OB Lager Beer - Oriental Brewery Co., Ltd

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

1.35/5  rDev -42.3%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

I was down in Baltimore a few weekends ago, visiting a college chum and attending the annual Brewers' Art Mid-Atlantic Holiday Gathering. I took Amtrak to Penn Station and then began walking south to The Brewers Art when I passed Aloha Liquors, a little store that never fails to have something new and unusual available, prompting me to stop in. I scored a 1.6L plastic bottle of this, as well as some other gems that are sure to have been just as good (check previous reviews).

From the bottle: "Timeless enduring heritage, craftsmanship and new rice addition deliver refreshing smoothness and clean after taste, making OB the most drinkable beer."

I tried as aggressive a pour as I could muster, but I still only got wisps of head that faded as quickly as I poured and typed. Color was a still, light golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. By "still", I mean that it exhibited precisely ZERO carbonation. Man, it was flat as a board. Nose had a big, sweet cooked corn odor and it became obvious where this was going. Mouthfeel was thin and flat with a sweetness that reminded me of the smell of spilled beer left to dry of its own accord. Ugh. Finish was still very sweet and I only wished that it had come in a CAN so that it might have some sort of redeeming feature. I am always reluctant to drain pour and this was going to help me pass some time, but I thought long and hard about sending it on its way. More boring than outright bad, but still worthy of some low numbers.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 21:07:16 | More by woodychandler

froghop

Washington

1.4/5  rDev -40.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

what a bad beer, just like its evil step sister cass fresh only more skunk to it and not as sweet.

pours a pale yellow with a small white head, some lacing.

smell of malt, grain, and funk.

taste is watery, grain, corn, and a very strange aftertaste that is almost a sour.

bad beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2009 03:43:07 | More by froghop

BeerBelcher

Ohio

1.68/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

I had this from a big plastic bottle...maybe 2 liters. And the beer fit its packaging - cheap, flat, and generally only worthwhile. My body did the recycling of the beer for me, and I imagine the recycled product didn't come out much worse than the raw material that fueled it.

The beer is pale. And flat. And the aroma that is there isn't good. The flavor is a little worse. A touch of corn sweetness, but a weird chemical-ness that does not belong in any beer anywhere prevails.

Steer clear of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2008 00:50:41 | More by BeerBelcher

xav33

Michigan

1.73/5  rDev -26.1%
look: 1 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 3

OB Lager
Deuce deuce
Medium pour in a shaker
Recent brewing, sucked down 12/06

Poured a pale aqueous yellow with a moderate white fizzy quickly diminishing head.

Smelt of DMS cooked corn and rusty metal scraps.

Taste was upfront moderate sweet candy corn followed by the taste of sucking on those stupid tiny metal action figures that people paint on and play D&D with, thankfully light though. Short finish. Palate was light, watery and fizzy and metallic.

Overall, it’s cheap Korean beer! My first Korean beer experience ever! Bonus point!

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2006 05:58:10 | More by xav33

Jason

Massachusetts

1.8/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

330 ml thick brown bottle with no freshness date.

Appearance: After a quick foaming after a hard pour the lace drops to a thin whispy state with very little stickage and poor retention overall. Clarity is perfect with a crystal clear yellow colour.

Smell: Sweet with a semi-harsh cereal adjunct aroma, smells gritty with some cooked veggies on the side.

Taste: Weak malt profile, more of a grain bite and slightly harsh adjunct astringency. Hops have some bitterness that intensifies the harshness, no noticeable hop flavour at all. Finishes with that same astringent bite, not very clean at all.

Mouthfeel: Thin body with an easy crispness from the carbonation, spritzy in a way.

Drinkability & Note: Hard to swallow a whole bottle of this stuff without wincing, not recommended at all … the only thing I got out of this was getting to try a beer from S. Korea, there are many other Asia breweries that push out better lagers than this.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2002 10:12:23 | More by Jason

jdhilt

New Hampshire

1.8/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a two-fingered white head that fades quickly leaving no lace. Ugly pale yellow color with a greenish tinge. Adjunct nose. Light carbonation and light bodied. Insipid taste of hops and adjuncts with a slighly sweet finish. Not worth $2.05 for a 12oz bottle from Oliver's Beverage Albany, NY. Only bought it to get a new country - #59.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2004 22:50:13 | More by jdhilt

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

1.8/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: Golden straw color with a small white sea foam cap that does not really stick around.

Smell: Wow, there is almost no aroma. Maybe a little grass and light malt, but that's it.

Taste: The taste follows. This is just fizzy water basically. Some rice and a little bit of grass and lager yeast. No hops, that would be too much work.

Mouthfeel: Probably about as light as a beer can go and not drift away into the atmosphere. Very fizzy crisp, and clean, although that is mainly because there is not really any flavor that could screw that up.

Overall: It was a hard feat to accomplish, but this may have less flavor than most light beers. There is literally nothing to appreciate here. So glad I ordered this.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 00:46:08 | More by KickInTheChalice

Wegomlegging

Virginia

1.88/5  rDev -19.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Pours clear yellow with soapy head. Smells like the warm can of stale Bud that was left out all night. Flavors of city tap water and warm corn. Standard mouthfeel a la Old Swill. Was hard to choke this "beer" down in Korea, even with the strong urge to drink beer of any kind. Avoid it unless you are desperate.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2011 04:25:49 | More by Wegomlegging

TinusTime

Virginia

1.9/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Had this at a Korean restaurant this past weekend. Pours a very light gold with an impossible clean white head. The aroma is a bit metallic and overall not that pleasing. Taste is blah. No real maltiness or hoppiness, its just kinda there. Reminds me of sub-premium macros. Not awful, but close. Mouthfeel was thin and abit too carbonated with a weird aftertaste that was a little astringent. A notch below American Macro's. Drinkability -- no thanks I will stick to water. I knew I should have gotten the soju.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2005 14:35:18 | More by TinusTime

AgentZero

Illinois

1.95/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3

Decided to drink a beer from the motherland, specifically, my mother's land.

A - A pale yellow color, huge carbonation head that disappeared quickly leaving no stick on the side.

S - Corn syrup sweet, also smells kind of like rice. Not good.

T - Tastes worse than it smells, rice-like sweetness, watery, a little bit grainy, this is a bad beer.

M - Watery, lot of carbonation.

D - Well, you can chug it, but I'll pass. Had no idea what this was when I got it at a Korean restaurant, will look to avoid it now.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 01:52:44 | More by AgentZero

yesyouam

New York

1.98/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

OB is a sparkling, very clear, light golden lager with a dense, fluffy white head that has decent retention and lacing. It has a faint, fruity aroma with generic grain in the nose. It's light bodied and quite smooth with a crisp finish. There's not much flavor here. There's not really any bitterness; just a generic grain flavor-- rice, I guess. It's dry and refreshing. I mowed the lawn before I drank this.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2009 16:29:59 | More by yesyouam

TAMU99

Virginia

2/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Well, not too much here. Along the lines of a Big3 Light beer. Bright yellow color, with a very carbonated feel, but realtively smooth and drinkable. Not too much in the way of original taste. Agree with other advocates, average everyday beer, nothing to write home about.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2002 11:28:53 | More by TAMU99

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Nothing here, quite watery. Looks like water with some carbonation and malt thrown in, taste like it too. Yet is acidic. Crisp but astringent. No hops to speak of. OK, so I tried a Korean beer. Still better than a bud. Not a prize winner in Asia. Looks like old ginger ale.

Serving type: can

09-06-2004 22:24:43 | More by northyorksammy

Ralphs66

New York

2/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Whoa, been a looong time since I've had a beer this god awful. I ate lunch in the Koreatown section of Manhattan, and going with the flow decided to have an authentic brew. Won't go into the details, as it's just not worth the effort, but suffice it to say, water would have been far better...

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2011 17:14:26 | More by Ralphs66

Gueuzedude

Arizona

2.05/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

This beer is a bright straw color, and is topped by a good sized white head that lasts a fair bit. The aroma has a hint of hop and malt, but really not much of anything. A light sweet taste and a light thin body. Almost offensive in its in-offensiveness. Tastes a bit grainy and the sweetish thin finish could really use some hop bitterness to balance it out.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2004 22:13:02 | More by Gueuzedude

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

2.05/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

12oz thick brown bottle.
It pours a clear pale gold with a fizzy white head.
A faint smell of cut grass and cardboard is all there is to it.
A very light malt flavor is reminiscent of a church communion wafer.
A equally mild hop taste gets you second-guessing whether you are tasting some bitterness or maybe it's just the seltzery effervescence playing tricks on your mind.
Really difficult to taste the malt…or hops for that matter. Very mild mannered. No objectionable flavors.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2004 22:50:13 | More by BeerResearcher

Bookseeb

Washington

2.05/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Another from Uwajimaya in Seattle. Appearance is a very light golden with no head. Smell of slight hop and grain, adjuncts. Taste reminds me of a club soda having the salty mineraly flavor with a slight hop bite and good carbonation. Mouthfeel is light, not as good as the other Koreans I've had and since I don't like club soda it kind of turns me off.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2008 03:20:48 | More by Bookseeb

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.08/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

(Served in a strange)

A- This beer has a pale straw yellow body that is crystal clear with carbonation of huge fast bubbles. The head is a thick layer of big rocky snow-white bubbles that fades after a bit.

S- The smell of noble bitter hops is almost artificial. There is a faint sulfur note in the finish, with a faint corn aroma coming through as it warms a bit.

T- This beer has a very light flavor with a faint sweetness followed by a slight noble hop bitterness. There is a very soft lime bite in the finish that comes through more as crisp sulfur as I drink. There is a slight carbonic bite that starts to take over the hop flavor, leaving a very washed out flavor.

M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a carbonic fizz in the mouthfeel.

D- This is light, refreshing and non-offensive to the point that it doesn't have a taste at all. The carbonation is probably the strongest flavor in this drink.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2006 22:47:05 | More by rhoadsrage

bigrzman

Pennsylvania

2.1/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Appearance. Very carbonated with a golden straw color. head disappears quickly and is way to fizzy.

Smell. sweet pale malts but overall very clean.

Taste. Rice and sweet pale malts up front with a skunky hop ectract ij the back. sweet overall.

Mouthfeel. thin, airy, and overly carbonated.

Overall i would drunk this at a party, but that is about it.

Serving type: can

01-17-2012 09:16:23 | More by bigrzman

bignick

Massachusetts

2.13/5  rDev -9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

The beer appears a crystal clear straw color in my glass. The smell and taste are both grainy. I struggle to detect any hop or malt taste. The mouthfeel is nice though, because the carbonation is crisp. This is one light beer. I liken it to a lighter version of rolling rock. It goes down easy, but with little flavor.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2004 05:39:33 | More by bignick

watchnerd

California

2.15/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

22 oz big bottle.

The competing big-bottle Korean macro-lager to Hite. Neither one is particularly good, but if whereas Hite makes errors of omission in this category (veering towards water), OB commits nasty taste errors. In this category and price range, Hite's strategy is the better. OB is the thicker of the two beers, but not in a good way. It's sweeter and with an aftertaste that gets close to cheap malt liquor.

For an analogy, Hite is more like Coors, and OB is more like Bud. If we're going cheap, give me watery but drinkable over nasty every time. If you're in a restaurant that serves both, get the Hite.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2008 16:39:00 | More by watchnerd

67cuda

Colorado

2.17/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

This beer pours a pale yellow, the infamous "cheap beer" color, with a decent-sized white head. Oddly enough, the head doesn't last long, though there is plenty of carbonation present. It smells a bit grainy, and somewhat like vegetables, fairly standard adjunct smells. As for the taste, it doesn't taste like much of anything to me, a little bit of malt was present, but overall it was quite watery. Sort of what I might imagine Light-Light Beer to taste like, perhaps. The mouthfeel is thin and watery, with too much carbonation. You could drink a lot of this beer, since it certainly isn't filling, but I for one would rather drink beer that tastes like something, so the drinkability is not very high.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2005 05:54:29 | More by 67cuda

thekanna

Maryland

2.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Pours an extremely pale, clear yellow with a large, white foamy head.

S: Some lagery yeasts but otherwise, no smell at all.

T: Light, light, light... light like the weight of an anorexic girl. Some sweet corn malt, but otherwise, the beer is so light it might as well be seltzer water.

M: Nicely carbonated and crisp.

D: A nice respite from the intensely flavorful Galbi and Bulgogi that I was having, but does not hold its own. Why is it that countries with some of the most delicious cuisines don't have beer pairings that can match?

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2009 03:28:30 | More by thekanna

TMoney2591

Illinois

2.2/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Served in a Half Acre shaker pint glass.

I found a vein of Korean brews at the "local" Asian marketplace. It pours a clear pale straw topped by a finger of white foam. The nose seems to be missing. Seriously, I can't smell a goddamn thing here. I can smell the White Castle across the room, so I know my nose works. What doesn't is this beer. Strike 1. The taste doesn't add all that much to the existing nothingness, just some earthy floral notes and a twinge of weak corn syrup. Strike 2. The body is very light, with a lightly fizzy carbonation and a thoroughly watery feel. I'm callin' that Strike 3. And this thing is definitely out. I don't want any more of this. Straight up (I feel like I've been caught in a hit-and-run with this thing).

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2010 01:48:58 | More by TMoney2591

therica

Maryland

2.25/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I've had enough of this in South Korea to make my own river. It has the well-deserved reputation of having the world's highest formaldehyde content, and therefore the world's highest incidence of hangovers and bang-head-on-wall headaches.

Appearance-- medium-light yellow with some crumbling head.

Smell-- first warning-- can clear your nasal hair. Hops, malts, corn, the usual-- plus some toxic pungency.

Taste--- not bad, drinkable if that's all that is around. Lots of carbonation, actually a little better than the flat-stale taste of Budwisser et al. Slight sweetness.

Mouthfeel-- not bad except for the toxic fumes rising from your gastric internals.

Drinkability-- millions of American servicemembers have proven that it is, indeed, highly drinkable. At what cost and health risk? You must answer.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2006 03:48:53 | More by therica