Flying Horse Royal Lager - United Breweries - UB Group

Overlord

California

2.03/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

It was either this or Kingfisher with my Indian meal last night.

Pours a nice golden macro yellow. Gawd have I come to hate that color in beers. Surprisingly mild white foam head. Hmm...carbonation issues?

Smells slightly vegetable-y dank with some sweet grain notes. Taste is ... sweet grain, that weird vegetable dankness, and ... more sweet grain. Familiar corn-y content. For perhaps the first time I can recall, an adjunct lager was not carbonated sufficiently. Weird.

*sigh*

Not awful, not particularly memorable either, and I could have had a decent sixer for the price.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2009 18:04:15 | More by Overlord

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.53/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: 1 inch head, clear, straw yellow, medium carbonation.

Smell: grass and earth

Taste: grass and earth with a metallic taste as well

Mouthfeel: smooth, medium high carbonation, slightly bitter

Drinkability: This beer is good for what it is..an adjunct lager. It is drinkable and I could have a couple in a sitting. Not a bad beer for the style, nothing to go out of the way for either.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2009 18:49:31 | More by tigg924

Sheeeeeeep

Mississippi

2.78/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Almost unexceptional in comparison to it's peers, but the fruity aftertaste cuts through when drinking with it's intended cuisine. Indian.

Tasted a week ago at a Northern India/Pakistan restaurant. It replaced Taj Mahal, which I was not impressed with. Pairs better with the food. Ideal, similar to Dos Equis and Tex-Mex.

Drinkable alone, but if that's the case you can do better. But if you're having a curry, then your meal will benefit from this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 22:36:39 | More by Sheeeeeeep

merryjoulton

Arkansas

2.98/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Took this from a 22 oz. bomber into a pilsener. Pours a nice crystal clear light straw yellow with a wispy head and minimal lacing. Smells like superficial and light malt, the some citrusy notes, noble hops. Taste is just average. Not too much more than a mass produced lager. Mouthfeel is thin, drinkability isn't bad.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2009 08:39:22 | More by merryjoulton

BadBadger

New York

3.38/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Flying Horse Royal Lager is a descent beer to enjoy while dining on Indian Cuisine. Stand alone, I would not buy it off the shelf. It pours a nice golden color out of a 22oz bottle, with a moderately sized foamy head. Smell is somewhat yeasty. Taste is pleasant, with a crisp.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2009 18:28:46 | More by BadBadger

KeefD

Minnesota

2.83/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pale Yellow, with huge carbonation bubbles coming up keeping a firm cap on top of the beer that didn't last long. Aroma is very interesting. It's not quite skunked, but has some very herbal, earthy, and grassy aromas. There's also a certain toastiness to the nose. Flavor matches up with the nose. Some sweet honey like malts, cooked veggieness, with a dose of herbal earthy hoppiness. Not tasting much in the way of adjuncts such as corn. This is light to medium bodied, utterly drying and crisp. Fairly drinkable, but these particular flavors aren't really my thing.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2009 23:08:11 | More by KeefD

srandycarter

California

3.38/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Took a chance and ordered this one at a restaurant.

A - Clear light straw, small head, sudsy lacing.

S - Macro type smell of light malt and hops. Very subtle.

T - Taste follows smell. Fine enough, just not much there.

M - Average. Fairly thin.

D - Easy enough to drink, just not very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2008 17:30:58 | More by srandycarter

avalon07

South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. had a pale yellow color and a slightly cloudy texture. There was a decent amount of foamy head and some good lacing.

S: Didn't have a clearly defined smell, though there was evidence of hops and lemon.

T: Tasted like bitter hops up front, along with some lemon. When it finished, there was an unpleasant grainy quality to it. Other than that it was a typical lager: thin and simple.

M: Suprisingly vibrant amount of carbonation and a dry finish. Medium-bodied.

D: As lagers go, this one is decent. That doesn't make it a good beer. Some components of it were alright, but on the whole it was an uninteresting beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2008 14:22:36 | More by avalon07

Mcculler

Ohio

4.47/5  rDev +49%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance -- Poured into a pint glass a golden slightly hazy yellow with a moderate head that dissipated to a ring around the glass.

Smell - Vibrant nose with apple, pear, grass, nut, and mineral earthiness.

Taste -- repeats the nose, though I thought the taste would be far stronger given the former's vibrancy, but once I got over disappointed expectations, I realized that in fact, the taste is about an equal match of the nose, though perhaps the earthiness becomes more pronounced with a kind of unsweetened squash flavor -- not unpleasant -- coming through as the beer warms.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability -- nicely carbinated and a little thin -- perfect for the style and makes for a high drinkability. Great with food -- the spicy chips we had enhanced the beers pleasant and intriguing taste rather than masking it.

I'm not quite sure why this beer is rated so low -- my buddy and I split a bomber and found it an exceptional lager. Maybe another tasting will disappoint but this one was memorable.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2008 17:01:27 | More by Mcculler

Offa

California

3.63/5  rDev +21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a basic lager, but good and tasty.

Golden, it has a small-medium, dense white head that shrinks slowly to leave a little weak lace.

The aroma is light, with grain, apple, pear, and a hint of hay.

The taste is fairly sweet and malty with pear and grain as well as hints of apple and hay. This is offset with a light hoppy bitterness with faint light grass and apple peel. It has a faint, interesting, musty quality, as well. It's also clean and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2008 19:05:28 | More by Offa

gfreed

Massachusetts

1.78/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Split a bottle of this with a friend over a meal of spicy Indian food. Undistinguished pale yellow with a thin bubbly head and all kinds of carbonation. The latter is probably the best thing about this beer, as the fizz helps cut the spice in the food, just like seltzer water does. In fact, the body is akin to seltzer water, and the taste isn't far from that, either. I detected a bit of lemon and hay, plus some green vegetables in both the taste and the aroma. Not much else of interest in this one. I imagine this is best taken with food, as it doesn't have much flavor on its own and is suitable for rinsing before taking the next bite.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2008 11:53:11 | More by gfreed

DijonKetchup

California

2.15/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pour in a tulip glass from 22 oz bottle.

Appearance: Extremely light coloured with a 1" head which dissipated quite quickly.

Aroma: slight aroma hops that also seemed to magically disappear.

Taste: extremely light beer (ABV 4.6%), well carbonated, more malt than hops overall. A late bitterness on the back of the tongue. Somewhat lingering metallic flavours which are quite annoying. Blah.

Mouthfeel: very watery, seems typical for the Asian lagers.

Drinkability: due to the lingering bitterness and beery aftertaste which both stayed for a good half-hour, it can be ruled out as a session beer.

Comments: too bad I didn't have any spicy, curry-ladened foods to go along with this beer, as the annoying bitter aftertaste wouldn't dissipate on it's own. This was a gift, and I am glad that I didn't pay money for this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2008 01:01:37 | More by DijonKetchup

spointon

Illinois

3.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer at an authentic Indian restaurant - poured from a 22oz brown bottle into a pint glass.

A= =This lager poured a clear and pale golden color. Very little head and no lacing to speak of.

S= Faint, dry malts. Some minor sulfur in keeping with the style.

T= I found malt flavors, relatively dry and grainy. No hop biterness present.

MF= Crisp an clean. Light bodied, medium carbonation.

D= An ok macro style lager that paired well with spicy Indian food.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2008 07:03:51 | More by spointon

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.13/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Flying Horse Royal Lager Beer
22 oz brown bottle
MFD: 03/08 BATCH NO. 124-US
Served in a pilsner glass

Pours a golden yellow with a decent head on top leaving some trails of sticky lace on the sides of the glass. Mini carbonation bubbles race to the top of the glass.

Not much to speak about in terms of the nose - light whiffs of cereal and grains. Perhaps some hops mixed in there too.

The flavor is rather clean with the emphasis on cereal grain flavors. I like the carbonation level that prickles the tongue. The finish is provides a mini hop snap. A middle of the road lager that is quite drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2008 22:03:12 | More by Hibernator

orangemoustache

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This one pours a bright straw yellow with a tall slightly off-white head that retains suprisingly well and also leaves small amounts of lace.The nose is sweet with hints of corn and grains.The taste upfront is similar to the nose with malts controling the start,midway a nice shift to some slightly spicy hops blends with a earthy dryness that lasts longer than expected.The finish is semi burnt feeling(strange for such a light brew) and very dry.Unique,but not offensive or that interesting either.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2008 04:28:04 | More by orangemoustache

aquatonex

New York

3.23/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yet another Indian lager, but compared to most I'd rather drink this one.

Pours a pale yellow with a light foamy head of 2-3 fingers easily that quickly dissipates. Nose is not skunky, but not complex. Taste isn't skunky, either, and light but good. Reminds me of the Steel Rail of Indian beers. I could kick back a few large bottles without a problem.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2008 04:20:22 | More by aquatonex

shadow1961

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Flying Horse Lager pours a big stiff head over a clear
yellow brew. Carbonation is steady and constant, and
the nose is lager yeast and a bit of malt. the flavor is
slightly sweet light barley malt up front and a tint but of
some kind of hop in the finish. Really, really simple stuff,
but still and all, well made and refreshing. The mouthfeel
is crisp and clean, and that's about it. Only 4.5% alcohol,
this is a good brew for sessions, lawnmowing, watching
Cricket, eating curry, or summertime porch rocking. Good
stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2007 15:43:05 | More by shadow1961

mithrascruor

California

3.6/5  rDev +20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a clear, slightly pale gold color. Light, fluffy white head with minimal lacing.

Smell: Has a generic malty-sweet flavor. Better than in some other beers, but fairly typical and uninspiring.

Taste: Light, slightly-sweet malty flavor, with some grains and a bit more hops. Similar to your typical lager, but a bit sweeter.

Mouthfeel: Light-bodied but solid. Very minimal carbonation.

Drinkability: Thoroughly drinkable, both taste- and alcohol-wise. But not particularly inspiring.

Like many Asian lagers, this is best suited for drinking with food, in my opinion. While decent on it's own, it fails to impress me... Thus I will probably only have this again unless I'm at an Indian restaurant or something similar.

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2007 01:16:26 | More by mithrascruor

xav33

Michigan

1.78/5  rDev -40.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Flying Horse Royal Lager Beer
Half Liter bottle
Medium pour in a shaker
Recent brewing, consumed 01/07

Poured a clear straw golden with a medium sized white fizzy mostly diminishing head.

Smelt of moderate corn, some cheese.

Taste was upfront malt with a herbs and dough finish, albeit short lived. Palate was light bodied, watery and fizzy.

Overall, I tried this along with authentic Indian food at a local restaurant, Cafe Tandoori, and was a good compliment to the spicy food. By itself though, the flavors seemed a bit off(maybe due to an old bottle), like stale bread and cardboard.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2007 21:49:24 | More by xav33

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Had a bomber of this with my Indian dinner tonight

Pours golden/straw with 1" of white head. Zero lacing or head retention

S: Sweet malt & perfumy hops

T: Sweet malt & hint of herbal hops up front. A little grainyness & cardboard moves in as it warms. Finishes sweet & dry

MF: Low carbonation & light/medium body, skews too sweet balancewise

Drank below average, not sure I'd have this one again. Probably only if it was a choice between BMC & this & then it's more about princible than taste. Left about 4ozs in the glass, I usually never waste beer

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2007 04:49:33 | More by russpowell

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev +20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a large bottle (I think over 1 pint) and had with dinner at an Indian restaurant. It was completely clear, yellow color, thin white head (the head didn't retain). The smell was mild due to the style, more malty than hoppy. Flavor was mildly malty with a very slight bitter aftertaste.

It wasn't my favorite style of beer but it went well with the spicy Indian food we were eating. Same thing as drinking Kirin at a Japanese restaurant, it's just about right for the food.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2007 15:04:22 | More by TurdFurgison

ZAP

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

For the style this is decent enough....I get a slight bit of skunk on the nose but not on the taste....Pours a light gold with a little haze...big white frothy head....has a slight noble hop impression on the taste...spicier than a basic American Macro lager...crisp maltiness...a little dry on the finish...

I was given this sample and wouldn't consider buying it from a liqour store but at a restraunt I would certainly try it alongside some spicy food.

The more I drink this it gives a sourish flavor...

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2006 21:25:07 | More by ZAP

msubulldog25

Oregon

3.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer is on the menu for October 2006 at Mother's Bistro in Portland, OR (happy birthday to both Moms...). The theme of their specials this month is 'Indian', so the special import is Flying Horse Royal Lager. I thought it'd be worth a try - though not cheap at $7 for a 650ml bottle. Poured to a pint glass. Label has a cartoon image of Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek mythology.

A: Pale yellow and crystal clear with some steady carbonation. A one-finger rocky white head crowns the glass...

S: Hmmm...not much smell. Mild grains & malt...clean hops for some miniscule bittering. At least it's not off-smelling...

T: Decent flavor for the macro-styled beer. Gentle toasted grain and a hint of nuttiness. A touch bitter...nothing 'awful' & nothing 'exceptional'...I guess that makes it pretty 'average'...

M: Clean and crisp, light mouthfeel.

D: This beer must go with food, which is how I enjoyed it - I scored it slightly above average for that reason. My dinner was masala-spiced prawns and aromatic rice; the beer provided a nice clean backdrop on which to enjoy those flavors. I suppose I could have said the same about any of a number of macro lagers, still it was a novelty trying one from India and having it paired with Indian cuisine...though probably my first AND last Flying Horse, it was good enough for me on this night.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2006 19:44:30 | More by msubulldog25

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Bright yellow-gold with a sparse cloud of fine particles. The cap practically exploded off the bottle, but the amount of carbonation doesn't look to be out of the ordinary. A decent looking cap of simple white sits atop the beer and leaves a few arcing streamers of sudsy lace when it descends. More than passable.

As is the nose. Sure it's simple. Sure it's grain-like. It's also devoid of any off-aromas that would make me assign a less than average score. It smells more musky than many Indian lagers, but not exactly more hoppy. Although where musky would come from other than hops, I have no idea.

This is okay beer. It tastes similar to the two other offerings from this brewery that I've had (from what I can remember anyway). Lightly sweet grain countered by grassy, lightly spicy noble hops... you know the drill. Like the nose, there's no hint of nastiness, even as there's little hint of pleasantness. The finish is short and reasonably clean.

I didn't expect much on the body/mouthfeel front and that's exactly what I got. It's light without being watery and is carbonated well enough to keep the mouthfeel from feeling lackluster. In short, it's as unoffensive and as unremarkable as the rest of the beer.

As far as United Breweries beer goes, Flying Horse loses to Taj Mahal by a nose and finishes quite a few lengths ahead of Kingfisher. Like most beer from this country, I would never buy a bottle to enjoy on its own, but would have no problem ordering it in an Indian restaurant to douse the heat from a plate of vindaloo curry.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2006 13:07:42 | More by BuckeyeNation

RoyalT

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance – This came out a light yellow in color with an orangish tinge and a quick white head.

Smell – The grain is light and husky but not overly offensive.

Taste – The grain mellows at the taste and isn’t all that bad as far as American Macros are concerned. There’s a faint corny sweetness as well that, again, isn’t really that good but isn’t really that bad.

Mouthfeel – This is light-bodied with a nice crispness at the very end.

Drinkability – This was drinkable. Barely so, but drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-16-2006 02:59:28 | More by RoyalT