Presidente Light - Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.8/5  rDev +56.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pop the tab and pour a pale golden brew sporting a one and a half finger head of massive white bubbles. This shows great retention, leaving chunks of patterned lacing around the glass as it slowly recedes. Carbonation appears robust, and there is a chill haze to the beer, but no sediment. The nose is adjuncty and chalky, yet juicy with fresh grass and lemon sourness. There is an odd plastic phenol character, which deepens any bitterness from the flour and corn from the grain. Our first impression is that the flavoring is light as expected, but not overwhelming in one direction or the other. As we sip, water, the palest malts, and light caramel sweetness start things off. As adjuncty as the nose was we are really surprised to see such a genuinely malty, more refined flavoring. The middle peaks and we actually do get a glimpse of that floury, adjuncty grain, but it is hidden within water, mineral, and baker’s yeast. The finish is more of the same, with supreme dilution of flavoring. The aftertastes breathes of water, mineral, yeast, coin, and general citric bitterness. The body is lighter, and the carbonation is even. Each sip has decent slurp and pop, while the mouth is left astringently dried, with a slick dryness down the palate and tongue. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was that while it was so light, it was able to maintain a nice flavoring for most of it. It is a surprisingly drinkable beer, given the track record of the brewery it comes from. For the style it was certainly above par in all departments, with the exception of aroma, which retained an overly adjuncty quality, and made the beer less inviting from the start.

Serving type: can

08-18-2012 19:25:50 | More by TheBrewo

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

2.85/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Presidente Light is a near perfect looking lager: shimmering golden with a clear complexion, lively bubbles and a tall mound of cottony, white head (the lacing of which looks like broken down pieces of bone). Good looks, however, especially when it comes to lagers, means nothing. Let's see how the rest of it fares...

The nose surprisingly showcases a bit of the bready scent of actual malt. The sheer sweetness of it, however, is cause for alarm; if it's this sweet at less than 5 degrees Celsius, there's no telling what unpleasantries might come once this loses its chill. (Note: warming brings more mineral-y notes than adjuncts. This should be bearable.)

Usually when it comes to light lagers, especially Latin American ones, corn syrup and other unpleasant adjuncts are so implicitly part of the story that they barely require mention. In this case, however, surprisingly, they don't warrant much mention because, frankly, they aren't much noted. This is (relatively speaking) a clean drinking lager.

Presidente Light doesn't have a ton of flavor, but to be fair, the brewery can't be expected to offer up something this style just doesn't have. Again, I'm more concerned with what flavors it doesn't have (i.e., corn syrup, chemicals or rice patties). While the grain tasted most certainly resembles corn, it's moderate and agreeable.

Like most light lagers, I found this as deeply unsatisfying as waiting for a bus in the rain, but that's just me and my tastes. I will concede, however, that President Light is more acceptable than most and actually makes a decent workaday lager. I can't speak from experience, but I'd bet there are worse beers to stuck with on a beach in the Caribbean...

Serving type: can

05-13-2012 18:57:24 | More by biegaman

DaveHS

California

1.53/5  rDev -37%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

A-Pours corn yellow with an inch of foamy brilliant white head. Coats the glass with rings of thin, pasty lacing.

S-Whoa. Not good. If you were to eat a large pepperoni pizza, wash it down with a gallon of orange juice and then puke it all up, this is what it would probably smell like. Harsh stomach acid stench, green apple, corn. Borderline offensive.

T/M-Just a whole lot of nothing. Watery macro piss. Fermented corn juice. Light bodied with very low carbonation and almost no discernable flavor profile.

O-Hell no.

Serving type: can

07-30-2011 01:00:27 | More by DaveHS

nrbw23

Ohio

2.3/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Pours a crystal clear gold color with a thin white head. Picture any of the BMC beers and this is it.

S- Light grains and corn are about all.

T- Not a whole lot here going on. A lot like all the BMC brews. Corn and grains and super light faint soapy hops.

M- Light in body and good amount of carbonation.

O- When I was in the Dominican Republic my beer choices were this or Miller High Life, so I went with this.

I have no idea if they're any real differences between the light and regular version. Drank them both and everything was pretty much the same.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2012 19:26:12 | More by nrbw23

RonaldTheriot

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +74.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Presidente Light has a medium, fluffy, white head, some lacing, and a clear, somewhat bubbly, golden appearance. The aroma is faint, but one can detect, with deep inhalations, sweet barley malt and a touch of avocado. The flavor is light, of course, but sweet bread and a shade of hop bitterness shows up. The mouthfeel is light and watery, and Presidente Light finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, mostly dry, and imminently drinkable. If there is such a thing as a perfect light beer, this could be it.

RJT

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2012 15:54:40 | More by RonaldTheriot

ccrida

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +59.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled poured into a wide flared tumbler, Presidente is super pale gold with a while head leaving scattered lace.

Smell is, sweet cereals, a little grassy, and a very faint hint of sulfur.

Taste is very simple and bland, there's just a little corn like sweetness. Nothing offensive, clean and simple, which is all I'd expect from the style. The sweetness is light and provides a little character.

Mouthfeel is bone dry, some crispness from the fine carbonation.

Drinkability is high. This beer is made to be drunk all day long in the Caribbean sun, for which I think it's well suited; although I wouldn't no, I'm in Santo Domingo for business, and grabbed the light from the grocery store by mistake. No harm no foul, if anything I'd guess the regular one has a higher likelihood of off-flavors. I'm sure the scores are more based on many BAs distaste for light beers in general rather then how well this one accomplished it objective.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2011 21:59:32 | More by ccrida

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.63/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured on tap at a mexican restaraunt in Florida. The beer is an extremely bright yellow color that is crystal clear, with a moderate amount of carbonation bubbling. Thin layer of white, foamy film of head that actually retains and clings to the glass as you drink. Slight citrus effervescence to the aroma, with some toasty malt characteristics, as well. Flavor is extremely light cereal flavors and slight citrus tart on the end. Crisp and light in mouth, with a slight roundness most lagers don't have. Almost watery, with no discernable aftertaste, and your typical crisp finish for the style. Goes with anything for food, just like a glass of water...definitely better options out there friends...

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 20:50:35 | More by GarthDanielson

matty

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +44%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pale yellow colored beer with a slowly fading head.Aroma is grainy.Taste is light and fresh.Goes down very easy.It has no special hops or malts but when you get a light beer you already know that.Perfect for hot summer days or those autumn football games.I would recommend and purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2011 05:05:27 | More by matty

r3o

Florida

3.05/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: clear straw color, a very thin head that disappears quickly, no lacing
S: mostly alcohol and kind of the smell of rain when it moist the dirt
T: sour corn taste, again alcohol predominates, no secrets here, but it does not insult the senses either
M: watery, somewhat flat, refreshing
D: easy to drink, actually for the kind it's good, ideal for the hot weather in Santo Domingo.

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2011 02:11:42 | More by r3o

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

1.65/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance: Nothing offensive, but then again nothing special. Poured with a finger of head that left slim lacing and didn't retain. Pale gold that you'd expect from a light lager, with a lot of carbonation going on.

Smell: Not as much skunk as I would expect given the green bottle and sunny climate. However it's still there, and behind it nothing but some light musty grain.

Taste: I was honestly hoping for watered down Presidente. Instead I got an awful wet cardboard taste that turned to a taste I can only describe as metallic clay. I wasn't able to finish it.

Mouthfeel: It tastes like drinking seltzer water, as the carbonation is out of control. In addition, that awful metallic aftertaste lingers. The only thing I will give it is that the shift between tastes is a brief refreshing reprieve.

Drinkability: It could quench your thirst I suppose, but the seltzer feeling making is hard to keep down and the carbonation leaves you belching and/or bloated. It's rare that a light beer fares so poorly here.

Final Thoughts: Light beers should be more subdued then their standard counterparts. This one manages to be more painfully aggressive then the standard Presidente. I think this is because whatever elements made Presidente decent (I would assume the amount of malt) seem absent here giving the seltzer taste that is hard to get down. If you go down to the Dominican, stick to the standard Presidente, as drinking this stuff is sure to leave you in a bad mood.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2010 04:03:35 | More by TheHammer

mvanaskie13

Pennsylvania

2.58/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Picked a few of these up from the hotel fridge while in the dominican republic.

Pours from the bottle a clear golden yellow with decent white head that laced feintly on the glass, very effervescent.

Smell is light graininess with hint of metallic scents, not pleasant.

Taste is not as overpowered by carbonation as the presidente, but less impressive, same grainy flavors, but more understated corn and wheat.

Flavors hit the top of the tongue and then coat the rest of the mouth on the finish, but not as harsh as the presidente.

I found this a bit more drinkable then the presidente, at least comparing the bottled versions. Carbonation was not as biting as the presidente, and the grainy flavors were not as potent.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 21:57:27 | More by mvanaskie13

Crazy4LegMoose

Massachusetts

1.8/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

A: Clear pale yellow hue with very light 1/2 finger white fizzy head.

S: Buttery aroma with slight hints of bitterness in the nose

T: Slightly sweet buttery flavor. Trying to search for more to this beer, but it is not complex at all.

M: Very thin beer. Carbonation dissipates very quickly and is barely detectable at the end.

D: Decent drinkability, if you like bland beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2010 18:03:29 | More by Crazy4LegMoose

donkeyrunner

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I had a party and some one left this landmine in my fridge. Who does that?

Light hay color, white head with fairly good retention for a lager. There's even a few drifts of lace! Still pretty pale and ugly. For what it's worth the bottle art is weak too.

Smells like grain and hay. Taste is sugary with a dry cardboard aftertaste. Not that crisp.

Not as bad as I had feared, but in all fairness, I was very afraid.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2009 22:11:12 | More by donkeyrunner

cjgator3

Florida

2.73/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle

A- Green 12oz bottle poured into pint glass. Pours a pale golden yellow color with a thin fizzy white head.

S- The aroma is pretty light and faint with some grainy malt along with a touch of hay and a hint of hops.

T- The taste is very light bodied with some pale malts and a clean finish.

M- The mouthfeel is light bodied with a high amount of carbonation.

D- Overall, Presidente Light is a decent light beer but nothing I have any interest in purchasing again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2009 01:48:16 | More by cjgator3

nick76

Florida

2.68/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

The aroma is like corn and a touch of funk. The appearance is straw gold with a foamy head. The flavor is sweet and watery but like the aroma. The palate is watery. Overall it is inoffensive and more than I was expecting. It's not a very good beer but it's very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2009 06:27:31 | More by nick76

wheelinshirt

Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I guess it is the weather down in the Dominican but this can actually be a very enjoyable beer after a hard day of work, even in their winter which is quite warm (hot in the sun). Anyway, it is a pretty typical light adjunct lager, served very cold from a 22 oz green bottle. Taste is watered down and a bit corny but not offensive, mouthfeel is light and crisp. Very drinkable in the right situation.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2009 08:32:25 | More by wheelinshirt

Drew966

Florida

2.25/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Presidente Light pours a pale yellow with a white head from a green twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is corn grits, which the neck label proudly pronounces as an ingredient. A very light body, corn grits being most dominant, but there was a brief metallic flavor (not too bad). Typical light adjunct lager. Not very satisfying.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2007 23:51:34 | More by Drew966

Noelito76

New York

2.65/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

A had a few of them from a bottle during my vacation in DR just to try it out, since I've never seen the light version in the states.

It's simply a watery version of Presidente. Light yellow in color. Not very much carbonation or aroma. Taste is typical for a light beer with no presence of hops and mouthfeel is, well, watery as I said. Drinkability is poor because you just don't feel like you've had a beer (even at adjunct standards) after you drink one of these.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2005 15:10:01 | More by Noelito76