Tiger Beer - Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd.

dougbassett

Pennsylvania

2.95/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

One of the "1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die" -- #21 of the ones I've reviewed here.

They list the style up top here as American Adjunct Lager, but I don't agree with that -- this tastes to me like a muddled version of the mass Eurolager -- it has more in common with Beck's than it does Budweiser. And that makes perfect sense, because it was the Europeans who spread beer to their former colonies and other related countries. If you sample beer from India, Singapore, Vietnam and China (to name four countries off the top of my head) you'll notice that they taste more or less the same, sort of vaguely German. In fact they taste like versions of Beck's.

I'm not saying all beer from these countries is like that, or even that beer in this style is automatically bad -- in another review I mentioned that I'm fond of Tsing Tao from time to time. But I do think it's the general rule. I think another reason for it (besides shared history) is that a lot of these countries tend to be quite warm, and so beer needed to be brewed for it's thirst-quenching possibliities.

Tiger is the big beer from Singapore. It tastes mostly like Beck's -- if you imagine a heavier, somewhat breadier/yeastier, somewhat sweeter Beck's you'll get Tiger. It's not my favorite beer of it's type and I doubt it's worth actively searching out, but it's okay and probably suits the local cuisine fine. Mildly recommended for those purposes.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 00:19:30 | More by dougbassett

tbeckett

Ontario (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Split a big bottle of this with my girlfriend at a restaurant in Hanoi for about 80 cents. From notes.

A - Poured bright and gold with a finger frothy white head. Good carbonation. Rings of lace and a film of retention.

S - Corny with a distinct champagne note. Sweet grain too.

T - Corn, mild sweet grain, sweet honey, and some dry grain.

M - Decent carbonation, light to medium body, and a clean finish.

O/D - Decent lager that was clean but lacking goodness. Avoids common faults of the style. Went well with pizza, but nothing I would look into too much.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 11:04:49 | More by tbeckett

Flounder57

Massachusetts

2.95/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle was poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: This beer poured a one finger head that reduced quickly to a thin layer. It is a golden straw yellow color with great clarity and bubbles coming up through the glass.

Smell: Sweetness, grainy, bready. Not much else going on here.

Taste: Pretty basic and simple.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, medium to full bodied, medium carbonation, and super easy to drink.

Overall: Not much going on here. Beer was gone in a few sips.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 19:08:48 | More by Flounder57

KFBR392

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Had one of these with dinner the other night at Bamboo restaurant in Rockford, Illinois.

Appearance: Slight orange tint with this lager. Very thin head and some minimal carbonation throughout. Enjoyed out of a regular pint glass.

Smell: A very light floral aroma. Some pleasant orange peel is the biggest player in this brew. Certainly not a powerful aroma, had to dig a little bit for it but overall very pleasant.

Taste: The light floral presence in the aroma is matched well in the taste. Orange, very subtle bitter hops, with a smooth body. A little light on the body but overall smooth. Very easy drinking, not a bad brew at all.

Mouthfeel: Somewhat lacking, not the same followup that is felt in taste and palette. The hops/light citrus fad much to quickly.

Overall: Not bad, glad I went to a unique place for dinner with the girl and followed it up with a unique beer choice. No socks will be blown off but this went very well with my dinner. Worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 23:26:41 | More by KFBR392

rickyleepotts

Arizona

2.6/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

This beer already has a special meaning for me. The name… it's all in the name. I am Tiger Woods's biggest fan, and a beer called Tiger has to be good! Actually, based no reviews of this beer, it isn't good. But they use rice, so I have some high hopes going in. I did watch a Greg's beer review, and he didn't care for it. Let's see if our palates match. Regardless of the quality here, there is a lot of history behind this beer and this brewing company. So even if the beer sucks, I am glad that it was on the list and I am glad that we were able to review it. Bottoms up!

In the Glass: This looks like any other domestic beer in the glass. It pours like water, and while it produces a decent white head, it just sits there and looks like a Coors Light. I keep going back to the rice they use in the brewing process. I hope that mellows out the flavor and this produces a decent experience. The bros on BeerAdvocate didn't like it… so I hope I can at least stomach half a bottle.

Nose: This smells a lot better than a domestic. It has a nice, subtly sweet aroma to it. I am not going to write home about the aroma, but it is better than I expected. This beer is very popular in Singapore. Either there is something hidden in that glass, or people in Singapore don't understand craft beer. Let's see what this tastes like.

Flavor: It is better than I expected, but not much. It has hints of sweetness (coming from the rice) toward the back of the palate, but it is VERY easy drinking and goes down smooth. Considering the expectations and the experience I have had thus far, the flavor and aftertaste are decent, but this is a basic, boring adjunct lager.

Mouthfeel: The mouthfeel isn't horrible. It has some bubbles toward the front of the palate, and as you swallow the mouthfeel turns big, thick, and heavy. As you swallow, it goes down smooth but the thickness that you experience toward the back of your palate sticks around for a little bit.

Aftertaste: As the beer lingers on your tongue, the aftertaste is somewhat sweet and dry. I like a good dry finish, especially when drinking beer with food. I would want to pair this with Chinese food, or something spicy like Thai or Indian food. The next time I eat out, I might grab a bottle of this. If available, that is.

I am not blown away by Tiger Beer, but I am not as upset as I expected to be when we started reviewing this lager. It's clean, simple, and boring… but it's not terrible. I wouldn't seek this out again unless food was involved.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 00:43:17 | More by rickyleepotts

schlimenhaumer

New York

3.15/5  rDev +15%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Never thought I would buy a sixer of Tiger Beer, but I was convinced by the offer of a free Tiger pilsner glass. Poured at low altitude in NY into said glass. Expectations are low given the style...

A: Pours the same clear yellow color you would find in any macro lager. However, the stark white head is relatively creamy and sticks around for quite a while. Lacing is decent.

S: Predominantly rice; fairly sweet. While faint, there's also a bit more hop character than average for the style.

T: In line with the smell, this is one of the sweeter American adjuncts. Rice flavors come through quite strongly on this one, with a meager amount of hop flavor. The finish is clean, and I think my biggest complaint is that alcohol notes come through on the finish -- unacceptable for a beer of this ABV. Overall, it's unoffensive.

M: Light- to medium-bodied with a watery feel and plenty of carbonation. Consistent with the style.

O: Nothing to write home about, but definitely in the top decile for the style in my opinion. The rice character makes it interesting and I would sooner drink this than any of its American-made peers given the choice.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 01:08:50 | More by schlimenhaumer

jonb5

United Kingdom (England)

2.79/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

330ml bottle, poured into Leffe chalice. Golden colour, head was tiny and faded fast, clear. Aroma was corn, rice, yeast, syrup and berries. Tasted corn, rice, yeast, syrup. Had a fairly bitter finish that didn't balance out the sweetness. Not much carbonation, texture was syrupy and thick, smooth. Overall what you would expect an ajunct lager to be, won't be rushing out to buy more but it wasn't offensive.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 14:42:02 | More by jonb5

JMad

Texas

3.45/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

It pours a straw yellow color with a thick white frothy head. The smell is slightly metallic with some grass, lemon and bread. The flavor is lacking, all I could pick up was the typical 'continental lager' flavor with lots of bread and metal, really not too bad though. It is pretty light with moderate carbonation and a slightly dry finish. I'd drink this beer plenty.... If it was cheaper.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2013 23:43:22 | More by JMad

rangerred

Tennessee

2.65/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

330ml bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a slightly hazy straw yellow with a fizzy one finger head. A few clumps of foam remain on top of the beer but otherwise nothing to speak of.

Aroma is grassy with a little bit of bready malt but it is all very light. Some cooked vegetable and creamed corn too.

Taste has tons of vegetable up front. with a bready background. Wet grass comes in fleetingly along with a light, somewhat drying bitterness. Mouthfeel is quite sticky and sweet and feels under attenuated.

Overall, a way below average lager. I tend to enjoy most foreign pale lagers but not this one. Dial back the DMS and sweetness and it would be tolerable.

Serving type: bottle

11-30-2012 21:20:18 | More by rangerred

Mediczod

New York

1.3/5  rDev -52.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Golden yellow, with very little head, light soapy lacing on the glass. Smells like grass and citrus. Old citrus. Very strange, metallic taste with a harsh aftertaste. This is truly a horrible beer. Supposedly the most popular beer in Singapore. I'd assume this is the Asian equivalent to Keystone.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 05:01:01 | More by Mediczod

Fatehunter

Oregon

1.48/5  rDev -46%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Thin head with a clear and light straw colored body.
Smells like Play-doh® in a 55 gallon barrel drum.
Taste is nothing with slight metal bitterness.
Super fizzy. Light body and slightly sticky.
Pretty horrible here. It's drinkable if it's the only beer around and you're coming off of a long period of not drinking... like a year or so.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 03:27:54 | More by Fatehunter

UCLABrewN84

California

2.98/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear darker 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 very mild and is of malt, grain, and some grassy and hay aromas. Taste is much the same with a fruity and slightly metallic flavor on the finish. There is a mild herbal bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average beer but it's drinkable and even has a slightly hoppy edge in the flavor unlike other Asian beers of the same style.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 04:54:10 | More by UCLABrewN84

rarbring

Sweden

2.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A clear pale straw colored brew, a white small head with little lacing and small curtains.

Smelling weakly of corn and lemon.

Sweet white bread, corn flakes and boiled vegetables.

Medium carbonation, soft with a medium body, a slightly dry finish.

A very uninteresting beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 19:06:36 | More by rarbring

kylehay2004

Florida

2.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Thin head on a Clear deep golden body. Aroma is light with breads, light floral, grains and sweet corn. Flavor is also fairly bready, sweet corn, Pale malts and almost no hop character. Medium body and moderate carbonation. As far as American adjunct lagers go this one has decent flavor without off putting flavors. Not bad for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 01:25:59 | More by kylehay2004

elNopalero

Texas

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

As the bomber-sized bottle was more commonplace during a recent trip to Singapore I decided to revisit the Tiger. It poured a pale golden-tan with nice foam. Still not much of an aroma, and the honeyed-sweet corn cereal flavor dominated the flavor profile. However, the combination of an ice cold lager and the hot, humid temperatures made this more enjoyable than it had any right being.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 07:29:19 | More by elNopalero

Tepsitola

4.73/5  rDev +72.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

The most popular beer in Singapore.Its brewed on malt from europe and australia.Its developed by Heineken.Acia Pacific breweries started to brew it in 1931.It got really popular in ww2 by the allied groups in the far east,the soldiers took some beers home to introduce it... Lighth yellow lager 5%.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 18:18:41 | More by Tepsitola

devilben02

North Carolina

2.48/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Pours a light, soft lemon yellow color, with a big but quickly vanishing, fluffy white head. The aroma is unfortunately typical of the style, with little but a musty, light bready aroma. The flavor is likewise thin and common, with a light grainy sweetness predominating. Overall, this is a decent alternative to other fizzy yellow lagers, but it doesn’t provide much pleasure beyond that.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2012 16:03:31 | More by devilben02

benfons

Belgium

2.38/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: pale clear colour; tiny head

S: sweet, some corn , something floral

T: sweet, watery, slightly metallic, some bitterness in the back, that doesn't make it ok

M: undercarbonated, thin, dry, not pleasant

O: just a bad lager, not drinking this one again

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2012 20:04:23 | More by benfons

stoutman

Michigan

3.33/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very large pillowey white head over a effervescent yellow body. Really lively! Head lasts longer than most beers. Aroma is light spicy hops. Mild. Tastes are balanced but unremarkable. Fairly creamy palate - much softer carbonation than I expected from the appearance. Good, but nothing great. Easy drinking on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2012 15:35:49 | More by stoutman

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.8/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 640ml bottle with a BB of Jan 2013. ABV is stated as 4.8%. Beer from Singapore, but brewed by Heineken in Edinburgh.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A clear pale golden colour with medium carbonation. Forms a large head of white foam that lasts for a few minutes before dissipating. Aroma of light malt with a hint of stewed veg and a faint whiff of noble hops.

Tastes of light malt with a mild, dry finish. Subtle notes of stewed hops and overcooked veg, with a stale hint of maize in the background. Not much bitterness. Mouthfeel is light and crisp, with pleasantly tingly carbonation but insubstantial body. Aftertaste of stewed veg and an artificial bitter note.

Meh - a run-the-gamut macro lager, nothing special. Dull and devoid of character, with some faint but unwelcome corn notes. Probably OK on a hot day in Singapore, but not worth spending your money on over here. Give it a miss.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 21:10:59 | More by jazzyjeff13

shand

Florida

2.43/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 11.2oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

For some reason, a friend of mine talks this beer up like it's the second coming of Christ. He was kind enough to leave a bottle in my fridge for me to judge. It pours out - surprise! - a clear, heavily carbonated golden color with two fingers of head that quickly drop down. Aroma? Corn. Sweet corn. It's here, it's maize, get used to it. The taste really isn't that awful as long as it's drunk ice cold, it's got the strong corn flavor up front with a bit of a rice adjunct flavor in the back. There's a very slight amount of hops - which is more than I can say for a lot of other beers in the style.

The mouthfeel is light and briskly carbonated, and the drinkability is good. For an adjunct lager, you can do a whole lot worse. At least this has a bit of flavor to it, and finishes clean. That said, it's also far too expensive for what it is. Give me a Yuengling Premium or Gannset Lager over this any day.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 05:30:41 | More by shand

wages

Missouri

3.58/5  rDev +30.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a bass pub glass

Appearance - 4/5 - pours with a frothy two finger head that dissipates in a couple minutes leaving bits of Belgian lace. The color us a very light yellow and very very transparent. Fair number if tiny bubbles constantly streaming through the middle.

smell - 3.5/5 - very dough like

Taste - 3.5/5 - tastes like a typical lager: bread/dough, light floral hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel - 4/5 - good carbonation level if not a bit on the high side. Leaves a fairly pleasant aftertaste but is refreshing.

Overall - 3.5/5 - not a bad lager, but nothing that really grabs my attention either.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 21:32:30 | More by wages

metter98

New York

2.93/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: The beer is clear golden yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half-finger high white head that died down but consistently left a thin head covering the surface.
S: There are light to moderate sweet aromas of corn in the nose.
T: Like the smell, the initial taste has sweet flavors of corn; hints of rice and other grains are noticeable towards the finish. No hops are present in the taste.
M: It feels light-bodied and a bit smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The light flavors in this beer would probably make it a nice accompaniment to spicy Asian food.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 00:06:19 | More by metter98

dbrauneis

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours a crystal clear pale golden yellow in color with light amounts of visible carbonation. This beer has a half finger tall white head that reduces to a thick and wide ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate lacing is observed.

S: The aroma is all sweet corn malts and is pretty intense.

T: This beer has flavors of sweet corn malts upfront and some rice malts in the finish. Not quite a bold a flavor as the aroma but one of the better tasting beers in this style from Asia. Absolutely no hops.

M: Light to medium bodied with high amounts of carbonation.

O: I actually enjoyed this beer more than I was expecting and I could see how it would pair well with the local cuisine in Singapore. Very easy to drink and refreshing which is what makes it sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 00:04:19 | More by dbrauneis

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.45/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A little darker than standard fizzy yellow beer, this had a dull gold kind of appearance, with a thin white head about 1/3" to i t. Aroma was nondescript, slightly grainy.

Taste, very mild, lots of water content. Mild hopping, lots of carbonation, super light body. Nothing complex about it. Pretty clean overall. Slight metallic finish to it, stays relatively dry despite a dallop of sweetness.

I don't understand why this beer is expensive, there's nothing to it really.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 20:45:19 | More by Beerandraiderfan