Elephant Beer - Carlsberg Danmark A/S

Jason

Massachusetts

2.48/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

11.5 oz brown twist off bottle with no freshness date, this sample was brewed in Canada by Labatt. Thin creamy looking lace, very mild haze within the orange golden brew.

Clean solvent alcohol aroma with an underlying cloying sweetness and a rough graininess.

Pretty smooth with a moderate body and light carbonation. Thick husky grain flavour comes to the taste buds as the alcohol sneaks in with its solvent warmth. Faded hops in the back, sweet start to middle then the graininess and alcohol kick in and throws down a lightly astringently dry finish.

Bit more malt than the usual American malt liquor but still thin, not much to taste … it is more or less a beer that has a kick and sadly that is its greatest attribute.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2002 11:26:42 | More by Jason

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4/5  rDev +43.9%

05-23-2013 03:10:58 | More by kvnstfrd

pin

Australia

1.5/5  rDev -46%

05-21-2013 06:20:38 | More by pin

rickyleepotts

Arizona

3.28/5  rDev +18%
look: 2.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I asked Sheryl to pick a number between 1 and 3. She said 3. She "picked" the Carlsberg Elephant Beer. This is a beer that I wasn't excited about, but soon learned that the beer was pretty high in alcohol. 7.2% is pretty big. I feel like I have had this beer, but I have no idea when or where. Also, I am sad that this bottle doesn't have a label. The photo in the book has a label… and the photo on BeerAdvocate has a label. Those labels are different. Ours doesn't have a label; just a green bottle with Carlsberg on the side. Not sure why brewing companies do that… change the bottle and/or the labels. But still pretty sad there is no label! Especially with a beer called Elephant Beer.

Not too excited about this, but maybe it will surprise me.

In the Glass: The beer pours like any domestic beer, and offers a weak head and basically no lace. I am seeing some small bubbles rushing to the top; hopefully this is not too carbonated. The beer does have an inviting golden color to it… hopefully the aroma and the flavor is clean, crisp, and refreshing. It's hot outside, you know!

Nose: Didn't expect that much in the aroma. This has a really strong yeasty smell. I ca almost taste this beer as I smell it. Not a bad thing, of course. I use the word, "chuggable" a lot, and I am sure this beer is just that. I just hope they hide the ABV well. Let's see what this offering tastes like.

Flavor: Those same yeasty aromas do carry over. The beer also starts out thin and crisp, and then quickly becomes sweet. There wasn't much carbonation there, and while the beer is not thick, it is just a lovely velvet mouthfeel. I saw that word on a Total Wine & More tasting sheet the other night. I might start using the word "velvet" more often. I was right. This beer IS chuggable. I just love the sweet finish on this.

Oh, and you would NEVER know this was 7.2% ABV.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel starts out thin and boring, but as I begin to swallow, the back of the tongue feels thicker and has a nice velvet feeling to it. On one of my sips I did swish the beer around in my mouth a little. It, when doing this, the carbonation does become quite overwhelming. I will say my beer is almost gone. It just begs to be consumed. I can't imagine this getting better as it heats up. Think Heineken. (The burp is nice and clean, too. I would love to drink a few of these on the golf course.)

Aftertaste: There isn't much of an aftertaste here. It does end sweet, and becomes drying as I continue to swallow. My favorite part of this beer is the sweet finish. I just wish it would hang on for a bit longer. For $1.99 a bottle, it is worth every penny for the sweet finish and the high ABV. This is the first and only beer from Carlsberg on the list, too. I am not even sure what else they do… maybe I will look the next time I am at Total Wine. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 21:49:54 | More by rickyleepotts

David1975

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +25.9%

05-19-2013 23:23:17 | More by David1975

BeerOps

Illinois

2.75/5  rDev -1.1%

05-19-2013 19:38:59 | More by BeerOps

blknikon

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev +16.9%

05-07-2013 23:52:59 | More by blknikon

williamjbauer

West Virginia

2.5/5  rDev -10.1%

05-07-2013 12:32:15 | More by williamjbauer

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.25/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Poured almost a finger of head on a clear, dark golden colored body.
The aroma is borderline. It has some nice grain notes but has a damp room smell in the background.
The taste is sweet and moves to sweeter. There's the mildest bitter note at the very beginning. It lacks a real profile.
The texture is sticky with moderate carbonation... not appealing.
The sweetness and sticky texture make this a "no-go".

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2013 02:20:20 | More by Fatehunter

Theniz

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +25.9%

04-29-2013 10:36:56 | More by Theniz

His_Royal_Hoppiness

United Kingdom (England)

3.25/5  rDev +16.9%

04-18-2013 23:30:58 | More by His_Royal_Hoppiness

meschick

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +43.9%

04-13-2013 13:54:17 | More by meschick

cjnuxoll

California

1.5/5  rDev -46%

04-13-2013 01:27:47 | More by cjnuxoll

Kinzei

Texas

3/5  rDev +7.9%

03-30-2013 21:04:07 | More by Kinzei

w3rd

Massachusetts

2.3/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

From Bottle to Pint glass

Love the green bottle. Looks really cool. Crystal clear golden beer. Almost no head on my pour.

Smell isn't anything special. I got a lot of malt up front. Almost like a cheap malt liqour. Didn't get much hops. Smells funky.

Taste also wasn't anything special. You can taste the funkiness. Has a very strong malt liqour taste similar to steel reserve. Not as bad as steel reserve but not far off. Strong malt/alcohol taste with lots of carbonation up front. Aftertaste is subtle I thought, and thankfully so.

Mouthfeel was fine. Light to mid body with plenty of carbonation.

I will say I'm disappointed with my purchase. Could have just got some other swill at a cheaper price and would have never known the difference. I will say that the 7.2% is not a lie. After one I could definitely feel it. Would not buy again though.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 23:49:22 | More by w3rd

harpus

Alabama

3/5  rDev +7.9%

03-28-2013 17:29:59 | More by harpus

alex_hart

Massachusetts

2.5/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.25

served into a flute glass.

The appearance is by far the best part of this beer. It sounds gross, but it looks like dark urine, but in a good way. Hazy golden in color with beautiful bubbles sitting at the bottom releasing in an upside down waterfall. Kind of beautiful to watch.

Smells like, "oh! weed!", but then turns into "oh...oh...thats a skunk". Then some mild hop bitterness.

Taste is much the same, but not quite as potent. Not horrible, but not quite what I'd call enjoyable. Skunky, funky, and just a bit off. Some mild bitterness on the back of the tongue.

Mouthfeel is fine. Light to medium bodied with good carbonation and just a small bit of residue left over.

Overall this is just not my style. I havn't tried many Euro brews of this style, but if this is any indication then i think I will just stick to something else, anything else. Got it as a part of a mix 6 so I didnt waste money on a whole 6 pack. Maybe try this if you like skunky funkiness? Up to you. Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 01:59:00 | More by alex_hart

drunkciclista

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +43.9%

03-19-2013 08:35:00 | More by drunkciclista

TerryB

Indiana

4/5  rDev +43.9%

03-16-2013 19:12:15 | More by TerryB

weerezboy

Washington

1.75/5  rDev -37.1%

03-14-2013 02:46:00 | More by weerezboy

tastymug

Ohio

3/5  rDev +7.9%

03-10-2013 18:22:39 | More by tastymug

Bangabong

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +34.9%

03-09-2013 01:44:55 | More by Bangabong

BrianCuoz

New York

3/5  rDev +7.9%

03-08-2013 18:49:06 | More by BrianCuoz

crobinso

Colorado

2.25/5  rDev -19.1%

02-25-2013 21:01:32 | More by crobinso

smokinyodas

Florida

3.61/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picture needs to be updated, there is a new green bottle with silver green and gold label. A little cloudy but nice golden yellow color. The Malt taste is clean and smooth with faint hops. The best part is that the Alcohol sneaks in and does the job well. Seems like this beer is underrated here, but honestly it's a good Malt beer IMHO. Having drank 4 of these just now I'm having trouble focusing on this review, so what does that tell you? :)

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 06:18:48 | More by smokinyodas