Utica Club - Matt Brewing Company

fx20736

New York

2.69/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

bought a 24 pack of cans from Beers of the World for $ 13.98 on 4/5/13.

poured from a can into a pint glass served at fridge temp.

appearance: pale gold with a 1 finger white head. Scant lacing.

aroma: sour and musty with a strong hoppiness.

mouthfeel: ok

taste: watery, very little malt flavor with a sour and dry grape like fruitiness. clean finish.

notes: alcoholic seltzer water with a little flavor, in a very pretty can. Lawnmowing beer.

Serving type: can

04-06-2013 03:25:56 | More by fx20736

Justin23060

Virginia

3.38/5  rDev +27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'm gonna try to not let nostalgia effect my review... But I still remember the smell of the boiling mash (like oyster crackers) and the factory whistle every weekday noon from Gramma's house two blocks away from the Brewery. Thanks to Jay for providing a little flavor of home. Cheers!!!

A - Crystal clear light yellow with a stiff 3 finger head that dissipated but laced to the end.

S - Sweet with that harsh hop that I always smell in adjunct brews

T - Light malt with some fruity and grassy notes. Sweetness quickly turns to a very sessionable dryness.

M - Thin as expected for style. Lighter carb than I remember. Refreshing.

O - Lawn mowing beer for sure, but a good one, though. This should be tried on its history alone (first beer sold in the United States after Prohibition). History aside... try one next summer after mowing the lawn.

Serving type: can

12-10-2012 04:00:43 | More by Justin23060

harrymel

Washington

2.58/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled: unk

Light grain colored lager with a rim and some etching of fine whites. Brilliant clarity. Smells of sweet, white grape juice, some grass and not much else. Flavor also has the distinct grape flavor with some more grain and a bit of apple. Huh, empty body with moderate and sharp carb. A wet finish. I think this is very poorly crafted, but easy to drink. Fancy that.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 04:44:41 | More by harrymel

mostpoetsdo

Rhode Island

2/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: Pours an incredibly dull yellow, adjunct in nature, tiny white head is gone in no time.

S: Steamed rice with a pinch of hops, grains.

T: Plastic sweetness gives way to a sandbox malt flavor, skunked hops flavoring.

M: Light body, uncomfortable amount of carbonation, tough to get down.

O/D: Bought it for a dollar, I'd pay two not to drink it.

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 22:51:44 | More by mostpoetsdo

MudDauber

New York

3.05/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Dauber here.

I seen review of the Uncle Charlie and most folks dont like it much. that too bad cuz UC is for me is the saying and it for me thats what it says. i seen a bill bored one time and it say "UC taste it again for the first time. " that's how i fell when i get it and drink it again for a time.

serving; got me a 6er a cans. wide mouth. got'm last month over july 4th for my birthday. I take one can off the 6 er and hold it. i put the empty slot thru my belt loop and make me a UC holster for easy axess and drinkin. that way i can go down Pine lake park way and not bring a cooler. the can says the beer is xx pure and good. the xxx magazines at Groom's store is not pure but still good.

appearings of the UC: UC always looks good cuz the can is gold and in a glass it look clean and a little lighter than morning piss. but i aint got a glass so it look like a can this time.

smell: the smell isn't good but it bring back memories of other days so it smell good to me it smell a bit musty with corn syrup notes and turpentine note

mouthfeel; it dont feel so good cuz the metal can and turpentine over power the UC. I feel the metal then the gas then the sweet then the musty. UC make ya belch to

overall: this 1 of my favorite beer cuz of memories and it aint taste so bad once you done had 8 or 9 of em.

Serving type: can

08-20-2011 16:02:30 | More by MudDauber

tdm168

North Carolina

1.7/5  rDev -35.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours a clear golden yellow with a 1/4" of head and no retention. Smells of grains, lager yeast, and metal. Taste is pure grains and metal. Mouthfeel is very light with moderate carbonation.

Bought this at Whole Foods for $1 for the 12oz. I'll gamble $1 anytime. This is a one and done for me.

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2011 00:23:12 | More by tdm168

sulldaddy

Connecticut

2.23/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pouring a cellar temp can into a pint glass.

The beer pours a clear bright gold hue with bleached white fizzy head of 2 cm foaming up and fading rapidly to an edge layer. Some clingy lattice on the sides of the glass develop towards the end of the fade and after each sip.
Aroma is lager malt with some grainy notes and a bit of general sweet malt and hints of spicy hops. Not very complex but not flawed for what the beer is.
First sip is as expected smooth light body with fine fizzy yet spacious carbonation. Easy to drink brew for a hot day.
Flavor is sweet grainy lager malt with a bit of spicy hops and some almost candy sugar sweetness on the finish. The sweetness is a little cloying and isnt as enjoyable about half way through the beer.
Decent lawnmower/ gardening beer. Not necessarily something I would track down again to go to the beach, there are better aluminum contained brews out there.
Thanks to my buddy Erik for giving me the opportunity to try the beer.

Serving type: can

07-20-2011 03:16:50 | More by sulldaddy

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.28/5  rDev -14%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

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

A: The beer is a pale yellow color, with a short white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains light malts, adjuncts and a very faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out bready with flavors of adjuncts. Then a mild sweetness comes in from a thin malt character. The hops presence is very faint and there’s a little bit of balance. The after-taste is slightly bready.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, light body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is clean.

D: Not very flavorful, goes down very easily and not filling at all since there isn’t much to the beer, very mild kick, decent representation of style, there are other inexpensive alternatives that I would choose over this beer.

Serving type: can

04-11-2011 01:20:31 | More by TheManiacalOne

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +40.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #44 (Sep 2010):

Fizzy head, decent amount of lace though. Shiny yellow clarity. Dried grass, cooked veggies and a touch of apple skin in the nose. Dry mouthfeel with a bitty, almost fluffy light body. Clean palate, very clean. Grainy with dried grass, bread crust and cooked cereal flavors throughout. Hop bitterness is there to balance; not much flavor to account for. Cooked veggies and a mild mineral or salty hints in the dry finish. Super clean, with enough flavor to certainly rival many of the other Retro Lagers hyped these days.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2011 18:27:37 | More by BeerAdvocate

SickGnar

Pennsylvania

1.58/5  rDev -40.4%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

A: Light, pale golden yellow, bright but not 100% clear. Some rising bubbles. Small short lived white head that leaves basically no lacing.

S: Pretty clean, but seems like a grainy malt liquor. Faint, but it has an edge in a not appealing way.

T: Husky grain and a bit of grainy sweetness without much in the way of maltiness. Heavy handed adjunct city with plenty of that cooked corn/veggy "goodness." Does have some hop bitterness, but not much defined character. Maybe starts out a little minty and then goes medicinal in an astringent way. It is beer, but is very blah.

M: Rather thin body with active, fizzy CO2. Astringent edge and a tad puckery.

D: Lawnmower beer, but not even in a good way. "Pilsener Lager Beer" It sounds like it is even trying to convice itself. Seems constructed - as if it were made from concentrate - with angular, un-melding flavors and bit astringent. There are significantly better options that are just as cheap.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2010 12:59:12 | More by SickGnar

KickbacksSteve

Florida

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

12 ounce bottle poured into a Unibroue tulip. Clear, golden body with an off white head, very little lacing. Aroma is of fresh bags of medical supply stuff. No hops or malt detected in the nose. Is this technically a beer? Taste is actually not as bad as I expected after the pleasingly unpleasing aroma. This beer doesn't taste good....at all. The good news is that is doesn't taste bad...at all. Great beer if you're in college and live near this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2010 08:34:47 | More by KickbacksSteve

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.1/5  rDev +17%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Thanks to woodychandler for the trade.Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a rich golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is sweet, some notes of corn. Taste is very mild, light malts, not a whole lot to it. Feels light in the mouth and is very drinkable. Overall this makes for a fairly decent beer.

Serving type: can

08-07-2010 16:06:47 | More by tone77

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +29.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Another day, another AAL in a CAN in support of the ongoing CANQuest (TM). Actually, as the kind fellow who sent me some in a trade pointed out, it is made/headquartered in UtiCA,Ny! Ha.

From the CAN: "XX Pure. Brewed from best quality malt, grains, and choicest hops. Absolutely pure. First beer sold in the United States after prohibition."

My pour initially netted a finger of bone-white head, but as I was transcribing the above, the head hit the road! Wow. Color was a light golden-yellow with NE-quality clarity. Nose was characteristic for the style - slightly lager-sweet overlain with a graininess that does not need to be there. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was really not all that bad. I have had far worse, believe me! It would be a good lawnmower beer or some other outdoor activity where a simple, refreshing beer might be in order. It had a light lager sweetness and it was not overpowered by the adjuncts nor was it poorly made (and regular readers of my reviews will know who that refers to). Finish was mild, unobtrusive, simple. Cooler worthy, but still not a phenomenal beer, just a better version of a lousy style.

Serving type: can

07-31-2010 22:35:30 | More by woodychandler

mstyne

New York

2.63/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

There is no middle ground when it comes to the Utica Club. You're either a member, or you're not.

As my Dad says, 'Utica Club got me through college' (my contemporary equivalent would embarassingly be Golden Anniversary or maybe Molson Canadian) and this is how it was brought to my attention. When he heard that Utica Club was being produced again, he requested that I get him some. And thus, a tradition was (re)born.

Let's get down to brass tacks though. Utica Club is not breaking any new ground or trying to be a craft brew. Its price and packaging are reflective of that. I would probably never try to 'sell' anyone on picking up a pack of UC. It smells, looks, and tastes like any macro you might encounter on your supermarket shelf. However, you likely /won't/ encounter it on your supermarket shelf unless you live within the sacred radius defined by its brewers.

Okay, so the real review: Pours a very light yellow with a reasonable head that sticks around longer than one might expect, lacing is nil. Smells of grain and generic 'BEER' smell. Decent carbonation. Not too much in the flavor department. Exceptionally easy to drink, but only because it's a distant cousin of water.

I like Utica Club. Your mileage may vary.

Serving type: can

05-16-2010 23:27:51 | More by mstyne

emccaff

New York

3.48/5  rDev +31.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours very light yellow-gold color. More fizz, like a Coke or Pepsi, than a beer would have. Very light and very, very drinkable-but don't expect a head that'll last more than 10 seconds. More grain than any other flavor, except perhaps a slight touch of malt. Hops?? You would be hard pressed to say there's anything other than a "whisp" of hops. This isn't a Bud, Coors or Miller and absolutely will never be confused with any craft beer or an import. You have to judge it on it's own terms, which are as follows: it's hot, the humidity is 90% and you just worked your ass off in the hot sun and YOU TRULY NEED A BEER LIKE THIS!!! This isn't about anything but having a refreshing American beer! Taken on it's own terms and for what it is, it's a great brew. If you try to make it into something else-or judge it by other, greater parameters, you'll be disappointed. If it wasn't named "Utica Club", it would be called "Duff's". Homer would approve!

Serving type: can

03-26-2010 18:06:01 | More by emccaff

DmanGTR

New York

2.03/5  rDev -23.4%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Review from notes in November 09

Poured a pale golden yellow, a fizzy white head that died even as you poured it. I get a lot of corn and cooked vegetables, hint of grass, and pale malt. Not much else going on here, but that cooked veggie smell is rather offputting. I don't recommend this beer.

Serving type: can

03-10-2010 14:08:56 | More by DmanGTR

buzzgreg

New York

3.73/5  rDev +40.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Takes me back to the good old days. This beer will give you a good buzz too. Very light and refreshing, good to do a shot of Jack with. Better on tap, but that is hard to find, except in Utica area. The head holds for a good time, and it looks good ijn the glass. Not a craft beer (at all), but much better that Bud, Miller and the rest of the pack. You can find it at Sam The Beer Man in Binghamton, NY.

Serving type: can

02-27-2010 03:12:58 | More by buzzgreg

alli4051

Colorado

3.68/5  rDev +38.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

UC is the way to be baby! Call me a homer but this is usually my go to beer for a long night out back home in NY. It's normally a fraction of the price of other beers and is definitely the only one served in a can ( a can?...in a bar?...c'mon!). Compared to other macros this wins hands down. I would also take it 10 times out of 10 over a PBR. Drinks nice and smooth, though the carbonation in a little much.

Serving type: can

02-26-2010 05:40:29 | More by alli4051

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.5/5  rDev +32.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From the 12 fl. oz. can marked 2329-1346. Sampled on September 29, 2009. The pour is a golden yellow with a thin white head that diminishes in under one minute. The aroma is of sweet caramel and malts with a dash of hops. The mouthfeel is smooth like honey and of adequate quality. The flavor also emphasizes the sweet malty ingredient with some muted hops taking up the rear. This was not all that bad for a cheap beer. Gotta love the classics!

Serving type: can

09-29-2009 20:10:11 | More by puboflyons

FloppyDog

North Carolina

3/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a light straw yellow...very pale. Minimal/no head.

Aroma is primarily of noble hops.

Taste is a light maltiness, mild hop bitterness, and some DMS.

Mouth feel is very pleasant (not overly prickly on the carbonation like many pilsners and american lagers are). Overall, a decent beer...better than most american lagers.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2009 03:22:10 | More by FloppyDog

DurwoodSauls

Florida

3.83/5  rDev +44.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

My father turned me on to this beer. He and his brothers drank it.
Once I was old enough we would drink this together mostly on our visits to Adirondack State Park on camping trips.

It's definitely not a sophisticated beer by any means. Probably on par with many American Adjuncts, but it holds a special place in my heart.

I only drink this beer when I have the chance to camp in upstate New York. Nothing quite completes the experience of Lake Racquette without a twelve pack of Utica Club.

Serving type: can

08-12-2009 15:15:26 | More by DurwoodSauls

yesyouam

New York

3.28/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Utica Club is an incredibly clear golden lager with a big, fluffy, white head that has great retention and lacing. It has a fruity, bready aroma. It smells very clean. It is medium-light bodied, smooth and lively. The finish is crisp and dry. It has a mellow flavor-- lemony, fruity in general, with a nice leafy bitterness. It's slightly sweet at the finish. This surprized me! It's a cheap pilsner that really nails the style. When my brothers and I drink this, our dad sings the Utica Club jingle from decades ago... something about natural bubbles.

Serving type: can

06-26-2009 15:12:03 | More by yesyouam

leighton

New York

4.78/5  rDev +80.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

The Utica Club has a special membership base. If you are a member, then I don't need to say anymore. For those who aren't, read on.

UC is a tasty brew. A light lager with a decent head and a flavor best described as...deece.

As some other raters have written, The UC hearkens back to a bygone era, the era of our fathers and their fathers. A true poet put it thusly, "a Saturday afternoon lawn-mowing beer." Beautiful.

But because it will be a while before my generation reaches our Salad Years, my friends and I simply slam the Golden Nectar any chance we get. It's our way of connecting to the past and preparing for the future.

Drink up. Join the Club.

Serving type: can

06-25-2009 01:47:43 | More by leighton

TheTrevor

New York

2.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This can of beer is dented and came out of a 12-pack that was battered and torn, which seems oddly appropriate. This beer poured a light yellow witha big head that didn't last long and lots of visible carbonation after a vigorous pour. The smell is corny and grainy with a hint of metallic. The taste is a run of the mill macro beer. Sweet corn up front and fairly unassuming finish. The mouthfeel is watery but has enough carbonation to be refreshing on a hot day and drinkability is the order of the day for this overly named beer. It's basically a baseline for every boring run of the mill American macrobrew, and is useful in that regard.

Serving type: can

05-21-2009 00:31:10 | More by TheTrevor

degerbah

Ohio

1.35/5  rDev -49.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured into a pub glass, this beer was slightly better than a bud light, and worse than just about anything I wouldn't play beer pong with. Look, taste, and feel was very similar to any BMC and the color reminds me of Michelob Light. For taste, literally anything by Great Lakes is far better. This is the 3rd best lager I've had this week; I had four and one was skunked.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2009 01:37:17 | More by degerbah