The pour is a cloudy copper/straw with a head that dissipates in time to a thin, partial layer of foam. The aroma is very lager - lots of malt. I might almost mistake the smell for that of a domestic lager. And by that, I mean one of the mass-produced ones like MGD.It's a bit sweet and tart at the same time. There is also a metallic taste around the edges, and that doesn't help the beer overall. The lingering taste is decidedly one of increased alcoholic content. This one has 9.5%, and that is pretty damn high. I got this as a gift from a friend who does not drink, and I wonder if he blindly got this and the Golden Monkey or if he asked for the beers with the most alcohol.
The mouthfeel is a bit odd. It doesn't have very much carbonation to it. As a result, it feels very heavy in the mouth and I even have a bit of an illusion of it filling me up faster. It puts me in mind of why monks used to brew beer - for sustenance. You see, while they were fasting, monks could not eat anything, but they could drink. Unlike straight water, beer offered calories that the body could burn; and you could drink enough so god would talk back to you.
I've tried sipping and then I tried bigger gulps. It's not improving with warmth, either. It's too simple a beer to be too complex, and it's too complex to be too simple, but it's just not right either way. I can think of many beers I'd rather be drinking.
1.5/5
