Almaza Pilsner Beer - Brasserie Almaza S.A.L.

Jason

Massachusetts

2.75/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Little 9.5 oz green bottle with no freshness date. Good amount of sticky white lace and the retention is fine. Some particles in suspension though the golden brew is relatively clear.

Cooked veggie like hop with a sweet grain aroma.

Smooth and slick mouth feel, moderate carbonation and body. Big cooked veggie flavour of cabbage and celery partially from the hops and some DMS. Grainy flavours are sweet and mildly astringent at the same time. Hop bitterness is uniform to the size of the beer. Apple skin and more grain in the finish.

Decent and that is about it, nothing special here … unless you are looking for a beer that is brewed in Lebanon.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2002 19:28:36 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev +31.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 9.5oz green bottle. No freshness date.

Appearance: Dirty blonder in colour, with a touch of haze. Active carbonation that produces a thin white foam head.

Smell: Clean aroma / touch of musty apple.

Taste: Smooth and creamy. Light DMS (cooked veggie / corn) flavour turns quite sweet and fruity, with distinct Red Delicious apple flavours. Touch of musty grain way in the back of the palate, along with some sulfur notes. Finish is a bit dry.

Notes: Not a typical Pils beer, but rather enjoyable and a nice surprise and change on the old palate.

Beer was produced in conjuction with Amstel Brouwerij, Holland. Sample obtained at Zu Zu / The Middle East in Cambridge, MA, USA.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2002 13:34:00 | More by Todd

LuckyJohn

Colorado

3/5  rDev +6.4%

06-15-2013 03:04:13 | More by LuckyJohn

Evoforen

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev +15.2%

06-15-2013 00:46:11 | More by Evoforen

Olek4374

Alberta (Canada)

2.34/5  rDev -17%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

hm... lebanese beer. How exotic! This is my first expedition into Middle Eastern beer, which is really, really limited in Alberta. Let's go.

Well it comes in a green bottle. i like the look of green bottles, but they do certainly lead to a large percentage of the beers being skunked. And this one is. I didn't have a pilsner glass handy so I poured it into a tulip. The colour is really weird - it's not the typical bubbly yellow you expect with a pilsner. It's a really murky yellow-brown colour with very little head. After the skunkiness dissipates, you'll notice the aroma is very sweet and malty, which is certainly unusual for a pilsner, which, when made properly, is quite hoppy. The smell is faint for sure - it reminds me of my best friend's apartment growing up. Very odd indeed.

The taste is a little watery with some mild hop and malt notes - not very powerful and certainly not what i think of when i think of a pilsner. i'll give it that it is hoppier than a generic adjunct lager you'll find in North America, however the taste still leaves you with a dissapointing feeling inside. Perhaps this is how the Lebanese prefer their beers - light with some subtle flavour. Looking closer at the bottle, the faint, clear label shows that the beer is a very modest 4% abv. This is not always a bad thing, but I think the brewers were intentionally looking for a light lager in mind when they originally came up with this.

On the whole, this beer is a big letdown. It promotes itself as a pilsner (like many other beers), although it doesn't deliver. It is watery, not flavourful, and looks really weird. There are no offensive tastes, so fortunately there is that to consider. Regardess, I don't see enough positives here to make a repeat purchase.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2013 02:08:19 | More by Olek4374

FLima

Brazil

2.84/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pale yellow, almost amber color with lots of head with medium retention.
Aroma of an adjunct lager but not unpleasant, bready malts, vanilla and adjuncts. Some floral hop notes.
Sweet malt and corn flavor with floral and herbal hops. Dry aftertaste with a mild bitterness.
Light body and unexpected low carbonation.
This seems to have a bit more hops (though low on alpha) than usual for an adjunct lager. Not a pilsner but decent for an adjunct lager. Better than the average mass adjunct lagers.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:01:05 | More by FLima

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev +6.4%

05-09-2013 13:43:49 | More by cfalovo97

Ciocanelu

Romania

2.5/5  rDev -11.3%

04-20-2013 12:44:41 | More by Ciocanelu

Whatup14

Quebec (Canada)

2.25/5  rDev -20.2%

04-17-2013 13:41:53 | More by Whatup14

Giggy

Michigan

2.5/5  rDev -11.3%

04-04-2013 18:35:17 | More by Giggy

bshiban

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +6.4%

03-29-2013 13:17:32 | More by bshiban

pmorey

Indiana

2.68/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Bottle pour at our local Lebanese restaurant. Bright golden color with thin head. Heavy carbonation and left with a "Perrier" aftertaste. Not a beer I would choose on my own, but strangely enough it did make for a good pairing with my curry.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 19:31:03 | More by pmorey

stampfler07

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -11.3%

02-04-2013 23:52:44 | More by stampfler07

Fatehunter

Oregon

2.28/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25

A finger of head on a clear, light straw colored body. Low retention on the head.
The aroma is faint: honey and grain.
The flavor is nothing. Water and water and a tiny bitter at the end.
A fizzy texture, light body and high carbonation.
A less than average beer and certainty not a pilsener.

Serving type: bottle

01-14-2013 04:01:55 | More by Fatehunter

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.03/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served in a bottle at Mooney's Mediterranean Cafe in Winston-Salem, NC

A: Pours a crystal clear pale yellow in color with some moderate amounts of golden yellow highlights and heavy amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall bright white head that quickly reduces to a patchy thin film covering the majority of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of bready malts with a light hint of graininess and some light amounts of grassy and floral hops.

T: Very similar to the smell, the taste of this beer starts out with a moderate amount of bready malts with a light hint of grainy sweetness to it. That is followed by light flavors of grassy and floral hops. The hops contribute a light amount of bitterness which fades quickly.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate to heavy amounts of carbonation.

O: This is a pretty decent beer, my first from Lebanon, and exceeded my expectations considering it came in a green bottle (though it lacked the skunkiness I have come to expect with that type of packaging). Easy to drink and sessionable, though I would expect it to be best when served ice cold as I had mine.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2012 21:40:46 | More by dbrauneis

sneaks2210

New York

1.5/5  rDev -46.8%

11-14-2012 21:28:42 | More by sneaks2210

damndirtyape

Ohio

3.33/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

330mL bottle (date stamp 120201509) poured into a Shaker pint glass. Given to me by a Lebanese colleague who knew I liked beer. Very kind.

Appearance: Pale clear gold color. Thin white head with some tiny islands of lacing.

Smell: Practically none at first - but a bit floral as it warms up.

Taste: Light, crisp, clean malt, hint of honey-like sweetness, light bitter finish and then some floral aftertaste. A bit unusual of a finish, but I think it works.

Mouthfeel: Carbonation just south of fizzy, but not bad. Thickness underneath a bit watery.

Overall / Drinkability: Not an amazing beer overall. Did go well with food though (Cottage Pie). Where this beer shines is in drinkability. I could easily have another and I can see myself enjoying this with a Lebanese meal sitting out in the heat or inside. In a way, it is what a pilsner should be - highly drinkable and cleansing of the palate, and this beer delivers in regards to that theme. I find this surprising in light of the very light flavor and aroma, but sometimes a good beer does not need to be rich in everything.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2012 22:50:57 | More by damndirtyape

bambam2517

Arizona

2.5/5  rDev -11.3%

10-28-2012 19:58:31 | More by bambam2517

chasmandocharles

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev +6.4%

10-13-2012 23:16:58 | More by chasmandocharles

Julian4077

Australia

1.75/5  rDev -37.9%

09-09-2012 03:44:48 | More by Julian4077

Guylefleur

Lebanon

1.5/5  rDev -46.8%

09-08-2012 13:02:41 | More by Guylefleur

htomsirveaux

Texas

2.7/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

330 mL bottle tried 15 Mar 2011. Courtesy of jk who picked it up in Oman, thanks! Served in the 0.4 L Hutthurmer mug.

Large white head. Well carbonated. Clear dark golden yellow in color. Aroma is primarily skunk with some mineral and sweet grain in the background. Fairly sweet to start. Thankfully the skunkiness is not nearly as present in the flavor. Slight graininess. Light effervescent body, minimal ethanol. Slight hint of lemon and mineral water in the finish. Aftertaste is a very faint bitterness.

I would drink this if I was in Lebanon. And could get it unskunked.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 14:24:43 | More by htomsirveaux

Mississippi

Virginia

2.75/5  rDev -2.5%

07-30-2012 18:13:06 | More by Mississippi

BrandonCBeer

3.25/5  rDev +15.2%

07-23-2012 05:23:09 | More by BrandonCBeer

HamGlade10

Oklahoma

3.75/5  rDev +33%

07-20-2012 23:39:53 | More by HamGlade10