Pilsner/American Adjuct Lagers proud with Bintang. The beer is very drinable and quite smooth. It is interesting that this website lists it as a AAL, when the label infers a pilsner. Either way it is a pretty good beer. The appearance is good...nice golden clear with plenty of carbonation which helps to forms the foamy white head. The smell is ok...well balanced between the grain/malt/hops used. The taste is very smooth....hints of grain and malt help to balance the beer. Bintang is very easy to drink and certainly could put a few away....without issue.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2011 11:00:29 | More by WoodBrew

brendan13

Australia

2.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A - Fairly clear golden colour with a couple of centimetres of white head that falls away rather quickly.
S - A grainy, light fruity sort of smell.
T - Like the smell but with some slight honey sweet notes.
M - Fairly light bodied with a medium to high carbonation.
D - Pretty boring, lackluster beer. Like others have said it would probably do the trick on hot bali nights when you have no other choice but here, in normal circumstances there are many, many better choices.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2007 08:24:01 | More by brendan13

soju6

Missouri

2.13/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a light yellow color with a decent head that fades to bits of lacing.

S: Mild aroma that is sort of musty with light citrus and bit of malt sweetness and grain.

T: taste is fairly bland, with light citrus, some malt sweetness and grain.

F: Light body, slightly crisp and smooth and a bit sticky. Pretty bland.

O: This is a boring Lager. Best served ice cold on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 03:42:32 | More by soju6

Sigmund

Norway

2.38/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

330 ml can, a gift from my Indonesian-born sister-in-law. ABV is 5%. Pale yellow colour, decent head. Typical "Industrial" and sweetish pale lager aroma, notes of maize and/or other adjuncts.The flavour is far too sweet for a "pilsener", but there is at least a certain maltiness and not too many off-flavours. Very moderate hops in the finish, slightly metallic.

Serving type: can

11-03-2008 17:01:17 | More by Sigmund

John

New York

3.75/5  rDev +41.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A decent pilsener that's refreshing and thirst quenching. Quaffed plenty of these while in Jakarta.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2001 16:16:26 | More by John

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

2.25/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

330ml bottle poured in a chalice.

I'm sorry but this is not a German Pilsener by any means, this could be classified as a Lager or an Adjunct Lager at maximum

A: Pale yellow color with a small fizzy white head. Ridiculous retention
S: Adjunct malts, rice or corn (or both) most probably
T: Watery. Some malts. Quite dry but, in overall, tasteless. Small bitterness. Ok, refreshing, like water
M: Very light body. Medium to low (disappointing) carbonation
D: A "beer" to be avoided

Serving type: bottle

10-14-2010 20:39:04 | More by eduardolinhalis

cypressbob

United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)

3.03/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottled

Pours with a light yellow body, fizzy yellow head with good retention

Smell, grainy, some hint of corn

Taste, fairly crisp mouthfeel, some slight hop bitterness, bit of grain

I had this in a fantastic indonesian restaurant and it went fairly well with the hot food but i couldnt see myself buying it

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2005 18:16:43 | More by cypressbob

atis

Finland

2.3/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Nice head, colour golden brown. Smell is quite grassy, I would have expected more hops.

Does not taste like typical pilsner, it lacks hops and is too sweet with kind of maltiness in it. Carbonation is strange - it all disappeared within minutes. Now what is left are some small bubbles.

Anyway, beer is quite refreshing when compared with other mass produced pilsner beers with no character at all. Slightly better than the average drink pretending to be called beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2008 18:28:57 | More by atis

vancurly

Australia

2.15/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours haze-free, with a pale honey colour. Nice white frothy head which sits well.
Smells pretty awkward. Weedy. Like stale bar runners (might have been where I was drinking it).
Tastes straw/grassy, slight weed/tobacco, pawpaw fruit note. No malt notes of interest.
Thin & watery, barely any bitterness.
Might be good to quaff while sitting on Kuta Beach, but for any beer lover looking for interest, look elsewhere.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2007 07:02:08 | More by vancurly

jackndan

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -43.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Bintang, from Indonesia: From the light green bottle to the star on the label, this beer screams out Heineken. No wonder, as the brewery is affiliated with Heinie. Extreme skunk aroma, even though this was purchased in Hong Kong, and was as fresh a bottle as you’ll ever see. The head, what there was of it, disappeared, leaving little if any on the beer. The beer itself was mostly flavorless, dominated solely by that euro-skunk taste. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2002 08:29:51 | More by jackndan

donnebaby

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer's label states it's "Best served with friends" but I lament to be drinking it by myself. Does that mean it's not at its best?? Perhaps if others were drinking it with me its score would increase. Maybe not though.

I was not wowed by this beer's looks...although no words come to mind--so perhaps I am wowed.

Nice malt presence in the mouth, giving it a Czech-style flair. Scant hops, clean finish. A pretty boring taste all in all though.

The carbonation is pretty good, which is my favorite part of this drink--sharp on the tongue with a nice, soft fizzling-out sensation in the throat. I would give it an above-average drinkability as well. The Bali Hai, also from Indonesia, was a much better brew I thought.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2004 09:32:48 | More by donnebaby

dansmcd

Australia

2.42/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A - Like clear apple juice, with a thin sheet of head fading to a ring within seconds.

S - Weak floral notes with sweet corn.

T - Faint grass, green apple and white grapes. Very mild and pretty uninteresting.

M - Clean thin body with moderate carbonation.

O - Shouldn't be drunk anywhere but Bali. It does bring happy holiday memories though.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 13:04:48 | More by dansmcd

LittleCreature

Australia

2.6/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - 2.5
Poured a finger of bubbly, white head, that steadily reduced to almost nothing. The colour is a pale gold and looks quite still.

Smell - 2.0
A strong skunkiness was evident upon opening, but this reduced appreciably with time. Vague whiff of malt and grain, perhaps a whisper of hops. Very weak.

Taste - 2.5
There is certainly more taste than some other macro beers out there, and it is not a bad taste either. Still, you wouldn't call this strong. It is sweet upfront, which turns to a grainy flavour, and there is very little hop characteristics in the finish. Aftertaste is almost non-existant Not too bad, but way off for the style.

Mouthfeel - 2.5
Carbonation is low, and the beer goes down quite easily. Weight in the mouth is light to moderate. A little too flat for the style.

Drinkability - 3.5
This would be very sessionable on hot Bali nights, but otherwise not great.

OVERALL - 2.5
In a way, this beer is lucky to score this highly from me, as it is way off for its style (almost no hops!) and has very little charater. It gets by by being easy to drink, and not offensive in any way. If I am in Bali again, I will most likely drink some more, but it would be stupid to pay import prices for what is really a very ordinary beer. ABV is 4.8% by the way.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2007 09:38:57 | More by LittleCreature

jarmby1711

Australia

3.05/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A crystal clear mid gold insipid looking beer , with very low level of carbonation.
Flat , metallic macro lager smell that is not very enticing.
The flavour is rounded smooth and sweet.There is little variety and little bitterness. What is there is pleasant but is uncomplicated .
Despite the watery smell it is a thickish oily mouthfeel.
This is a hot day quaffing beer. Better than some and worse than many.If I was in Indonesia (highly unlikely0 then I would be happy enough to be drinking this but not excited by it

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2006 22:58:02 | More by jarmby1711

SargeC

Japan

3.2/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear, light golden colored brew. Very pale. Weak looking, fizzy white head.

Smell: Sharp pine aroma, hints of butter, light malt in the background.

Taste: Very mild hop flavor with a limited malt profile. Very clean with no standout flavors.

Mouthfeel: Light body. Crisp and slightly acidic finish.

Drinkablity: A simple brew, pretty refreshing and light. Good for a hot day in the tropics.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 01:18:19 | More by SargeC

Douberd

Netherlands

3.23/5  rDev +21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bottle of 330 ml, bought in the Netherlands where it's imported. ABV 4,7%. Ingredients are water, malts, sucrose, barley and hops.

Pours a golden yellow colour, with two fingers of soapy white head, good retention. No lacing left behind. Lots of activity in the glass.

My nose is a bit blocked, but I only get an aroma of your typical pilsner, meaning some light hops smell along with some malts
.
NIce crisp taste, refreshing, very light bitterness on the finish. Quite malty.I thou Nothing really exciting, but quite good nevertheless.

Medium thin body and average carbonation.

Overall not bad. Highly drinkable, although not really a pilsner but closer to a lager.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 22:16:32 | More by Douberd

jeranbrews

New York

1.88/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

*A can brought back from a day drip to Indonesia by a coworker although I have seen green bottles at local import stores. This is as Indonesian as they come.

A - No fizz no pop when I open the can. There is a small amount of sugar white head that dies down to almost nothing in about 15 seconds. Color is a brassy yellow.

S - Mildly skunky, burning rubber plus shaving cream smell. Burning rubber is a first for beer for me. There are some pale malt and vaguely grassy hops smells masked in there somewhere.

T - Acidic but not sour. Starchy but not malty. It doesn't have that flavorless corn rice water taste of American macros but it does have it's own strange bitter funk. It is a medley of complex flavors but they are mostly bad. I would not call this a German pilsner.

M - A bit flat. Mouthfeel is so far the best part of this beer. It's designed to be a beer you just close your eyes and drink with a bong maybe. Goes down ok as long as you don't taste it. Like cheap bourbon.

D - Won't be having this again anytime soon. Kinda hard to keep down.

Serving type: can

12-25-2010 07:52:09 | More by jeranbrews

JayTheFinn

California

2.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had a Bintang at a Thai restaurant in Kyoto, Japan. It wasn't a very busy restaurant and so the beer may sit on the shelf for a while there...or maybe it's just not very good.

A - Not much head on a pale yellow body.
S - Light banana
T - Light banana, hops. Not much else and just not much flavor period.
M - Quick fizzy carbonation which dies relatively quickly, and then nothing else.
D - Smooth after that initial fizzy attack. But this is a bland kind of smoothness and that's no good.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2007 02:24:53 | More by JayTheFinn

Finite

Australia

2.05/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Light golden colour with a very low amount of large bubbles. Rapidly dissipating head. I can imagine if this were poured into anything but a pilsner glass you would have no head in a matter of seconds.

Smell: mild saaz hops. Small amount of oily aroma. Some malt sweetness there too.

Taste/ Mouthfeel: Very watery and bland. Some malt sweetness and mild watered down hops. A little bitterness at the end on the edges of the palate. Carbonation is extreme and so prominent that you almost can’t hold it in your mouth. Some corn and grain but not great.

Drinkability/Overall: Not easy to drink. A very bland and lackadaisical attempt at a great beer style. This one does it no credit.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2005 06:59:27 | More by Finite