Vergina - Macedonian Thrace Brewery

djura

Serbia

2.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Drink this one in home land of it.
A-Very usual pale color,decent white foam with enough bubbless in the glass.
S-Malty with some cereals,better then i suspected.
T/M-Some unpleasant aftertaste,small decent bitterness,low carbonation,cereals and malt in the mouth.
O-Almost usual EPL.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2012 05:23:02 | More by djura

TRICKYD1CK

France

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Drank a can of this this afternoon. Got it from a greek wine store and sandwich shop on the streets of Paris on my way back from class, since I wanted to drink a beer. Was on the go, so I didn't have anything to pour it into - drank it out of the can.

The greek vendor swore by this beer and said it would knock my socks off, but after tasting it, I knew that that was just so that I'd buy it. Silly

Rather boring, but could definitely be worse. Strong maltiness compared to most other beers you buy on the street. Didn't taste like ass. The alcohol came through a little too much for a beer of only 5%. I'd take this over the cheap, go-to lager from most countries, (molson, bud, kro, moretti), but definitely wouldn't go out of my way to drink it again.

Overall: Overpriced and boring. I'd like to try a better Greek beer if there are any.

Serving type: can

09-13-2011 20:10:04 | More by TRICKYD1CK

Brabander

Netherlands

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I got this canned beer from my brother in law who was in Greece a few months ago to keep the economy there running.

I am sitting im my kitchen and i an too tired to go upstairs and get me a real beer. This one i had in my kitchen so i opened it.

Poured in my Struise glass this beer looks quit good. Nice yellow fluid and a big four finger head which stcks to the glass. Best before december 2012.

The smell of this beer is the best part, a bit bready with citron, the rest is very average to say the least. A watery beer with almost no body. I can imagine that you drink this beer on a hot Greek summersday.

Serving type: can

07-28-2011 21:47:44 | More by Brabander

jarmby1711

Australia

3.1/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Name aside , this was a beer of unremarkable averageness.
Its crowning glory amongst its mediocrity was its easy drinkability.
It has no roughness or strange quirks and so is quite quaffable or in beer talk sessionable.
It is suited to and would complement the basic Greek staple of lamb lemon and garlic with salad and bread

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 22:30:03 | More by jarmby1711

tjd112

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +46.2%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Yes, yes, its a funny name, but I wanted to knock Greece off my list.

Presentation - Poured into Flying Fish Pint Glass

Appearance - Poured a golden color with two finger white head, retention is very good, takes a long time to go down

Smell/Taste - Sweet corn with some malts up front, a little bit of apples

Mouthfeel - Light and crisp

Drinkability/Overall - It's actually a pretty respectable import.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2010 20:29:07 | More by tjd112

StevenBilodeau

Connecticut

2.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Humored by it's name, I drank this beer as a gag, but I was pleasantly surprised that the beer was better than what I expected. However, the beer isn't that good overall. It's a unique beer to have if you are on goal to make your friends laugh, have as your beer collection/selection or if your a Greek immigrant, and you just love your Vergina. Drinks like a pale lager, reminiscent of some lighter German lagers, or pale drinks.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2010 10:01:50 | More by StevenBilodeau

Lexluthor33

New York

2.73/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear and golden with a decent head and thin lace.
The aroma of hops,light malts and yeast. Some mild citrus hints.

The taste started off with some mild,bitter hops and then it tasted sweet with some corn and lemon.
The feel was a light beer with high carbonation and a mild bitterness.

Notes: A step below the leading commercial Euro Pale lagers/ Pilsners. Still,this was not a horrible beer. It just lacked balance and the complexity is zero. Thin finish did not help and it really felt weak overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 00:23:21 | More by Lexluthor33

BDIMike

Ohio

2.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear golden color. It is the average straw colored fizzy look of a macro with the high carbonation creating a medium-sized white head.
Smells like the normal Euro Pale Lager. There is really nothing but that strong skunky hop smell.
Taste isn't all that bad. There is a lot of a cereal and corn malt taste to the beer. Then the hops take over and kind of dominate the taste leaving that skunky aftertaste.
Mouthfeel has a medium body with a ton of carbonation. A very sharp feel.
Vergina is a very average beer. Tastes a lot like every other Euro Pale Lager and I am not a fan of the style. I guess if I was Greek I would drink this beer proudly, but it does nothing for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2009 00:58:41 | More by BDIMike

pmcadamis

Illinois

2.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I love the name of this brewery "Macedonian Thrace" is just sounds so ... well, epic. I feel like watching 300, or Alexander. Well, here goes.

A - This pours clear and very dull yellow with a short lived 1/2 finger head that deposits a little bit of sudsy lace on the glass. Looks okay for the style, but sort of bland overall.

S - Whew. This is PUNGENT with super-saaz skunky funk. It's alarming to the nose at first, but I kinda started to like it after a few whiffs. Green grass, rotten lemon rind, and skunk-spray. I'm serious, this smells like skunk for real. But my anonymous postcard that I'd write to PostSecret would probably be my admission that I secretly love the smell of skunk ass.

T - Wow, this is not good. Bland malts, nickle-n-dime mineral notes (suckin' on a penny), and three week old long-forgotten lemonade that someone forgot to take out of the refrigerator. Some nice acrid hop notes are somewhat redeeming, and overall this isn't bad. It's growing on me for sure.

M - Thin and brittle with a massive amount of carbonation and a really acrid and dry finish. I actually think that if you can separate the mouthfeel from the flavor, the feel is quite good. It's taken me a long time to learn how to mentally separate the two, but this feel is good despite the iffy flavor.

D - The odd mineral and acrid acidic hop notes might complement vinegary and salty Greek food quite well. Otherwise, I'd skip this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2008 18:32:24 | More by pmcadamis

Rayek

Colorado

2.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Gold color with very good, but not great, clarity. Foamy white head has average retention and leaves some lace.

S: Quite sweet. Smells mostly of table sugar and fresh cut grass, with a bit of malt in the background.

T: Mild flavor isn't terribly complex. Malt has a dry bread quality to it. Lemony bitterness is well balanced against the malt. Aftertaste has an unpleasant metallic quality.

M: Light body with the right fizz.

D: A passable beer that's no better than many of the mass-market Euro lagers.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2008 16:09:38 | More by Rayek

baos

Indiana

1.55/5  rDev -44%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

12 ounce bottle into Dog-faced mug.

A: Brass body with foamy 2 finger head on pour that completely disappears.

S: Smells like a weak version of its Euro pale cousins. Slight malt and hop residue.

T: Almost like a canned mushroom with stale hop juice poured over it with metal can shavings. I don't like this one.

M: Foam

D: I thought this one might grow on me but it soured on my buds.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2008 02:00:06 | More by baos

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

1.48/5  rDev -46.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a very light yellow color, with a short white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of strong adjuncts and light malts with a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste has a lot of adjunct sweetness and some lager yeast breadiness. There's a little bit of pale hops bitterness but not enough to bring any balance. The malt character is very thin. The after-taste is slightly bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp but not smooth at all, light body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Not tasty, doesn't go down very easily, not filling, mild kick, I definitely would not drink this beer again.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2008 02:47:13 | More by TheManiacalOne

gmfessen

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer looks much more like a standard lager than it does an Oktoberfest/Marzen. A clear, yellow-golden color with a one finger bubbly head. Smell like most Euro Lagers that I've tried; sweet - slightly fruity and hints of honey, no real hop appearance and skunky. The taste is also very similar to an E.L., similar to the smell with a slight graininess about it. Mouthfeel is light-to-medium bodied with a bubbly carbonation. A drinkable beer, although I believe it has been wrongly classified as a Marzen style.

Serving type: bottle

07-09-2007 23:23:14 | More by gmfessen

russpowell

Oklahoma

2.85/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

BBD 6-29-07

Pours an effervescent honey/straw color with 1.5" of white head. Good lacing& average head retention

S: Grassy hops & a little skunkyness mixed in.

T: Cereal, cornyness & herbal hops up front. Lemon hops, honey sweet malt & a little metallic tinge of hops as this warms. Finishes with more metal, but crisp, with some soapy hops

MF: Medium bodied with vigirous carbonation

Drank average, marzen? I don't think so. Better than BMC, but not by a lot. Would probably be a solid choice in the mother country, I'm guessing

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2007 22:03:25 | More by russpowell

jdhilt

New Hampshire

2.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a two finger white head that fades to a thin layer leaving a little lace. Light clear amber color. Light-medium carbonation and light-medium bodied. Hoppy nose. Starts nearly balanced just on the hoppy side, simple lager, slight hoppy-metallic aftertaste. Very similar to their Hillas. $1.49 for a 12oz bottle from John's Grocery Iowa City, IA. Best before May 5, 2006 and still okay.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2007 23:38:34 | More by jdhilt

surcorx

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

First from the brewer:

“VERGINA beer is classified as Premium Lager. Its ingredients are Pilsen malt, caramel malt, hop, aromatic Tettnanger hop, yeast and water. It is a product of classic fermentation (10C) and it is distinguished by its fresh, rich taste. The harmonic coexistence of malt and hop defines its aroma from the brewer."

As many have already stated this is not an Octoberfest.

This a very European Pale Lager style beer. In American terms it looks and tastes similar to “the champaign of beers” - Miller High Life. Golden bright yellow. An uncomplicated, refreshing light lager. It has a bright white thick long lasting head which leaves distinct lace around the glass. Very light hop and mild malty sweetness. Clean, watery and refreshing. Good tight bubbly carbonation. Easy to drink in quantities. Down side, nothing interesting here--lacks flavor. Nothing about it would remind you of Greece, greek food or the Mediterranean. I do not recommend it with Greek food either particularly. This is a very commercial macro type beer. If you’re on a yacht in the Agean with a bunch of friends and you have to fill a cooler--this will do. Otherwise, not much to talk about.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 09:44:19 | More by surcorx

Mebuzzard

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A lilght gold/yellow pour, foaming head up to two fingers, but disapated quickly.
Smell of malt and rye are dominant. Some floral and hops, but not much.
Taste was thin, sweet, some biscuit and grain.
Thin feel, nothing complex. Better when very cold. Advise not pouring it and drinking out of bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2006 19:35:52 | More by Mebuzzard

bditty187

Nebraska

3.55/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pale, white-gold in hue with little sea-monkey things floating it in; is it yeast? Protein? What the hell is it? If I don’t look very closely I don’t see these things floating in it. Aw, nothing in beer can kill me so… Oh, anyway, the head was white foam, at the apex it was a solid two fingers tall. Solid head retention, a tight cap lasted the entire consumption, most impressive! The subsequent lacing was unorganized and fairly widespread. Aside from the sea-monkeys this beer looks quite nice.

The nose is classic Euro Lager. Sweet and earthy with “skunk-like” hop aromas, woody, grass and hay notes. I have to say this style of beer has really grown on me. When Euro Lagers are not lightstruck the hop profile is quite pleasant. Moderate potency, straightforward and likeable; I think this one might be a pleasant surprise!

The palate is malty sweet upfront, clean with just faint toasted bread and crackers vibe. This is a good foundation for the hop profile to jump off of. Earthy with grassy and hay notes; there is even a dash of lemon. I am surprised at how quickly this beer ends. There is almost no finish and only a weak, sweet aftertaste. All in all, this beer is just a simplest version of Heineken (canned or tap). It has struck a positive cord with me.

Medium-light in body, low and creamy carbonation, the mouthfeel is adequate but more carbonation and heft would have been preferred.

I found this very easy to drink. I wonder how much a six-pack costs? While I don’t think this beer is anything special nor do I think it would go all that well with Greek food I still liked it in the moment. I got my bottle in Council Bluffs, IA as part of a mixed six-pack of imported beers. I picked this beer because I thought it was from Argentina. Why that mattered at the time I don’t recall. Anyway, it is worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2006 13:49:45 | More by bditty187

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

2.58/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sun-washed pale gold with a light dusting of superfine particulates and a few flakes that looked much larger coming through the bottle neck. The cotton white cap is fairly tight and therefore lasts for a bit. What lace there is looks uncommitted to the cause.

First off, there's no way this beer is an Oktoberfest. I don't know what it is since I haven't done anything other than look at it, but as far as the stated style... think again. It smells like what it looks like... a Euro pale lager. By the nose at least, it isn't a particularly good one. Mildly musky, musty hops are the... yawn... focal point.

Yup, EPL all the way. The flavor is barely more interesting than the aroma. Vergina is lightly malted, with hops easily more prominent. However, their contribution, in terms of both flavor and bitterness, is minimal.

At least the finish contains some amount of bitterness and keeps the beer from being a total loss. The mild metallic notes of the first few ounces have faded, as they often do. For some reason, I'm finding that I like the beer more ('dislike it less' would be a much more appropriate phrase) as I go. At least there's no trace of the nastinesss that creeps into many a macro lager with warming.

I have no strong opinions about the mouthfeel. It's serviceable and that's about it. It's light (of course) with an appropriate feel to the carbonation.

Vergina is another in a long line of European pale lagers that does nothing whatsoever to distinguish itself. It might be better if drunk ultra-fresh, but then this sort of beer can only be so good. In any event, since I don't have any immediate plans to visit the Greek Isles, I'll never know for sure. My loss. And yours if you buy it stateside.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2006 14:39:59 | More by BuckeyeNation

SaCkErZ9

Florida

3.3/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I dont believe this is and octoberfest so I will review it as a Euro Pale Lager.

Nothing extraordinary about this beer. Pours a dark straw color with a nice head that seems to want to be there but has a hard time staying for the entire party. Leaves minimal to no lacing.

Typical lager aroma. Fairly malty with some adjuncts and little hop aroma. Sweet smelling.

Taste follows suit with aroma. Sweet tasting with nice carbonation. A bit earthy/grassy in flavor.

Good mouthfeel and pretty good drinkability. Enjoyed this with moussaka and untraditional Greek salad. Good beer with the food.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2005 18:53:06 | More by SaCkErZ9

67cuda

Colorado

2.38/5  rDev -14.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This beer poured a pale yellow color, with a decent white head that persisted for a while, contrary to my expectations. There is a lot of carbonation present, perhaps that's why the head stayed so long. It smelled rather malty, but that was about it, the smell really didn't seem very interesting to me. It smelled neither good nor bad, just kind of indifferent.. it was odd. The taste was a bit sweet, and really rather nondescript. It seemed like I could have been drinking *insert name of mass-market imported euro beer here*, that's how unimpressive it was. As for the mouthfeel, it seemed a bit watery, and a bit fizzy, likely due to all that carbonation. It was fairly drinkable, but I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for it, I was hoping a beer from Greece might taste unique in some way, but I was sadly mistaken. This beer is now classified as a euro pale lager, and not as Oktoberfest anymore. Good! :)

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2005 16:00:39 | More by 67cuda

Quaffer

Nevada

2.8/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: This beer poured a pale, golden yellow color. The white head rose up to a good three fingers and, surprisingly, lingered for a long time. Probably all-malt, eh? After it finally setted, a few thick patches of foam remained, which were being fed by some heavy streams of bubbles from the bottom of the glass. The head was sticky and a light web of lace was left behind on the side of the glass.

Smell: Some sweet grasses and malts right after the pour. However, after the beer sat for just a couple of minutes, the aroma became watery and thin. A hint of floral hops came through on the nose at this time, but it couldn't overcome the obvious nothingness.

Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied, crisp, and relatively smooth. It did become a little watery, but not as bad as I was expecting.

Taste: Very light, sweet grasses upfront that were quickly overpowered by a floral hoppiness. Well, overpowered might not be the right word, considering that the hops really had no power at all. It's all relative, I guess. That's all there was.

An Oktoberfest this is not.

I'm pretty sure that this was an adjunct-free, all-malt lager, there just needed to be more malt used. That said, I would drink this over a B-M-C product any day. This isn't usually the type of beer that I review, but I'd never had a Greek beer before so, what the hell. Plus, it's called Vergina . . .

. . . huh huh huh, I said Vergina.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2005 22:20:55 | More by Quaffer

brewQ

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev +26.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I don't believe this is a Marzen/Oktoberfest style.

However, I was plesantly surprised that it was a decent lager- thought maybe it was a novelty brew given the name...

Full head, fine bubbles, deep gold color.
Light hops and no Euro skunk aroma- fine.
Flavor- clean, just a touch grainy.
Ends up being very drinkable. I'd have it again with Greek American foods.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2005 14:32:36 | More by brewQ

ColoradoBobs

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

In a bottle at Pete's Greek Town Cafe in Denver, CO August 19, 2004
Best by date of September 9, 2004. Tried this because I wanted a Greek beer in a Greek restaurant. Tried to speak Greek with the manager -- he said I knew more Greek than he did.

A big, long-lasting, off-white head on a tan-amber beer. Smell of malt with a note of hops. Not much else here.

Taste is slightly sweet, almost sticky -- much rounder than I was expecting from a lager. Lots of carbonation. An okay beer -- don't go across town to get one, but if you happen to be in a Greek restaurant, give one a try.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2004 03:52:25 | More by ColoradoBobs

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.28/5  rDev -17.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

So there I was, perusing the local beer store tonight, after having failed to secure some Special Edition Yulesmith for a second time in as many days, my eyes wandered, I’m not one to leave a good Beer Store without at least purchasing one new beer.

Nope had that…, and that…, think I’ve tried that…, had that…, hmm not sure all these German bottle beers look the same….maybe next time, had th…..when Bham!! all of a sudden a Vergina leaped right out at me from the Cooler. This has only ever happened once before in a Beer Store, but that’s a story for another time. Intrigued I just had to have an immediate grope. Being your typical male, having a mental age of a 9 year old child and an affectionate fondness for Benny Hill – how could I not resist this one??

Comes (ooh…) in a 12 ounce brown glass bottle. A fancy metallic red v-shaped neck label has the words ‘Vergina Premium Imported Beer’. The main obverse label is a dark metallic blue with gold writing, it says, hmm not sure what it says, it’s all Greek to me. Has a white oval with a gold edge that has the words ‘Brewed in Greece – Finest Malt & Hops’. A red band runs through the middle, with yet more genitalian advertising of the beers name. Has the words 'Premium Quality Vergina", seems they can bottle anything these days. The crown cap has the word ВЕРГІΝA on it; hey I wonder if that is Greek for Vergina? If so, I *must* remember that…..

The reverse label has the usual Government Warning about having too many Verginas before driving and operating machinery, good advice. The back label has, damn!! It has a Best Before Date of 11-11-03, shite I missed that in the store, too busy looking at the front and not paying attention to the back end as usual! Oh well, looks like I got an Out of Date Vergina, Bloody Hell story of my life!!!!

Pours into my Pint Glass a clear golden color with plenty of streamers. The head is decent at first but it soon starts to go Commando and thins out, yet it retains a neatly trimmed and manicured appearance – it always has enough to cover the surface of the beer, just! Some lacing, but not much. Looks OK I guess, very “European Lager” in appearance. This has an incredibly bland nose, smells of sweetness and light malts. Tastes even blander. Sweet and Euro Lager like, it has an inoffensive profile that is nothing bad, just thin, watery and a tad sweet, gets sticky as it warms, hey just like…OK enough double-entendres. Drinkability is one notch below pond water; don’t even try double fisting this one, ooeerrr!

Aaaah, but if dear old Benny Hill was still alive, I’m sure this would appear in one of his sketches. Quite rightly so, because it’s a Joke, but the laughs on me because I bought it, that’ll teach me to grow up – oh maybe not.

So, overall, not much is going for it really, reminiscent of the words that ring in my ear from many a Friday Night out, or in the words of AB, “This Vergina’s not for you”. So Learn from History - Beware of Greeks bearing Vergina’s!!

Anyway, here’s raising my Vergina loud and proud in the face of Political Correctness!! Save this one for the Mediterranean vacation. This beer sucks, but in a nice way. ;-)

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2004 04:22:17 | More by TheLongBeachBum