Kingfisher Premium Lager - United Breweries - UB Group

jettjon

Florida

3.35/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From a 12 oz green bottle with no date into a pilsner, it’s a pale gold color with plenty of carbonation. Thin white head fades quickly leaving a thin ring and no lace. Nose of pale malt and floral hops. In the flavor department, it features medium sweetish malt tempered by floral and citrus hops. Decent. Mouth of ful carbation; crispness helps bring out hops character. Drinkability is decent; it’s crisp and refreshing but not much to bring me back. It’s one and done for me.

Overall: Looks like a lot of the negative reviews on BA are older, leading me to believe that this beer was reformulated or QC has been improved. As sampled, it’s a competent Euro style pale lager, that looks, tastes, and smells good but isn’t anything special. I’d take this over a Heineken if that’s any sort of endorsement.

Note: The bottle stated that this beer is brewed in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2007 22:46:33 | More by jettjon

MisterE

Florida

3.35/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 ounce bottle brewed in Saratoga Springs NY, bought at Ward's Supermarket for $2.99

A: pours a clear pale yellow with a two finger head of fine bubbles

S: sweet, clean, herbal aroma - light citrus hops and faint whiff of roasted barley

T: subtle with nice balance - finishes with a dry, mild bitterness

M: gentle carbonation and a surprisingly full mouthfeel for a light lager

D: this one can go the distance

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2010 00:27:00 | More by MisterE

Hibernator

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer
12 oz green bottle
Jet ink #063107651503 on the front of bottle
Served in a 16 oz pilsner glass

Pours a golden yellow color. Very thin lace for a head.

Grainy sweet aroma. Slight hop detection. The nose reminds me of most European lagers.

Very clean and grainy taste. Grass, rice, barley and corn flavors mostly with a slight hop snap on the finish. A rather neutral tasting beer that would probably work well with a variety of different foods.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2005 19:11:49 | More by Hibernator

Finite

Australia

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Golden, little to no head or retention and only a tiny bit of lacing. Large bubbles.

Smell: definite citrus hop character maybe a little grassy too. Some malt there too but the hops are strong in the smell.

Taste/ Mouthfeel: Quite nice citrus or piney hops character a little oily on the palate heavy carbonation but finishes quite smooth and oily with some nice malts balancing out.

Drinkability/Overall: Not a bad brew. Would go down a real treat with some butter chicken on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2006 07:19:23 | More by Finite

JEdmund

Kansas

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance
Pours a light straw yellow, very similar to most mainstream lagers. Decent inch head that levels out within a few minutes. Small amount of bubbles fizzing thoughout body.

Aroma
A little fruity (strangely, banana) and malty

Taste & Mouthfeel
Light and fruity, with that banana aroma coming though on the palate. Mouthful turns foamy quickly when swishing around for flavor. It has at least some character of flavor, unlike so many other lagers I've had. It's not bad, but not really my preference.

Overall
This is the "World's Number 1 selling Indian Lager" according to the label, however, it's produced in New Jersey. It has a mild, somewhat pleasant taste. But it still has too much banana fruit flavor coming through, and I would forgo this in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2008 21:05:56 | More by JEdmund

cvstrickland

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12-ounce bottle poured into a shaker pint glass yields a clear golden body with a trickle of active carbonation, capped with a thin white head that quickly recedes to a sheet that leaves a few flecks of lacing.

Smell is nice and malty with a sting of herbal, floral hops.

Taste is malty-sweet with a nice dose of earthy, citrusy hops. The finish is a touch bitter and a bit dry with a metallic note.

The drink is crisp and light medium-bodied, and is very drinkable and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2008 22:48:27 | More by cvstrickland

Offa

California

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is a decent pale lager, fairly basic but slightly more hoppy and characterful than many similar basic macros.

Deep gold, it has a thin white head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lace.

The aroma is a standard, fairly good pale lager but slightly on the fuller side with sweet, fruity grain, hints of sulphur and grass.

The taste is similar, fruity sweet grain with light but noticeable grassy, faintly herbal bitterness. It's slightly on the heavier side for the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2009 17:32:38 | More by Offa

Liverpool08

Massachusetts

3.33/5  rDev +20.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a bright yellow with a good white head. Not much aroma, a little malt and metal smell. Taste is crisp and a bit bitter, a metalic twang to it. Not bad, actually adds a little to this otherwise very average lager. Its easy to drink and goes fine with Indian or Chinese food. It is what it is.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2010 03:51:27 | More by Liverpool08

Todd

Massachusetts

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

Presentation: 12 oz bottle, served at this Indian restaurant (forgot the name) on Mass Ave., Boston. "Most thrilling chilled!", the label shouts.

Appearance: Light golden with tiny bubbles, yielding a thin fizzy head.

Smell: Semi-sweet with a distinct yeast aroma.

Taste: The malt gives this a slight grainy taste which is followed by a refreshingly high lemon flavour and sour bitterness. Wonderful use of hops in this brew.

Notes: There was a card on the table that went into some interesting detail of this brew. I wrote it down, and it goes as follows: "A time when a strong, smooth beer was needed to quench the thirst and beat the heat in Hindustan, India [snip] ... high gravity lager is kept in copper urns for over 2 months. Copper stimulates the yeast and imparts its flavour in the beer."

Serving type: bottle

03-06-1998 00:00:01 | More by Todd

Jason

Massachusetts

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

12 oz green twist off bottle with no freshness date, says it is brewed in NY state … Indian beer brewed in the US, go figure. Pale yellowish golden clear brew with a decent white lace.

Light metallic aroma, with a clean hop and grain in the back.

Light to moderate body with a lower than normal carbonation for a lager. Oily hop flavour hits first then some grainy malt, grassy in a way but clean none the less. Clean palate, more herbal hop flavour hits in the dry finish.

I guess the one thing and thing only that saved this beer is that it is brewed in the US and not India. Still a mediocre brew, I would not turn it down if someone offered it to me.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2002 20:24:59 | More by Jason

jaluria

Connecticut

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

It's got the look of a great beer without the taste. Somewhat bland and rather generic in it's overall taste. It pours a golden color with intense carbonation. Not much to detect scent-wise. The taste is more like a medium-bodied pilsener. Nothing extraordinary or overtly complex. It goes down smoothly, but not very enjoyable. I wouldn't have more than 2 of these in one sitting, but it does pair nicely with Indian food and it's a summer beer because of it's hoppy presence.

Serving type: on-tap

09-15-2005 18:46:55 | More by jaluria

LPorter33

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Drank this stuff like water during my 10 days in India. It's not bad. Has an entertaining sweetness to the malt that makes a welcome appearance towards the end of the taste spectrum. Good drinkability and above average taste for a macro lager. Reminds me of PBR. It's probably the best beer you'll find in the country.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2006 12:10:54 | More by LPorter33

PatrickJR

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into nonic pint glass.

A - Golden/yellow, clear, with a one finger head that settles rapidly, no lacing.

S - Biscuity aroma with a touch of spicy hops. Slightly sweet.

T - Not too bad actually. A sweet biscuit-like taste heads things up with a lemony, slightly sour taste late palate. Some hop spiciness prevails, though faint.

M - Moderate carbonation with a light, almost medium body. Much like a blonde ale.

D - Not a bad macro lager all in all. I was pleasantly surprised by this offering.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2008 01:30:16 | More by PatrickJR

LittleCreature

Australia

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - 3.5
Poured a nice, foamy, domed white head that reduced over a light straw coloured body with lots of bubbles.

Smell - 3.0
Dry and clean, light husk and grain, grassy hops.

Taste - 3.0
A clear step above most macro lagers in that there is real hop bitterness. Dry, crisp and refreshing, would go well with most curries, although not nearly as well as an IPA (IMO). Clean with mostly grain flavour, grassy hops giving a pleasantly bitter finish.

Mouthfeel - 3.5
Light and crisp.

Drinkability - 4.0
Seriously sessionable, the bitterness gives it an edge over pretty much any macro lager you care no name.

OVERALL - 3.25
It's not complex, it doesn't have a great deal of flavour, but then pale lagers should not anyway. Exceeded my expectations, definitely one of the better macro lagers.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2009 12:43:49 | More by LittleCreature

brentk56

North Carolina

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a clear pale golden color with a rocky white head that fades pretty quickly, leaving the occasional dot of foam on the side of the pint glass

Smell: I avoided the skunk, fortunately, and pick up a herbacious and grainy aroma

Taste: Bready, up front, with a balanced herbacious, grainy bitterness blending with the malt as I swirl the liquid around my mouth; after the swallow, the bitter hop flavor hangs around well after the swallow, but the grainy aspect is not particularly welcome

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: OK to quaff, but not something to sit back and contemplate; probably pairs well with Indian food

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 21:06:25 | More by brentk56

thekanna

Maryland

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Pale yellow with a decent 2 fingers of head. Very typical of a lager.

S: Faint whiff of yeasts and not much else. Overall a clean scent.

T: A somewhat sweet malty body punctuated by stings of hop bitterness. The hops mainly resound near the beginning, and add an interesting element to an otherwise very typical adjunct macro-lager.

M: Creamy body with a crisp and refreshing end.

D: I'll probably order this again the next time I go for Indian food... it goes nicely with and generally provides a break from the rich and spicy Indian curries.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2009 04:52:52 | More by thekanna

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Had this on 2010-12-06 from a ~22 oz bottle at the Milan Indian Restaurant in Lynchburg, VA

A - Very clear gold with a big white head. Lot of bubbles

M - Not much. Maybe a little mild grain.

T - Surprisingly good. It had a light grain taste that was a little tart and sweet with a noticeable amount of hops to round it off. It dried very quickly. Tasted fresh.

M - Light body and high carbonation with a very crisp feel.

D - Perhaps I'm prejudiced due to my travels to India but this brew certainly complimented my spicy Indian meal. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2010 17:22:51 | More by Tucquan

IronLover

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Golden yellow in color with a deep haze. Poured with a fizzy white foam that quickly disappeared without much of any lacing. Grainy malt and grassy aromas with very light hop character. Medium bodied with fizzy carbonation. Earthy, grainy malt flavor with grassy undertones from beginning to emd with light bitter hop character from the middle to the finish.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 03:18:22 | More by IronLover

hotstuff

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured a small white head that contained small-medium sized bubbles.The body was clear and there was no lacing with this beer.This beer's nose was hoppy.There is nothing very special about this beer in my opinion.I found it to have a somewhat of a bitter taste to it and it is a beer that went down rather smoothly.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2003 19:28:54 | More by hotstuff

zymurgy4all

New York

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Overall a regular lager. Slight hint of hops in aroma, pours a clear yellow. It tastes a little bit of hop flavor and nice balance of bitterness to the malts. Nothing special about this lager, but I wouldn't mind having it on tap in Bangalore, India. Leaves a hint of hops in aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2007 04:49:00 | More by zymurgy4all

lowbrau

Wisconsin

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pale, straw colored with a moderate white head. Nothing remarkable.

Smell: Faint, vegetable like smell with a slight skunkyness.

Taste: Very sweet with little hop character. Appropriately carbonated with residual sweetness in the finish. A little skunky.

Not a beer I would normally buy, but it went well with matter paneer and some garlic naan.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2008 18:33:05 | More by lowbrau

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had been jonesing for some vindaloo all week, and finally found myself at the recommended Toronto curry house. This was the only "Indian" beer available, according to the smiling host. Hot day, hot food, why not...

This beer pours a clear, light straw colour, with two fingers of somewhat creamy white head, which leaves spotty lace as it recedes. It smells of husky white grain, and acrid grassy hops. The taste is sweet white rice/corn grain, and mildly skunky, metallic hops. The carbonation is average, the body is decently heavy for the style, and it has a bitter, slightly sweet finish.

Nothing stellar, it is what it is, and what it is, is, good with head-expanding Indian spice. Or so my curry-racked brain seemed to think.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 03:55:02 | More by biboergosum

dylanrossi

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pale brassy yellow and transparent. Good deal of carbonation and lasting lacing.

Smell: Metallic and malty, not much in the way of hops.

Taste: Initially grainy and a bit metallic, much like the aroma. Finishes surprisingly hoppy. Initial taste lingers on the palate and puts quite a damper on the hop character, which would make for a clean and pleasant finish.

Mouthfeel: Very light body. Lively and crisp.

Overall: Surprisingly nice use of hops, could be made that much better with more pronounced hops and a cleaner finish. As for mass-produced lagers though, you could do a lot worse.

Serving type: on-tap

06-28-2011 21:45:08 | More by dylanrossi

kbub6f

New York

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

A small, white, bubbly head sits on the clear, clear gold beer. Just a touch ambery. Sweet corny nose with some sugary sponk. Major corn in the front. A little spicy... maybe even cinnamon. Middle is tangy with major sweet corn sugar. Some nice bitterness in the end with some grainsy crackers. It's not bad. The hops save it in the end from being completely nondescript.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2005 21:08:18 | More by kbub6f

jaz58

Ontario (Canada)

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

An ok lager to my palete. Yellow gold in the glass with a frothy head which disapatted very quickly. Slight lemon lime nose. The beer had a crisp taste yet there are far more lagers with more flavour and crispness. Has anyone had it with indian fare? Would it standout with butter chicken or tikka masala? I'll have to find out and get back to you.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2008 03:03:30 | More by jaz58