Foster's Lager

Reflexively, I put Australia in as one of the labels for this beer. I'm going to leave it in, but it turns out this was actually brewed in Texas. I don't know what other beers Oil Can Brewery produces, but they have picked the fitting name for the size of this can. I very infrequently have a can of beer that can match the size of my pilsner/lager glass. Even this one comes short, but it is a lot closer than most of its rivals.

The clear yellow beverage produces quite a bit of head, and that is common for this particular glass. So, I'm not going to fault the beer for the size of the head. There is a bit of lacing left along the sides of the glass as the bubbles go down, and points of nucleation revive the patchy layer of white bubbles on top of the beer with the very strong ring around the sides. The aroma is sweet yet dull malt with a sprig of flowers added to the mix. I don't recall the last time I had a Fosters, but it was many, many moons ago.

First sip is not a train wreck. The sweetness is balanced fairly well, and a slight tanginess joins what turns out to be a somewhat grainy malt. It's nothing special, and it lacks heft, but it is unassuming and not particularly offensive. The real problem seems to be that it lacks significant flavor in general. Bitterness left on the tongue prevents it from being crisp, so there are very few words to adequately describe it.

Tip-in is excessively light carbonation with sweet grains, lots of water, and some flowers. The middle of the beer is quite watery with flavor all but disappearing in favor of simply liquid mass; alcohol bite would not go astray at this point, but none is going to appear with a 5% ABV. The finish is rather bland with slight bitterness and tartness meeting grains for the trail off.

Bottom Line: Macrobrews go for the large audience. By being inoffensive, it lacks ambition.

1.25/5