Heineken Dark Lager - Heineken Nederland B.V.

hardy008

Minnesota

2.53/5  rDev -21.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Reddish brown color with a tan head and decent retention. Smells of dark malt with grain. A slight caramel aroma. Tastes consists of caramel , grain, and some chocolate. Thin watery mouthfeel with decent carbonation. The drinkability is below average. Not much to get excited about here.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2010 02:18:37 | More by hardy008

Kopfmeister60

Florida

4/5  rDev +23.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

If you like dark beer this is a must try. Aroma is malty but not skunky. It pours with a light brown creamy long lasting head, is a clear dark caramel color, smooth and creamy to the palate with a nutty toasty flavor. With little aftertaste it compliments a variety of foods, ie. brie and rich cheeses, spicy dishes, but doesn't overpower like Guinness. Low alchohol and good price makes it a good choice for a party. Not easy to find, it's worth looking for.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 20:42:27 | More by Kopfmeister60

Stunner97

New Jersey

3.85/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

appearance- dark brown though some what see through, you can see a nice foamy head off the pour, nice appearance overall,

Smell- slight yeast and malty smell, basically the smell of tamed out lager almost metallic nose

taste- is a nice balance of malts and lager kind of a flavor, has slight metallic twinge that's a little odd, but i do enjoy the overall flavor, reminds me of a lighter double bock , very refreshing malts with a very slight touch of hops

Mouthfeel- very smooth creamy and easy drinking

Drinkability- has to rank high on drinkabilty a nice balance of a lighter lager and slightly darker tones, a very great session dark lager, a good beer i would seek out again though i wish it were available in 12 packs, somewhat impressed better then I expected

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2010 19:39:49 | More by Stunner97

unclejimbay

Florida

3.65/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Heineken Dark Lager
Style: Euro Dark Lager
ABV: 5.00 %

I had this brew for the first time while visiting Puerto Rico. It seems to be readily available in PR and the Carribbean.

I enjoyed it much more than anticpated. It was a nice change of pace from teh local Medalla and BMC products.

Appearance is clear amber with short head & retention. Smell and taste is of dark caramel matly-ness with a balanced but sweet profile. Mouthfeel is high carbonation with light body.
I would drink this one any day over a normal Heine.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2010 20:25:06 | More by unclejimbay

ktrillionaire

Florida

4.15/5  rDev +28.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Heineken (in the green bottle) is potentially a ‘gateway beer’; for many, including me, it represents a first step away from the budcoorsmillerlightlitedraft nonsense. I will always have a soft spot for it, but I honestly don’t like it anymore. Which brings me to the beer at hand… if Heineken was your friend, then Heineken Dark is like the extremely debonair cousin from out of town that you can’t believe is related at all.

G – Drank out of a disposable cup, then straight out the bottle, and then two bottles at a time in my liter Heineken seidel. This beer is potentially the rare beer that is better when consumed straight from the bottle.

A - Dark and translucent, between black tea and cola, otherwise it looks similar to the green bottled Heineken, effervescent, nice (tan) head, good lacing.

S - It has a caramel and dunkel maltiness, figs, prunes, dark wheat in the nose.

T - The taste is very good. It has a dunkel taste like Flensburger. Nutty tasting. Great caramel flavor in the malt; not crass like, say, 'Old Speckled Hen' (in the clear bottle) or some of Lagunitas' offerings, which are a nasty Cracker-Jack or Smucker's tasting caramel. And not sweet either. Muted hop, well balanced flavors overall.

M - Medium-bodied, well carbonated.

D - I love it. Heineken has a special place in my heart, but regular Heineken is not what I once thought it was. Heineken Dark, on the other hand, is still extremely awesome.

P.S. If you are drinking Green Heineken, always opt for the Heine-can.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2010 21:51:14 | More by ktrillionaire

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.1/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

It poours a clear drak brown with lots of red highlights and a 2 finger head of foam. I'm serving this cold and the size of the head of foam surprised me. There's not much lacing but overall, it's a very nice looking brew.

The smell is typical of the style, light everything: grain, malt, and hops.

The taste starts off malty with some grain, light breadiness, and a hint of some nuttiness. Light bitterness throughout that I can't say tastes citric or grassy or piney....jsut plain light bitterness. An ok taste.

It's close to medium bodied at times with pretty high carbonation.

Drinkablity? The abv obviously isn't a problem, I just find it lacks any kind of oomph so 1 bottle at a sitting is enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 23:35:39 | More by Bitterbill

roddwolff

Mexico

3.63/5  rDev +12%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Dark amber color, very bright, brown foamy head with a finger thick and acceptable lacing;

S: Soft, sweet malt and notes of pomegranate;

T: Semiroasted malt, pomegranate, prune and spicy hops;

M: Dry, bitter sweet, medium body and high carbonation;

D: Tasty the first one but becomes cloying to take several.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2010 17:18:06 | More by roddwolff

jpkoch1962

Indiana

3.78/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

A very nice dark lager. While it's somewhat light in the body, this beer has a firm malt base. It is smooth, creamy with just enough of a dark malt profile to give it character. While it's by far not a hoppy lager, it finishes dry with little aftertaste

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2010 23:15:09 | More by jpkoch1962

hoplover82

Texas

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

A-Pours a clear dark amber color with a medium fluffy off white head that quickly dissapeared and left no lacing to see...

S-A pretty average pale malt lager aroma, faint and only when I swirl the glass do I smell it.

T-Just a small amount of sweetness from the malt and a very slight amount of bitterness.

M-Coats well, crisp and a little dry in the finish. Medium to light body.

D-Very good sessionable beer indeed. Not bad. I would have it again if someone brought it to a bbq or something.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 05:17:06 | More by hoplover82

jeranbrews

New York

3.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A - 2 fingers of beige frothy head. A red caramel, molasses color, like cherry mahogany, very surprising. The head faded quickly and left some lacing. Carbonation and bubbling continued like soda for a while. The color was very pleasant, outstanding for a macro-beer.

S - Initial smells of red clay, freshly broken earth, hops, and caramel malts. Later the smell changed to hops, copper, and un-malted grains (husks perhaps). No detectable yeast smells.

T - Initial tastes were cool, malty, a pale ale flavor. The malt flavor didn't quite live up to the caramel malt smells. The flavor moves fast to a bitter sweet aftertaste that dies quickly.

M - It's nice, frothy, and coats the inside of the mouth, but not as much as a "dark" should in my opinion. A tad watery.

D - Good, it was too easy to drink actually. I found myself wanting to gulp it down and not write down notes. There were enough complex smells and flavors to keep me guessing. This beer would be good by itself. One of the best macro beers I've had in a long time. I had trouble believing this was the same company.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 14:10:56 | More by jeranbrews

JeremyBrews

Japan

3.9/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Blood-amber color. Fluffy head, with more lacing than a typical macro-lager.

S- Toasted malt, caramel, and sourdough bread.

T- Hop flavor, then sweet caramel maltiness. In the end, yeast and yummy toasted sourdough bread aftertaste remains.

M- Smooth, medium body. Denser than most lagers. Nice carbonation persists long after the head perishes.

D- A surprisingly refreshing and complex lager, ESPECIALLY considering its evil distant cousin - the Heineken Pale Lager. Nice balance of malts and just enough bittering hops. If I'm in a lager mood and there's no micro- options, I won't hesitate to grab a few of these.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2009 15:22:55 | More by JeremyBrews

tone77

Pennsylvania

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

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a dark amber color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of caramel and malts. Taste has some malts and caramel, a little milder than I expected. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and has average drinkability. Overall this is a fairly good beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2009 23:12:17 | More by tone77

mrcarterxxl

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +45.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

a beer that i thought that was every where but i was wrong.

A= pours a brown color in the amber family with a cream color head.

S= hoppy smell.

T= a toffe/butterscotch taste with hops

MF=smooth wiht medium cardonation.

this beer leaves light lacing behind, this is one of my favorites
everyone should try it.

cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2009 19:49:28 | More by mrcarterxxl

Tee76

Michigan

4.88/5  rDev +50.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I've always been a huge fan of Heineken and when i found that they made a dark lager i went to all ends of the earth to find it....and i'm glad i did

Dark reddish brown, with a rich tan head to it.

Nice smokey smell, with hints of maple.

Tastes like your typical dark lager but with a thicker, sweet maltier taste that has a hint of maple.

Not much of an after taste but the beer gives a full mouth feel.Has a creamy feel to it.

One of my favorite beers be far.Highly drinkable if you can find it...it's that damn good!

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2009 18:23:35 | More by Tee76

twiggamortis420

Texas

2.42/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Pours a clear, dark copper color with a rapidly diminishing tan head. Leaves no lacing and barely even a collar.

Smell is sweet and caramely with a bit of sulfur and stale coffee. Does not smell all that inviting.

Taste is exponentially better than Heineken Lager, but still is not all that tasty. A bit too sweet with a fake chocolate flavor and an astringent, plasticy aftertaste. Body is light and only slightly watery, carbonation is adequate. I would probably take a Baltika #4 over this one, but I've yet to come across a Euro Dark that I really enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2009 13:16:04 | More by twiggamortis420

SargeC

Japan

3.73/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Crimson-brown colored brew with a tight, tan head.

Smell: Cherry, some malt presence.

Taste: Slightly smoky malt, dry hop finish. Touch of fruit throughout.

Mouthfeel: Light-medium body. Dry.

Drinkablity: Well done brew. Good alternative to regular Heineken. Very drinkable, yet presents hearty qualities.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2009 12:08:44 | More by SargeC

nasty15108

New York

3.9/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pilsener glass.

A - Poured a deep mahogany color. The pour produced a head of tan foam that subsided into a bubbly film.

S - Yeasty (dark bread) and hints of raisin and nut.

T - Bready with hints of chocolate, raisin and nut. A slight macro-style graininess presists throughout and the beer finishes off with a slight hop bitterness to even things out. Not overpowering, but still tasty.

MF&D - I wish this beer were just a bit thicker. I good offering from a macro beer company.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2009 20:34:59 | More by nasty15108

tatoodkelt

Maryland

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

Consumed 8/12/2009- from notes.

Brown 12oz bottle poured into a shaker glass.

A- Clear, dark amber with a quarter inch almond colored head that disappeared very quickly. Carbination looks pretty active.

S- Very muted. Light, sweet fruit aroma.

T- Pretty much the same as the smell but a little bolder. Caramel is more evident.

M- Light, a little watery. The carbination wasnt as string as it looked.

D- Meh. Pretty average brew to me. Easy to drink, I suppose it would be sessionable if you had no other alternative.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 13:23:18 | More by tatoodkelt

ExtraStout

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark brownish copper color with a very thin tan colored head. Nose is dominated by sweet malts and grains with a hint of fruitiness. Taste is roasted malts with notes of caramel and dark bread. A strong maltiness is present both upfront and in the finish. This is a decent beer, but it doesn't really have any distinguishing characteristics aside from the strong maltiness. I wanted to like it more but couldn't.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2009 03:26:03 | More by ExtraStout

WakeandBake

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev +13.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A dark amber color pour with a small offwhite head, no lacing. Aroma is of lightly sweet caramel,slightly nutty,faint hops. Flavor is semi-sweet,toasty malt flavor (better than expected) lightly bitter,some caramel,with just a hint of grass. Light body,crisp clean mouthfeel, very sessionable and a pretty good drinker

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2009 01:01:52 | More by WakeandBake

prototypic

Ohio

3.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This one's crystal clear and a scarlet infused brown color. It has a nice deep red tint to it. An off white head tops it off (for a minute), but recedes quickly. It only reached a finger or so deep. Little to no lacing lined the glass. The color's pretty good, but the rest is a little disappointing.

The nose is weak and underwhelming. It features some caramel and toffee malt sweetness throughout. Yeast and grainy notes take up the secondary level. Smells like there's some light dark fruit present (mostly plum). There's a faint spicy scent on the tail. It's tough to get much out of it. It's all very weak and the individual parts don't work well in tandem. Aside from the lack of strength, there's nothing overtly bad about it. It's just not very good either.

The flavor is a little better, but not enough to trigger a bump in score. Primarily, it features a sweet caramel and toffee malt flavor. There's a light cocoa flavor that wasn't apparent on the nose. It's grainy and yeasty throughout. Whatever dark fruit I was getting in the nose is extremely faint. So faint that I'm questioning whether my palate's playing tricks on me. A light spicy and herbal flavor emerges it late. It's somewhat light and subtle. I can't tell exactly what individual spice or herb it may be. It doesn't really hurt or help. It's just there. The flavor's much like the nose. There's some individual flavors floating about, but they never really mesh or collectively work to produce a meaningful flavor. There's just a little here, a little there. Meh. Average.

It features a light body that feels a tad watery. It's not smooth at all. Carbonation is fairly light, but doesn't seem to help it attain any desired level of smoothness. Drinkability is average at best. Everything about this beer is average and pretty forgettable. It goes down quick and easy, but doesn't present anything to really enjoy.

Heineken Dark Lager is very average in the grand scheme of beer. The nose is weak, the flavor's convoluted and uninspiring, and it's not enjoyable. That being said, I don't really hate it. There's just not much to like. If it had something to add some pizzazz, it'd be dramatically improved. Maybe some hops? Pretty average all around. Maybe worth a try, but I wouldn't suggest seeking it out.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2009 01:14:56 | More by prototypic

pokesbeerdude

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked up a single at the state liquor store in Vernal, UT. Around $.95.

A: Light brown with a tan head about half an inch thick that recedes to a thin film of bubbles. Fairly nice lacing. Excellent clarity. Not a lot of carbonation moving around in this one.

S: Roasted malts, some caramel, a little bit of nuttiness, definite lager yeast strain, and that's about it. Nothing offsetting, nothing exciting though.

T: Caramel, honey sweetness, nice malt characteristic, almost reminds me of a dunkel lager, fairly sweet, nice nuttiness too. A few brown ale flavors are really strong here. Overall, not a bad tasting beer. Just as good as I remember it.

M: A little creamier than what you would expect from a lager, quite smooth really, light carbonation, somewhat dry, pretty crisp really.

D: Easy session beer. I've drank this beer a lot, just not recently. One of my "gateway beers". Its good to see that this is one that I still enjoy. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of a change.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2009 00:41:01 | More by pokesbeerdude

mjw06

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

first and foremost let me comment on the presentation. this beer caught my eye by being a heineken with a RED label. wow was that weird. a red heineken actually looks kinda cool, almost like a special edition/halloween version or something. also, the bottle is brown as opposed to being green, which adds to the weirdness.

a dark, deep, raspberry red color, almost purple. with a two finger size tan head that dissaptes quickly.

lacking in smell, but the smell i do get is rich cereal malts.

the cereal malt smell is replicated in the taste, except just a little sweeter. not much hop and theres really not much taste here at all. its funny that the dark lager would have this much less taste than the flagship brew. it also had a metallic finish that i didnt appreciate too much.

lacking in body with a carbonation that is there, but is hard to find. the carbonation doesnt hit until the back of the tongue.

drinkable despite its flaws. the prospect of a darker heineken excited me, however ill stick to the regular stuff.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2009 04:42:45 | More by mjw06

cottonkoozie

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A - Head doesn't last even 15 seconds, and leaves no chance for lacing at all. Dark brown color with some red hues. Really nothing impressive at all.

S - Smells like a dark lager, some malts, nothing else really. Not a whole lot of smell here.

T - No a lot going on, a little bit of roasted taste and some hints of caramel malts. Also some kind of weird taste there too though that leaves a strange aftertaste.

M - Pretty watery.

D - wouldn't be to bad if it wasn't for that aftertaste, but that really makes me not want much of this. Won't reach for another one.

Not a very good beer. Just has a very odd taste and its just not good.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2009 00:01:59 | More by cottonkoozie

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

2.83/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a reddish brown with a decent fizzy head and some lacing.

Light scents here -- some caramel and brown bread notes.

Light light flavors, with caramel malt sweetness, some bready notes, and a green vegetable/leafy hop element. The carbonation in this one also gives it an acidic feel on the tongue, which worked well as a palate cleaner and with food. My big fault is that the flavors are too muted, a bit too thin.

Overall, not too bad, but nothing you'd put near the top of your list either. I always find this on the beer menu in Thai/Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants but never try it. Glad I did, as it is an interesting spin by this huge brewer.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 12:44:24 | More by OtherShoe2