Banks Beer - Banks (Barbados) Breweries Limited

chinchill

South Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz. bottle with a best by date of May 2012, served in a pint glass. Diffeerent artwork on bottle than shown on BA: includes appropriate phrase, "Caribbean Lager".

An attractive beer, being crystal clear, golden-yellow, with a 1.5 finger white head. The head dissipates quickly, however, and the light coloration accurately predicts a light taste.

Lightly skunky in both aroma and flavor, this beer is thirst-quenching and easy to down. The light-bodied mouthfeel is amply, but not over, carbonated. That's about the best that can be said. In addition to the skunky off-aroma and off-flavor, this beer has a weak finish and very little aftertaste. The sweetness in the aroma is followed by a largely balanced (sweet-bitter) taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2011 02:29:21 | More by chinchill

jettjon

Florida

2.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

From a 12 oz. bottle marked Feb 2013. Labeled “Carribean Lager.” Consumed 5/22/13. Into my Sam Adams glass (thanks, guys!) it’s an attractive golden clear color with lots of precipitating carbonation fueling a solid, one-finger pillowy white head. Not exactly what I was expecting; this is a pretty good looking brew. Nose however is a bit of a letdown, corn and rice adjunct and a bit of sour milk along with what might pass as malt. In the mouth it’s nothing special, starting with a mild malty flavor cut through by a tinge of metallic off-taste but finishing on an rather inoffensive note. Mouth is a bit thin and surprisingly flat despite lots of carbonation and great head retention. Overall: High point is a nice appearance but unfortunately the rest of this Caribbean import falls short.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 01:14:41 | More by jettjon

Jamison85

Indiana

3/5  rDev +8.3%

04-20-2013 17:06:48 | More by Jamison85

ShawneeIrish

Indiana

2.25/5  rDev -18.8%

04-09-2013 22:46:32 | More by ShawneeIrish

CMOrak

Florida

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

02-18-2013 02:53:27 | More by CMOrak

modidia

New York

3/5  rDev +8.3%

01-24-2013 03:17:11 | More by modidia

MaxOhle

Illinois

3/5  rDev +8.3%

01-20-2013 17:18:18 | More by MaxOhle

beertunes

Washington

3.26/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Rampaige for grabbing this for me on her recent visit to Barbados. Best by date of 5/13. Poured into 9oz pilsener glass. Poured a clean, clear, bright golden yellow color. An accidentally over aggressive pour got me just under 2 inches of bright white head that had very good retention and light-moderate lacing.

The aroma was about what was expected, grainy, a bit sweet and just some gentle hops. The flavors were basically the same as the scent, mildy sweet,decent base grains, and the hops were a bit crisper.

The body was the typical light and clean that you'd expect in a beach beer. Drinkability was good for what it is. I suspect if I were sitting on a beach in Barbados, I'd be pouring these down my neck at an alarming rate. Overall, nothing special, but worth a shot if the opportunity presents itself.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 00:16:10 | More by beertunes

eduardolinhalis

Switzerland

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.25

330ml bottle served in a Weizen glass.

A: Pours a standard Lager clear yellow golden color forming a medium white fluffy and soft head. Low retention and some few lacings

S: Sweet grains and adjunct grains with an honourable light smell of honey. That's all. Biscuity Lager style and some flowery hops

T: Follows the nose, sweet malts, korn, Lager yeasts, nuts and hops

M: Light body, good carbonation. Sweet grains and adjunct grains aftertaste

O: Medium drinkability. Well...

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2013 20:31:16 | More by eduardolinhalis

chefduff2

New York

2/5  rDev -27.8%

01-05-2013 22:28:20 | More by chefduff2

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 ounce bottle - $1.99 at Total Wine & More in Kennesaw, Georgia.

"BBE JUL 2013"

Appearance: Pours a clear, light pale yellow body with an ample cap of white suds.

Smell: A sweaty scent of basic malted barley with some sweetish cereal notes, a slight graininess, and small kiss of hops.

Taste: Modestly grainy pale, pale malts with a touch of corn syrup sweetness. Again, though it's modest, the graininess is sustained well into the aftertaste. Slight spice hint from the hops, low bitterness. Dry, grainy, lightly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: Banks for nothin'! Not nearly as good as some lagers, but, it's also not nearly as rancid as some lagers.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2012 21:18:42 | More by ChainGangGuy

harpus

Alabama

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

11-27-2012 19:27:20 | More by harpus

LJWalker

Alabama

3.75/5  rDev +35.4%

11-21-2012 05:09:19 | More by LJWalker

OldTime

Georgia

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

11-12-2012 06:51:41 | More by OldTime

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev +8.3%

11-07-2012 02:39:51 | More by cfalovo97

Cardmarauder

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%

10-20-2012 16:20:06 | More by Cardmarauder

bzach

Indiana

2.25/5  rDev -18.8%

10-16-2012 05:11:58 | More by bzach

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.48/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A 330ml bottle with a BB of April 2013. Picked up from a supermarket - a new summer import. The printed bottle says Banks Caribbean Lager, but the ABV is identical and I conclude that this is the same beer. 'The legendary Caribbean beer celebrated across the region' - we'll see...

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear golden colour with light carbonation. Forms a decent head of creamy white foam that lasts for a couple of minutes before dissipating. Aroma of faint malt with notes of corn, mild stewed hops and overcooked veg. Slightly sweet, with a stale character. Not particularly appetising.

Tastes of light malt with a mild, dry finish. A subtle sweetness pervades the flavour. Hints of stewed hops/veg and faint corn. A weak, slightly harsh bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with surprisingly full body. Could be a tad more carbonated, though it feels OK. Delicate aftertaste of sweet adjuncts and malt.

Meh - a rather crappy adjunct lager; is this really the best the Caribbean can do? I'm not sure even being there would help me like this more - bring on the rum! Lots of unpleasant notes in the aroma, though the flavour is cleaner. The mouthfeel is pretty good, but I don't like the sweetness. The ingredients include sugar and corn syrup - they could try toning those back. All said, it's not great. Grab one if you want to tick Barbados, otherwise avoid.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 21:30:42 | More by jazzyjeff13

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

1.75/5  rDev -36.8%

10-01-2012 12:32:32 | More by oldp0rt

HopsintheSack

California

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

09-18-2012 19:32:30 | More by HopsintheSack

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +44.4%

09-09-2012 23:29:39 | More by Molson2000

pma7779

New York

3/5  rDev +8.3%

09-09-2012 01:33:07 | More by pma7779

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before April 2013. Barbadian beer, you say? I don't mind ticking another country, I guess... but it'll take some convincing to get me to splurge on a six-pack of some Caribbean pale lager. One bottle will do fine however - I'll tick pretty much anything for the price of a single.

Pours a golden-yellow colour, bright and clear, topped with one finger of fizzy white head that vanishes almost as quickly as it arose. No lacing; its only remnants are some wisps of film on the surface and a thin collar. A familiar-looking brew for sure, and the aroma is equally unimaginative. Vegetal corn notes are annoyingly prominent, with some underlying grainy pale malts and grassy hop notes. I'll cut it a break here - not the most enticing aroma I've ever sampled, but the underlying non-corn elements are approachable enough.

Not particularly tasty, even by adjunct lager standards. The backbone is pale malts, crackers and corny sweetness, with some grassy, wet hay-like hops that remind me of an EPL. Dry finish with some solvent and musty cardboard flavour, but the aftertaste is mostly clean. Light-bodied, with heavy carbonation that gives it a prickly, lively mouthfeel. Fairly refreshing, and easy to throw back quickly like most pale lagers.

This is drinkable, but I can't think of any reason why you'd want to pick this specifically (unless you're at a resort and it's cheap/available). Better than Corona IMO, but not worth buying at import prices, and definitely not one of the better Caribbean pale lagers I've had in the past. The solvent-like note toward the finish is just too off-putting for me to want to drink much of this.

Final Grade: 2.73, a C- that would probably be accompanied with a red-ink frowning face if this were an academic exercise. Banks Caribbean Lager is a brew that I just can't find any reason to recommend. Finding cheap, serviceable pale lagers is a fairly trivial task regardless of the market you live in. This stuff is no better than your average domestic value brand - so if you're going to drink swill, you might as well save a few bucks and avoid this entirely. I'd say this probably isn't worth trying, unless it's on the resort menu, or (like myself) you happen to be a ticker with self control issues.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 02:54:00 | More by thehyperduck

Vyronian

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +35.4%

08-18-2012 16:28:00 | More by Vyronian

ZachRusk

Ohio

2.25/5  rDev -18.8%

07-30-2012 16:29:31 | More by ZachRusk