Cypress Honey Lager - Granville Island Brewery

souvenirs

British Columbia (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very drinkable, but nothing complex. This beer is refreshing but bland with almost no aftertaste. Despite the name, I'm not really tasting any honey. I don't know if I'll buy it again, but I'm having no problem getting through the six-pack I bought.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 09:13:12 | More by souvenirs

sAws

2.15/5  rDev -33.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours golden with no head retention.

This is not a bad beer but rather one of the most flavorless beers I have ever tasted especially when compared to other honey lagers. Thin mouth feel and nonexistent after taste. The beer starts out ok but gets very boring as you continue to drink since it seems to lose its flavor.

Serving type: can

07-19-2012 17:19:46 | More by sAws

TriggerFingers

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the Boat House in Vancouver.

I don't know what is more disconcerting:

a) that the bartender listed this as the Bartender's Choice for his happy hour?

or

b) that the happy hour 12 oz beer cost $6 US/CDN

quite frankly, I homebrew a fair amount and sample an ungodly amount of beer....

had quite a few Canadian beers that knocked my socks off....however, this was not one of them...

honey? nope

anything special? hardly...
mouthfeel was average....thats all...

If I was blindfolded I would have guessed this was Dos Equis...

nuff said...avoid

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2012 03:24:42 | More by TriggerFingers

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

3.38/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Amber yellow appearance with a small amount of head that slowly settles down leaving some lacing. Smell consists of honey, grain and some malt, very light though and hard to pick up.

Taste consists of honey, bread, sweetness, some hops and malt. Very light overall, but refreshing. Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Finish is a dry honey taste.

Overall, this is a simple honey lager. It's refreshing and inoffensive, but also lacks any outstanding features. If you want an easy six pack to drink, I'd recommend.

Serving type: on-tap

02-17-2012 23:13:16 | More by CrazyMike

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

2.68/5  rDev -17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

341ml bottle poured into a 16oz pint glass.

A - About a finger-and-a-half of fluffy off-white head. Very nice transparent amber-yellow hue. Head recedes quickly into a thin film. No lacing, at all.

S - Weird, musty grains and mild honey aroma. Something in this just smells... gross. The honey sweetness comes out a bit more as it warms, but if I hadn't read the bottle, I'd have no idea this was a "honey lager". Some other mild malt aromas here. Slightly stale bread, biscuits, and a faint hint of toffee sweetness.

T - Tastes like a boring lager. Maybe a faint touch of honey flavor in the aftertaste, but that's stretching it. Some enjoyable malt action appears before the glass is done. Light notes of toffee, buttery bread, caramel, and yes, a dab of honey, can be made out.

M - Low level of carbonation with a slightly creamy body make for a nice mouthfeel. It leaves behind sort of a buttery residue, although it's not a lot.

D - The clear cut above the average adjunct lager, but a disappointment overall. The honey flavor is almost undetectable, but the overall flavor profile is decent for what it is. Overall, not very good.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 05:10:54 | More by Converge

xuptygm

Nebraska

3.05/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pours a golden orange. no head retention, but leaves a decent lace. smells of sweet citrus. Tastes lightly of honey, vanilla (?), yeast, not much of a finish. Mouth-feel is very light, low carbonation. This would be a very good cross over beer for a macro-beer drinker. Very light sweetness yet somewhat complex. A good "party" beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-27-2011 04:47:15 | More by xuptygm

BasementBer

Manitoba (Canada)

2.55/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: light color, no head retention, overly carbonated.

S: honey for sure, sweet malts, grain husk.

T: cloyingly sweet. slight hop flavor in the finish but thats it. brown sugar.

M: a bit dryer than the english pale ale surprisingly.

D: wouldnt go back to back with this as it exhaustes the palate an the throat.

Serving type: can

07-03-2011 07:11:28 | More by BasementBer

atigerlife

Hawaii

3.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark golden with light carbonation rising. Small white head that dissipates quickly.

Not much aroma coming out of this one.

Taste has honey, bread, sweetness, and apples.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and a little flat.

Overall, pretty nice and very drinkable. Low ABV makes it a good session beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2011 22:35:38 | More by atigerlife

andrenaline

Ontario (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - Pours a nice golden orange colour, finger of head with little retention and no real lacing.

S - Bready biscuit malts with a sweet honey finish. Fairly mild.

T - The bready biscuit malts dominate the palette, followed by sweet honey and burnt sugar on the finish. A pale toasted bread malt lingers. The honey definitely takes a back seat on this one.

M - Medium bodied ale that goes down smooth and finishes nice and wet.

D - Overall a tasty offering, but nothing all that memorable. Easily drinkable, and non-offensive, but lacking any bold flavours.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2011 18:35:54 | More by andrenaline

berley31

New Brunswick (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

A: Poured with a moderate-small, fizzy white head that dissipates to a thin film. Body is dark yellow, with good clarity.

S: Slightly sweet malt aroma, with hints of sulfur and DMS. After a bit of warming, something very unpleasant comes through that I can't put my finger on... it's a little similar to B.O., to be honest.

T: Just a hint of honey in the flavor, and barely that. Touch of DMS, with a medium malt sweetness. Kind of refreshing.

M: Light-medium bodied, with high carbonation.

D: I'm not a fan of the aroma, and it was turning me off quite a bit the more I drank. Otherwise, it's a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 20:42:32 | More by berley31

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I remember this as being pretty good, back before GIB's beers were yanked from Alberta liquor store shelves...

This beer appears a clear pale golden hue, with three fingers of puffy white head, which leaves some thin, sparse, sudsy lace around the glass. It smells of soft barley grain, and faint field honey. The taste is sweet white grain, some biscuit, a mild twinge of honey sweetness, and tame earthy hops. The carbonation is on the low side, the body medium weight, and fairly smooth, and it finishes clean and a bit off-dry, the residual malt and honey sweetness still perceptible.

Inoffensive, in the Canadian honey lager pantheon, and easy enough to drink.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2010 05:28:58 | More by biboergosum

OskarL

Sweden

2.85/5  rDev -12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A clear golden color with a steady stream of carbonation and a head that has little retention, leaves minimal lacing.

Smells sweet biscuits, bread and some floral hops.

Tastes sweet, honey-like with a hint of citrus and backed by a maltiness which reminds me of soaked malt. With a thin mouthfeel and moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2010 23:10:19 | More by OskarL

Seanstoppable

Nova Scotia (Canada)

2.95/5  rDev -9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a clear, slightly dark yellow color with a finger of fizzy white head. Head quickly evaporates, and there is no lacing.

Light, slightly sweet malt scent, with a light amount of grain as well.

Initial taste does remind me a bit of honey. But beyond that small bit it mostly tastes like other lagers. Can't really distinguish it from something like Budweiser or Coors (except, again, that brief hint of honey).

"A Refreshing Hint of Honey" is plastered on the can, and I will admit that hint of honey is a refreshing difference between similar beers. And given the choice between this and other lagers, I probably would pick this. However, overall it is fairly bland, and given the choice between this and some of Granville Island's other offerings, this would be one of my last choices.

Serving type: can

12-27-2009 16:44:16 | More by Seanstoppable

beertunes

Washington

2.25/5  rDev -30.6%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a clean, clear light gold color with an inch of tall, white head that dissipated at moderate rate and left minimal lacing.

A very neutral, bland aroma is what greets the nose. No outstanding scent characteristics at all. The taste is likewise bland and almost non-existent.

The body and drinkability are both typical for a light lager. Overall, while this beer isn't terrible, with the complete blandness of this brew, why bother?

Serving type: can

10-10-2009 21:56:36 | More by beertunes

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cypress Honey Lager looks a lot like honey in the glass; it's a pallid orange-ish colour that is striped with glistening, silken strokes of bright gold. It is perfectly clear but seems to be viewed through a slightly diluting filter. The body appears void of carbonation and the surface entirely flat - yet more similarities to the food of the bees.

In brewing a beer that looks like honey Granville Island has succeeded immensely; in brewing one that smells and tastes like it, the results seem more mixed. In both aspects, there is a hint of honey but nothing really more. While it lends the beer an ounce of much needed character in both respective categories, the base beer is so bland that a mere drop of honey can also do so much. Wait, maybe it does more than I'm giving credit for...

The aroma itself is negligible, to be sure, but the distinct impression of honey-coated nuts and oats compliments the biscuity underlay of the pale malt. There is a similar phenomena in the taste; a sort of honey-nut breakfast cereal or honey-laced dessert pastry flavour that makes the beer untypically quaffable for the style. I'd take this over a run-of-the-mill lager any day. That Fraser Valley Honey must be good stuff!

The honey also seems to add a little body to the beer. A malt bill consisting of (it would seem) only pale and maybe a little biscuit malt would make a rather thin, lifeless lager. But with the addition of honey there seems a more full, almost gooey texture that accompanies the (very) pleasant trace of sweetness. Plus, it drinks so clean! This beer may not be overly tasty nor anything incredibly exciting but it sure is well made.

A fear of hops and an unsubstantiated fondness for honey seem to be the unifying factors amongst all Canadian micro brewers. I like honey and I like lagers (and I love mead but that's another thing) yet curiously I rarely care for honey lagers. In the case of Granville Island's, however, I'm as much enjoying this bottle as I am yearning for another one.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2009 19:45:15 | More by biegaman

terryeckmeier

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Had a friend of mine pick this up for me while she was out west and I've heard a lot about Granville Island but I'm a little underwhelmed. Its a very basic clean lager with a hint of honey sweetness in it. I would have liked it to have a little more bitter on the end. Taste a lot like other honeys lagers I've had in the past certainly on of the better ones but not all that impressed. I am looking forward to the Pale Ale that I also have. All in all decent don't think I would buy it for my self but wouldn't turn it down if it was free.

Serving type: can

03-09-2009 20:48:43 | More by terryeckmeier

MisterClean

California

4.22/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From the brewery, thanks neighbors!!

A - Golden in color, no head, light carbonation.

S - Amber malts plus grains.

T - Citrus, amber malt, and caramel.

M - Excellently balanced for a lager. Not a big lager fan.

D - Definitely a good beer for the summer.

Serving type: can

06-13-2008 05:33:23 | More by MisterClean

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +51.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

CAN you dig it? I went to BC, CANada to score this beer!

It began with a nice, solid finger's worth of bone-white head before reducing to mere wisps. The nose, however, was pure honey. It was leaning into a beehive and taking a deep breath, albeit without the angry, stinging bees. Very pleasant. The color was a slightly hazy golden (honey) color. The mouthfeel was medium with a great honey sweetness on the palate. The finish lingered with the honey taste that had been so prevalent throughout. Now for a couple of caveats re. my review and the marks. I am generally not a sweet (malty) beer fan, but this was a very different type of sweet, not cloying and very true to its origin. Also, I like honey as an alternative to sugar as a sweetener. I feel like I really blew it by not buying more of this one when I had the choice. Traders?

Serving type: can

05-03-2008 03:42:17 | More by woodychandler

1759Girl

California

4.22/5  rDev +30.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Hmmmm... I enjoyed a LAGER?

The appearance was a nice golden colour with slightly more head than I expect from a lager, but it was clear and alive... and generally looked like your average lager.

The smell was NOT that of your average lager; it was replete with a mellow honey nose, and quite enticing. Luckily the taste was not overtly honey! In fact it was crisp and refreshing with a full lager finish. I'm almost loathed to say that it was true to his lager style, simply because I liked it so much. Alas, it was very much a lager.

The mouthfeel was light without too much carbonation.

The drinkability was high because in spite of trying several local breweries, this was what I bought the most of at the stores later.

Its unique with its sweet smell, but not 'girly'. I really appreciate that.

Serving type: on-tap

09-26-2007 00:01:18 | More by 1759Girl

BDTyre

British Columbia (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Slightly better than average macro lager. Bright golden yellow with a sweet, syrupy smell. Sweet, honey-like taste, lacking in skunkiness and corn-mash I usually find in macro lagers. Seemed a bit too cold and carbonated, but fairly drinkable. Maybe it was the way they served it at The Commodore, but this is far better on-tap than in the bottle.

Bottled version lacks the sweetness and is much more skunky and industrial than the draught version.

Serving type: on-tap

11-26-2006 04:32:08 | More by BDTyre

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

pour put a organge-gold lager in the glass, weak head that vanished quickly, weak lacing.

Aromas of apple, vanilla, sweetness and boiled grans some light sulpher mustiness from the lager yeast.

Light body, flaccid character, sandy mouth feel

sweetness and grains with apple-pear tones up front not much body, fast wet finish where some light hopping is detected.

Not a very attractive lager to the palate or as a drinkable session beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2006 22:09:06 | More by pootz

elricorico

Alberta (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured aggressively, this beer is an orange gold colour with lots of bubbles. The off white head started large, but lasted less than a minute and ended up as a thin ring.

The smell is grainy and grassy with a dull sweetness overtop. I would say it is more of a malt sweetness than a honey one.

Honey sweetness subtley reveals itself first in the taste, followed by a maltier sweet taste that is reminiscent of the Island Lager. I find this lager to be better balanced as it actually has a bit of a grainy hop finish. Nothing fantastic, but above average in the taste department.

The mouthfeel seems almost identical to that of the Island Lager, not thin and not overly carbonated.

In the end I would say that this is better than a macro, but certainly not an outstanding lager. I don't think it would be hard to get macro drinkers into this beer though, so it may serve as a nice gateway beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-28-2006 13:02:13 | More by elricorico

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden orange, small white head forms, goes quick but leaves a nice ring. Smell is sweet and malty, apples, honey, vanilla and citrus. Taste is malty, with vanilla, citrus and yeast, weak finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with low carbonation. Flavour was pretty watered down.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2005 02:21:54 | More by Viggo

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

2.78/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

355ml can served in pint glass.

Clear, pale straw colour. Cream coloured, foamy 1/4 inch head. Head disappears shortly after drinking commences.

Typical macro lager aroma. Very mild and bland, some slightly off tones.

Mild and bland taste. Goes down like fizzy water with a mildly bitter aftertaste. Where's the honey? Towards the end of the glass as the beer warms up a bit the aftertaste gets some off flavour. Reminds me of formaldehyde.

Mouthfeel is light bodied and average for a macro lager. Not enough carbonation (perhaps from an agressive pour).

There really isn't much to say about this beer. While it isn't terrible, it isn't that great either. Might be worth a try, but I don't think I'd buy one again.

Serving type: can

06-22-2005 02:38:50 | More by Noxious26

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

An average offering from the Granville Island Brewery, but at least they are consistent in offering average beers. It's a clear golden colour, decent white head upon pour, but it disappears quickly and leaves a minimal amount of lacing. Aroma is crisp, predominantly floral hops, and the smallest bit of sweet malt. This possesses a pretty good mouthfeel, it's very satisfying, but the flavour department isn't really home right now, it's crisp, but the taste seems to be muted. It's actually quite refreshing, just a tad bland.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2003 17:33:59 | More by IronDjinn