Kingfisher Premium Lager - United Breweries - UB Group

dvb

Washington

1/5  rDev -63.9%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Poured into a pilsner glass from a bomber.

A - Palest fizzy yellow beer I have ever had. I fantasized for a moment that I might be looking at a really nice pilsner. This turned out to be more of a pipe dream.

S - I don't recall any.

T - Not much of anything here. Just barely tastes like a malt beverage. More soapy bitterness than anything else. Truly awful.

M - Thin and astringent. Unpleasant.

D - Not at all drinkable. Not even my wife, who usually will drink the things that I can't deal with, could appreciate this stuff. Roughly 19 of the 22 ounces went down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2010 03:00:58 | More by dvb

cyrenaica

Ontario (Canada)

1.08/5  rDev -61%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

330ml bottle
4.8% ABV
I tried this beer on September 4, 2007 after purchasing it from my local LCBO. This was one of the worst beers I have ever tasted. It poured into the glass smoothly with a small white head. The colour was a translucent gold with TONS of effervescence. The aroma was putrid...too much like budwesier. The mouthfeel was very thin and watery, none of the carbonation as seen in the glass. The taste was very reminiscent of North American pale lagers as well...

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2007 03:02:35 | More by cyrenaica

Tresha

1.15/5  rDev -58.5%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

This beer is lucky. While it tastes pretty bad compared to any craft beer, it is the most popular and most available beer in India. The colour is pale golden, and always served very very cold. Almost get a head freeze! Very very carbonated and will keep you gassy and burping (not to mention pissy) for a long time. Goes well with Indian food - most lagers go well with spicy food. Gets warm very soon and tastes terrible when at room temperature (undrinkable actually!)

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 10:56:40 | More by Tresha

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

1.2/5  rDev -56.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

After a sip, had to wash out my mouth. Even after toothpaste, terrible taste remained. Not a good ambassador. Looks like watered down beer, dry, bitter, thin with awful carbonation. Maybe grass and hops, thin. Goodbye beer, hello drain. Useful for inducing nausea.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2004 03:25:45 | More by northyorksammy

Dogbrick

Ohio

1.23/5  rDev -55.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

This is really not a good beer at all. Weak yellow color with virtually no head or effervescence. No aroma. Insipid, uninspired dry grass flavor. I poured most of this one out.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2002 09:45:24 | More by Dogbrick

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

1.27/5  rDev -54.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Reviewed from notes.

Poured into a weizen glass (my only clean glassware at the time), appears straw yellow with a fading collar of white foam, presents a very strong cooked corn aroma combined with a medium skunked aroma...tastes like a helping of overcooked corn and gym socks on a slab of wet moldy cardboard. Light body, but I didn't get too far into it before pouring the rest of it down the drain. If this is what they consider "premium," I shudder to think what the normal version would be like.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 22:32:44 | More by WastingFreetime

n0rc41

California

1.38/5  rDev -50.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

ok, well this is my third review of a "beer of the world" 12 pack I got for christmas, I will say one thing F thats its. if you want to read my review after hearing that. here goes...

Serving=bottle
Appearance= bottle was green kinda skunky, biscuit, metal, just crap in overall.

Smell= Was like a cheaper beer, your keystone, coors, skunky beer smell.

Taste= plain taste, no palate excitment at all. little metal, corn, taste to it.

Mouthfeel= dull, no flavor, just metal corn, no real hoppy flavor taste at all....

Undrinkability= just that, its water, go drink it if you like bud light, coors light, keystone, ect....my opinion, F stay AWAY NOT A GOOD BEER. (unless you like those beers then this is for you. everyone likes different beer. to each his own) like I said this just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2009 11:19:31 | More by n0rc41

twiggamortis420

Texas

1.38/5  rDev -50.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

12 oz green bottle without a freshness date. Pours a very clear, medium yellow color with a fizzy white head that shows a bit of retention, but not much lacing.

Nose is a bit lightstruck at first, but then some Honeycomb cereal comes out along with a bit of acetone. Not all that great.

Taste is not very good, to say the least. Sweetness mixed with a bite that does not seem to be hop oriented, like a green banana peel. The nail polish remover flavor and smell is making this very tough to drink. And come to find out my bottle is not even brewed in India. Quoth an old Pace commercial: "New York - that really chaps my hide". Either way, this is a very poor lager and very serviceable...as a drain pour.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2010 17:40:41 | More by twiggamortis420

jdhilt

New Hampshire

1.5/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Brewed by Kingfisher Brewing Co. in Saratoga Springs and they get technical supervision from United Breweries in Bangalore, India. This is too far away to make any difference and this native brew is pale as old Harry, skunky smell, good head but bland taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2002 17:15:41 | More by jdhilt

Brad007

Vermont

1.5/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a mild yellow/near amber color with a head that recedes fast. Aroma is mainly sweet with hints of adjunct. Taste is sweet and grainy with almost nothing more on the tongue. Nothing impressive here. A strange bitterness at the back of the tongue as well.

I have to say that I've had better versions of this style. Worth a try though but not worth $2.00 a 12oz bottle.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2007 23:47:13 | More by Brad007

KeefD

Minnesota

1.5/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1

Pours a hazy yellow color with an off-white head and little lacing. SKUNKTIFIED!!! Geez, I've never had a more skunky smelling beer. It can be smelled from 5 feet away. YUCK. I can't really taste anything while drinking it because the skunk smell is so awful. There some slightly sweet male malts and a very light hopping, but hops are evident, slightly herbal and earthy. Mouthfeel is crisp and dry. I really don't know how old this bottle is, but it doesn't matter. Why do breweries insist on still using green bottles? This is as close to a drain pour as they come. A few more sips and it may be going down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2008 17:49:14 | More by KeefD

Vdubb86

Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Served in a pint glass

This is beer #8 for Swill Fest 2010

The appearance is of a pale golden swill lager. Clear and no head to speak of. The aroma is a mix of dirty weed and body odor. I'm not sure of where the sugars come from, but it scares the hell out of me. The taste is of hints of spice mixed with human excrement. This is swill in the highest regards. There is so much unnecessary bitterness that it's hard to consume. Essential the taste is of unlaundered gym socks. The mouthfeel goes to the wayside due to the nastiness. It is undrinkable for me, period!

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 21:32:35 | More by Vdubb86

JoLight

Georgia

1.5/5  rDev -45.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Golden in appearance, with a soapy white head, which does not retain at all.

It smells like spoiled hops, very light toasted malt, but has an overshadowing aroma of garbage. No seriously, garbage.

The taste profile is super light. I believe this has as much flavor as most light beer. (And I'm not hating on light beer. But for full-flavored beer, this is disappointing.) There is some very light toasted barley malt, and light hops. But all over, it's just very bland and spoiled-tasting.

I'm not a picky drinker, nor do I look for the worst in beers or criticize them to any great degree. But I have to say, this is one of the worst beers I have ever tasted.

God-awful, really.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 02:33:30 | More by JoLight

Mebuzzard

Colorado

1.53/5  rDev -44.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Well, my first beer in India. Pale yellow color, much akin to Bud or Coors. Fizzy head, very thin. A bit cloudy.
Straw, malt, old socks and wet leather make up the faint aroma.
Taste was also faint, which is actually a good thing. Most of the flavor is tied up in wet malt, semi sweet, and a bit like corn.
Thin feel, a bit of fizz at the end. Since the flavors are weak, it makes drinking it a bit easier.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2008 18:09:59 | More by Mebuzzard

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

1.55/5  rDev -44%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Appearance - Came in a green pry off bottle, with a bird logo and a suggested drink date on the bottle. Pours with a finger and a half of creamy albeit air filled head but it does not lace, nor sustain itself whatsoever. The beer itself is a crystal clear pale yellow color that I would expect from a light beer. There are few signs of carbonation on this one.

Smell - Immediate powerful skunk that will not clear. It's so bad, my mom caught a whiff of it from the next room. What I am getting is a slight honey smell with a touch of sweet corn but it's vastly overpowered by the skunk. The only reason I'm not giving it a 1 is that it was probably stored incorrectly. That and it doesn't smell outright hazardous (see my review of Steam Whistle Pilsner) although I think I'm being generous.

Taste - Starts out tasting literally like water that corn was boiled in, then turns to a light kick of earthy hops and then finishes with a touch of honey that is overpowered by a plastic like taste. The hops are the only thing that saves this trainwreck.

Mouthfeel - The beer isn't that bad drinking it, but frankly the low carbonation is the only thing that makes this beer tolerable, which isn't saying much. The beer leaves a dry plastic feeling in your mouth, and while it doesn't build as you drink, it does linger. Also points get deducted for the complete lack of head.

Drinkability - The most redeeming quality, this beer goes down smooth and is easy on the stomach. It's refreshing, as expected because it is watered down. That being said, this isn't a light beer, because frankly that's what the beer drinks like despite it's alcohol content. Also the other factors conspire to make this beer intolerable.

Edit: I also seemed to have developed a fierce headache about 4 minutes after finishing this beer, and the aftertaste still hasn't gone away.

Final Thoughts - It is rare that I find a beer that leaves me saying "I'd rather have a Bud Light" but this beer does it. The worst part is, you wouldn't think something with so little flavor could give off that kind of skunk. There is no way I would drink this beer again, or recommend it to anyone. If an Indian restaurant offers you this beer, say you'd rather have water.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2009 03:19:42 | More by TheHammer

TMoney2591

Illinois

1.55/5  rDev -44%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Lucky number seven during Swill Tour 2010. The pour results in a pool of clear jaundice topped by some healthy white suds. The nose is like my brother's crappy incense, with some corn syrup and patchouli in the background. What incense, you ask? One of those bad combinations, like Jamaican Dread Sweat or Caribbean Jerked Taint. It is that bad. The taste is rotten wheat. Hookers fresh out of the tattoo chair. Vinyl and rubber burning alive, the victims of some crazed Saw-like serial killer's maniacal machinations. Terrible. I prefer the Olde English. The body is, natch, very light, with a light carbonation and a feel not unlike the forces amassed against Clive at Plassey (look it up...I'm pretty sure they were vicious). India ought to taste better. Seriously, even a lot of curry would make this taste better. Maybe this beer was aged to zombified perfection.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2010 21:17:07 | More by TMoney2591

Mistofminn

Minnesota

1.6/5  rDev -42.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Ok, this was by far the low point of my foriegn beers this past weekend. It was the only drainpour of the bunch, sadly.

The highlight of this beer is the appearance. Hazy golden with a light copper tint, a large white creamy head with decent retention that leaves some nice lacing. It's all down hill from here folks...

The nose isn't that bad, it's just there is literally nothing going on. It's hard to pick up anything, really, but I can detect some sweet malts and other adjuncts.

The taste is just awful. I suspect this isn't fresh by any stretch of the imagination..as it's musty and sweaty, like it was brewed with wet swamp grass or something.

Mouthfeel is overcarbonated and very light, and drinkability is nothing great.

Just not my cup of tea. Maybe not the freshest bottle, but I can't see this being a good beer regardless.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2009 10:06:54 | More by Mistofminn

Traquairlover

Virginia

1.63/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

On tap into a pilsner glass in the lounge of the Windsor Bangaluru Hotel in Bangalore, India.

Oh my goodness, where to begin? This was really horrible swill.

A = Clear straw color with white foamy head, fair carbonation. Looked just fine for a macro lager.

S = This smelled nothing like beer. It had a sickening sweet smell like corn syrup and not much else that I could detect.

T = The taste was even worse than the smell, the sweet corn syrup smell was present in the taste but so was an unpleasant bitterness and some really off pungent sewage tastes (at least it's what I would imagine sewage tastes like).

M = Although it looked light and thin in the glass as I would want from a nice light, crisp lager, this actually felt kind of thick in my mouth. The difference between what I expected based on the style and the actuality was a real turn off.

D = I would not under any circumstances order another one, though I might be willing to try a bottle and see if there was simply a problem with it on tap where I had it (though the lines on the Bud seemed fine, so I do not think that was the problem).

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2007 15:44:22 | More by Traquairlover

RoyalT

Ohio

1.68/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance – Clear light yellow in color with a white head that foamed up big and laced well.

Smell – Grainy skunk hides the hint of hops in this nose.

Taste – The skunk is complimented by sour fizz, making it difficult to drink AND to smell.

Mouthfeel – The cheap, fizzy carbonation make this thin, light-bodied ale feel horrible in the mouth.

Sinkability – Yes, this is going down the drain.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2003 23:20:18 | More by RoyalT

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

1.68/5  rDev -39.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Green bottle, 330ml, best before Sept 2007, drank 1st Feb 2007.

This Kingfisher was brewed under licence by Sheppard Neame (of Spitfire fame), the UK version is 4.8%, but you would never guess it.

Very light in colour, a pale golden yellow, as most lagers are, so appearance is OK. The white head just disappeared in my 0.4 litre Berliner Kindl straight sleeved glass, by wifes, which was poured into a Hoegaarden Grand Cru glass, stayed longer and the neck around the edge of the glas stayed until she finished the beer. Maybe my manly odours killed the head on my glass.

Lagers don't have great aroma's, well I don't think so, anyway. This one smells dry and boring.

The taste is also dry and boring, might be fine with a curry, but as a stand alone drink, it is poor.

What mouthfeel? There is no taste for a mouthfeel to be reviewed, all that was left after each drink was desire to have a beer, and stop drinking this.

I still have 2 of this 4 pack left, I hope someone I don't like visits soon.

New Bit:
Had on-tap at an Indian Curry House (Dec 2011), a lot better when taken with a hot dish, as I intimated in my original review. Not altered the scores, just letting anybody/everybody know it isn't as bad as my score indicates!

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2007 21:40:26 | More by BlackHaddock

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

1.7/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Kind of an odd one here I think. It's got what strikes me as a couple of noticeably offputting characteristics.

Looks like a glass of ginger ale once it's poured, maybe slightly more yellow. Crystal clear and a steady parade of small bubbles - bright and cheery if nothing else. Rough white head that disappears almost immediately, no lacing.

It flat out smells soapy. I kid you not. Head down to the laundry room, grab a fistful of laundry soap and inhale. Now whistle back up to your beer and inhale. Laundry soap. Weird.

Not real strong in the taste department either. Some hops and a odd fruity taste like some manner of chewing gum. Bitter hop finish.

Doesn't work for me. The smell of clean laundry is a wonderful thing - but not in your beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-08-2003 00:19:23 | More by TerryW

Gusler

Arizona

1.78/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

The beer pours a crystal clear gold color, the head brilliant white, average in size with a frothy consistency with fair lace to coat the glass. Malt nose, the start is slightly sweet, top cadaverous, finish is bitingly acidic, sparsely hopped, dry aftertaste. Not much to redeem this beer in my eyes and palate, but “One person’s trash is another’s treasure”.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2002 10:43:50 | More by Gusler

avalon07

South Carolina

1.78/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Poured from a green bottle (?!) with a twist off top (?!) to a pint glass. Had a light yellow color and a very thin texture. There was almost no head or lacing.

I smelled some hops and a really faint citrus odor here.

This beer has a very watery taste. The hops were muted and there was a faint taste of lemon, but not enough to make a difference.

Not much carbonation here. A decent finish, though nothing to write home about. Blah mouthfeel.

This isn't an especially drinkable beer. Essentially, it's just macro swill with no personality. I only tried it to see what a beer from India was like.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 14:33:54 | More by avalon07

mithrascruor

California

1.78/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

22 oz. bottle poured into a mug.

Appearance: Pours a clear golden-straw color with some visible bubbles and a white head 1-finger thick that soon reduces to a small bubly foam.

Smell: Skunk. Seriously. I smelled it when I opened the bottle... hoped it wasn't coming from this, but it was. There's also a bit of light malt/corn aromas coming off of this.

Taste: Very little flavor, but the finish and aftertaste is generally skunk and some malty sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Decent medium-bodied feel and pretty smooth, with light tingly carbonation.

Drinkability: Too skunked.

I don't know if this had just been sitting on the shelf too long, or what. This particular bottle was brewed and bottled in NY; I usually don't have this skunk issue with domestically brewed beer, though. Despite being so skunked, the skunk isn't quite as obnoxious as it is in some other beers.

I've had Kingfisher before in Indian restaurants in both the US and the UK, and never had a problem. I suppose that Indian restaurants have a faster turn-over rate for this beer, hence it being fresher there. So, if you want to try this, have it in an Indian restaurant! But really, if you want an Indian beer, get Flying Horse instead.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2009 22:39:29 | More by mithrascruor

JudgeRoughneck

Louisiana

1.8/5  rDev -35%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Appearance- The beer is dingey yellow, with no head, and lots of carbonation.

Aroma- There is none to speak of.

Taste- This beer is sickly-sweet w/ overpowering berry fruit esters. A tart green apple rides the very cidery finish. This is one funky lager. I work at a restaurant that sells this and people seem to like it but as a BA, I can't bring myself to push it.

MF- grippy, stingy

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2007 04:43:57 | More by JudgeRoughneck