Island Lager - Granville Island Brewery

MisterClean

California

4.43/5  rDev +33.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Light golden color, well carbonated, light white head, which dissipates quickly.

S - Honey, caramel, and a bit of citrus.

T - Same as above.

M - Excellent balance. Very smooth, but a little bit drying.

D - Most of the reviewers expect too much from a lager. It's just a simple aged beer, but this one exceeded my expectations. Not a lager fan either.

Serving type: can

06-15-2008 17:20:17 | More by MisterClean

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I had this on tap and was pleasantly surprised.

A: I thought they might have brought me a pale by mistake, cause this one is a copper-amber colour, offwhite head, thin ring of retention, a little lace.

S: Nice lager-like aroma, floral, slightly bready, hints of sulfur.

T: Reminds me of a munich helles, with a light toffee sweetness, pleasantly floral (hallertau?), bready, modest bitterness, hints of mineral.

M: Smooth light to moderate body.

D: Very drinkable.

Serving type: on-tap

07-28-2009 03:35:19 | More by Derek

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a slightly hazy golden, small white head forms and goes quick, leaving a light lace ring and some spots. Smell is very malty, honey, grass, citrus and floral hops, with some vanilla. Taste is malty as well, with vanilla and citrus. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied, with low carbonation. Very smooth lager, really pretty good. The Granville yeast always seems to leave a pleasant vanilla note.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2005 01:40:49 | More by Viggo

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Under-ripe banana peel with an almost pastel tone when held up to the light. The beer is spotlessly clear although it does contain a blurring haze. I'm not sure if they filter the beer, if not then fine, but if so, then I'd expect something a little brighter. I like the look, but it desperately needs some white patches to cover its bare, flat surface.

For a beer aimed at being "a classic Bavarian-style lager", it's a good thing the aroma has an ample dosing of hops. It isn't anything fruity or spicy, but like examples from (arguably) the world's best lager producing nation, there's a definite distinction of raw, light pungency. I don't expect nor demand a high hop profile from a pale lager, but I sure as hell am happy when I get one!

The other notable character in the smell was that of crisp, lightly toasted wafers. Sometimes bready, always very biscuity and almost cookie-dough like at times, it smells pleasant but is far nicer even in taste. Good, clean, crisp malt is certainly the beer's domineering presence and makes for a fairly exceptional flavour as far as lagers of this style go.

The brewery appears to follow traditional methods of production, which not only involves a generous inclusion of hops but also the ever important procedure of actually lagering the beer - for a full six weeks! To save on both time and money, most macro breweries will cut corners with this step by either using lesser ingredients (read: adjuncts) or simply rushing the production altogether.

This beer's drinkability is a direct reflection of quality in the craftsmanship. There is no skunking, there is no taste of corn, there is no diacetyl, there is no indication of adjuncts and correspondingly there is no cottonmouth, there is no dry or stale aftertaste, there is nothing to invoke any sense of displeasure because all that can be tasted is hops and malt. Rightfully so.

If Granville Island set out to produce a classic Bavarian-style lager as they claim, then hats off to them because they've succeeded. I'm rarely this content with beers of this style. If only the world's pale, fizzy lager drinkers could know what "smooth" and "easy drinking" actually mean... and if only I could live a little closer to Vancouver Island!

Serving type: can

11-14-2008 00:40:12 | More by biegaman

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

To dispel the myth, Granville Island beers are most certainly found outside of B.C., or at least across the eastern border of the Rocky Mountains and into Alberta. And cheers to that, the Island Lager was much more than I was expecting. It pours out a pale clear golden hue, not much carbonation, not much of a lasting head. The aroma is of a rich, sweet caramel malt with very faint floral hops--reminiscent of some Eastern European pilsners that I have sampled. Flavour of rich malt, a bit of caramel, some citrus, flowery hops, a bit grainy on the aftertaste. If only this was the average mean of all lagers, I'd be a bigger fan of the style. Full mouthfeel, yet it goes down more like an ale than a lager. One of the better brews from Granville Island that I've sampled.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2003 14:41:49 | More by IronDjinn

49degrees

British Columbia (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I'm not usually a fan of lagers, but Granville Island Brewery's lager is an exception. This lively brew has a very light and refreshing, almost citrus in nature, aroma and flavor which make is a nice afternoon relaxer or accompaniment to a meal.

On draught, this lager is about as consistent as you'll ever find from a craft brewery. Always pours a light golden hue, moderate size head which gives way to a tight foamy collar, plus minimal lacing.

Aroma wise, its pretty much on par with what one would expect with a lager, but the fruity and hoppy characteristics on this one come through clean and appealing.

Taste wise, it hits the mark with the right amount of hoppy bitterness, smooth malts and a some citrus punch to help set it apart from the big "boring" monster breweries.

I've had this on bottle a few times in the past, but its really worth enjoying it on tap rather from the bottle as the bottle doesn't seem to give this one the justice it deserves.

Serving type: on-tap

01-04-2003 21:07:26 | More by 49degrees

Conrad

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I was in BC in Nov 05, and brought back a mixed case of Granville Island beer. Just finished the Granville Island Lager straight from the bottle. I know, heresy. But I had others from the glass with all of the proper beer ceremony. This beer has a nice yellow-copper colour, and pours a thin head. The smell has a bit of wheat in it, and smells like a beer should. But my sniffer is not that finely tuned. The taste is gentle malt. Not offensive at all. Mouthfeel is normal. Not oily, not watery, not anything special. A good beer to sip on with Doritos or other junk food while watching the game. I wouldn't go out and buy a case, but if someone offered me one, I wouldn't turn it away. It is a step up from the Molson family of massed production stuff.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2005 02:32:21 | More by Conrad

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

431ml bottle poured into 400ml dab glass nov4 2009

A clear golden yellow with a fast falling two finger head that left no lace

S mild hops with a little honey

T as it smells with a little bread, nothing great but nothing to be ashamed of

M clean and crisp, not as watery as most lagers

D this is a decent lager with no real flaws

on par for the style, but I hope the other beers in my mixer pack are a little more exciting

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 04:57:46 | More by wordemupg

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer appears a clear pale golden hue, with one finger of soapy white head, which leaves random swiss cheese lace around the glass as it recedes. It smells of crackery white grain, and grassy, weedy hops. The taste is sweet white grain, a bit of lemon, and weedy hops. The carbonation is a bit high at first, but settles down, the body is of average weight, and somewhat prickly, and it finishes dry, mostly crisp, and with some soft earthy hop essence.

A so-so lager - well above standard macro swill, but fairly middling overall, nothing standing up to say "Pick me!"...

Serving type: on-tap

04-22-2010 23:46:57 | More by biboergosum

Noxious26

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.43/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

355ml can poured in a pint glass.

Pale, straw yellow and slightly cloudy. Head is white and a full inch high and very foamy before settling to a thin skim that stays until the bottom.

Smells like your standard Lager only slightly more grainy and malty.

Mild taste and very smooth. At the swallow it's briefly sweet and lightly malty, then a brief hops appearance is followed by a very mild bitter aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is smooth and even and nicely carbonated.

This is similar to the majority of macro lagers out there. It is quite smooth and unoffensive, however, it isn't anything special. A better option than most macros for those thirst quenching sessions.

Serving type: can

06-14-2005 03:16:31 | More by Noxious26

BigBry

Alberta (Canada)

3.33/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of four selections in the Granville Winter Mingler 12 pack.
Light gold color, 1/2 inch of white foam, quickly dissipates. Basic lager smell with a little extra malt and grain. Taste has a bit of sweetness and slight bitterness near the end - a good balance. Fairly light body, refreshing, easy to drink. Nothing spectacular, a good transition beer up from Molson/Labatts.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2005 03:11:57 | More by BigBry

Seanstoppable

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A friend of mine flew into town for Christmas. Asking for 'one or two bottles if you have the room', I instead received 10 cans of assorted Granville Island brews.

Pours a clear, pale gold color with plenty of fizzy white head. Small traces of lacing are left on the glass.

Smells slightly sweet and a bit yeasty.

Flavor is fairly straightforward. A nice light malt flavor, low carbonation, with a minor sweetness at the end. Very smooth overall, with minimal aftertaste.

A very refreshing lager. Easily drinkable.

Serving type: can

12-22-2009 22:58:19 | More by Seanstoppable

Converge

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 341ml bottle into a 16oz pint glass.

A - Fizzy but thick two-and-a-half finger head of bone-white foam. Effervescent golden-yellow liquid. Respectable head retention.

S - Sweet grains, corn, cereal, grass. Mild but pleasing.

T - Nice sweet grains, barley, and mild hops. A generous hint of honey also comes through. Heck, I can't taste more honey in this than the Cypress Honey Lager... Overall, simple but enjoyable.

M - Crisp carbonation, light body. Decent enough.

D - Easily one of the better lagers I've come across. Definitely wouldn't be my first choice from Granville, but it's still fairly good.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 04:14:58 | More by Converge

beerguy101

California

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Light gold color, small head. Light bodied lager, mild malts and hops. Nice balance of malts and hops. Nice flavor sort of mild, not to hoppy. Clean and refreshing. Mouthfeel is smooth and round. Smooth taste. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2003 01:51:00 | More by beerguy101

atigerlife

Hawaii

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden color with a small white creamy head. Small amounts of carbonation seen rising. Decent lacing.

Light aroma---light hops, slight sweetness, grainy and light malts.

Taste of light hops, malts, sweet [not sickly] and yeasty.

Lightly cleansing mouthfeel. Smooth.

Overall, though not my favorite style, this was good. Quite drinkable. Good for the style.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2008 02:05:07 | More by atigerlife

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to woodychandler for the trade.Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of grains and malts. Taste is of malts, some grains and a hint of hops. Good but not overly flavorful. Feels light in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a decent beer.

Serving type: can

07-10-2010 14:46:49 | More by tone77

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

3.23/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Golden yellow appearance with moderate head that disappears quickly. Smell is sweet with honey and a hint of bread.

Taste is sweet with bread hops, but mostly made up of honey. Small hint of malt and toffee, but overall the taste is light. Light bodied with moderate carbonation. Aftertaste is almost non existent, picked up some sweetness though.

Overall, really mediocre beer, but it is refreshing and easy to drink. There are better beers from Granville Island though.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2011 06:20:00 | More by CrazyMike

allergictomacros

Ontario (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Poured a clear straw. Head/lacing appears to be quite good. Slightly sweet, with clean notes of grain and mild hops. No notable off flavours, but not particularly flavourful. Light bodied with hard-ish carbonation. Overall, a solid brew suitable for mass consumption. Well crafted, but not particularly exciting.

Serving type: on-tap

09-01-2006 06:12:45 | More by allergictomacros

vanrassel

Alberta (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had a fresh pint of this at the brewery's taproom, delivered to the table with a tight white head sitting atop a clear, dark gold body. The head quickly reduced to a soapy ring that left some sticky lace on the glass.

The smell was a subdued balance between floral hops and bready malt, with a slight grassy whiff. There are Willamette hops in the beer, too, which may explain a taste that is a touch more bitter than the aroma lets on. The bitterness is takes a back seat, however, to bready malt and a honey/clover sweetness. It's pleasant, but not particularly memorable.

High carbonation and a crisp finish made this an OK choice to have fresh at the brewery, but I would have opted for a seasonal brew instead if there had been any on tap the day I was there.

Serving type: on-tap

04-17-2007 21:14:26 | More by vanrassel

OskarL

Sweden

3.18/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A clear golden color with lots of bubbles and a big head that with some retention and leaves little lacing.

Typical lager smell of bready malt and floral hops.

Taste of bready malt with some sweetness, little hops and yeast.

Light body with a crisp feeling and medium carbonation. Quite refreshing!

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2010 22:32:14 | More by OskarL

OpIvy

British Columbia (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Decent beer. Typical of what you could expect from Granville island.

A- Pale amber colour. Thin. Virtually no head.

S- Smells very sweet. Medium hops smell.

T- Slightly sour. Vaguely sweet. Strong aftertaste. Kind of bland. Average.

M- Very refreshing feel.

D- I can see this as a daily drinker. But nothing special.

Serving type: can

10-27-2008 21:00:20 | More by OpIvy

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This is a historic beer in BC craftbeer history. It was one of the first micros in bottles and really helped introduce people to a better beer than Molsons/ Labatts.

That being said this is really a simple step up from the macros. Pale yellow with little nose this beer tastes ok on a patio. What it doesn't do is challenge or reward the tastebuds with anything more than a simple lager. I recognize the importance of this beer but really I have moved on in taste and quality.

Serving type: on-tap

10-13-2005 23:34:18 | More by canucklehead

elricorico

Alberta (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours pale gold with some visible carbonation. Had a finger of white fizzy head, but that faded away rather quickly.

The smell has a sort of sticky sweetness, that seems grassy or plant like. Very simple smelling, just that one dimension to it.

The taste is sweet, not so grassy but more of a honey like sweetness, though not strongly so. The taste is pleasant, unfortunately there is only one flavour. No real hop effect to balance it out, it takes on a simple, almost juice like quality.

The mouthfeel is fine as far as lagers go. It isn't so thin that it is watery and the carbonation is not uncomfortable, so it avoids some of the common pitfalls.

A very average beer, nothing too exciting here, but refreshing enough if you are quite thirsty.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2006 05:51:12 | More by elricorico

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

"What CAN he be drinking?" you may ask. The answer is the last of some cans that I brought back last summer and had in my refrigerator.

The pour produced about a finger-and-a-half's worth of solid, foamy, white head with good retention. The color was a slightly hazy lemon yellow. The nose was slightly sweet and grainy. The mouthfeel was on the thin side and as for "this lager's distinct hop flavour", I was hard pressed to experience it. Instead, it had a slightly sweet taste but overall, it was kind of bland, even for a lager. I would not go out of my way to search this out, but it's not a drain pour, either.

Serving type: can

04-27-2008 14:43:13 | More by woodychandler

beertunes

Washington

3/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into 10oz glass. Poured a clear, clean yellow with just an inch of fluffy white head that had some retention and left lightly moderate lacing.

The aroma was that of a typical light lager, slightly sweet and grassy. The flavor was likewise sweet and grassy, on the bland side for the style, but not bad at all.

The body was as expected for a light lager, light and smooth. Drinkability was good, as it should be for type of brew. You could drink these all day without burning out your tongue.

Overall, a solid and respectable example of the style. This would be a good gateway beer to start your macro drinking friends and family on, in the first step into the craft beer world. Worth trying if you see it, probably not worth effort to obtain.

Serving type: can

10-10-2009 20:50:50 | More by beertunes