Highland Brewing Cerveza Oscura Mexican-Style Dark Lager

Posted on by Evan

Thereares a number of craft breweries that brew Mexican-styleLagersr. I see quite a few on store shelves. But I have not seen a dark Mexican-style Lager. But on a recent trip to my local grocery store, I spotted Cerveza Oscura from Highland Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. This is a 5.2% ABV Mexican-Style Dark Lager brewed with Perle hops, Munich 10, Vienna, Midnight Wheat, and Flaked Corn. This lager pours deep brown with tan/beige edged and a one-finger beige head. That head fade rather quickly. The aroma is roasted, semi-sweet (cocoa), and has a dry-ish note. The flavor is roasty, dark bread, malts, a little bit of spicy notes, and cocoa sweetness. This dark lager has a lightmouthfeelh. This beer finishes with a sweetness and a dryness. The aftertaste is slightly roasted and sweet, but fades a bit quickly. This is better than most traditional dark Mexican Lagers. Cerveza Oscura is an A-. It is lighter in flavor, so you could have three or more. But as dark lagers go, there are better ones. German Dunkels are one great example. But that style is slightly different from this one. I would, however, recommend Cerveza Oscura. It is a good beer that I will go for again. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Kapstadt Brauhaus Lager

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Kapstadt Brauhaus is a brewpub-type restaurant in South Africa. This is Kapstadt Lager, 4.5% ABV. I had this lager on tap at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront in Cape Town. This lager pours golden with an almost two-finger white head. The aroma is biscuits and corn. The flavor is lightly sweetened and bready. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then this lager finishes smooth with a light sweet note. There is not much in the aftertaste but a light biscuit note. This is an easy refreshing beer that is a B-. It is well-brewed and not trying too hard to impress. But it lacks much flavor, which holds it back slightly. If you are in South Africa, I suggest you try this Lager. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers

Swakopmund Brewing Company Special Brew & Helles

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As I cruise the west coast of Africa, I keep finding local beer. Recently, while touring Walvis Bay, Namibia, I had a late lunch in nearby Swakopmund. I found a brewpub restaurant Brewery & Butcher that made Swakopmund Brewing Company beers. The first beer I had was their Special Brew, a smoked beer. This beer was a bock beer with an ABV of 7.4%. This bock beer pours a dark brown with a big three-finger beige mushroom head. The aroma is smoky and malty. The taste is sweet, smoky, malty, and deep. This beer has a full-bodied mouthfeel. Then this beer finishes with a malted smoked flavor. The smoky flavor fades in the aftertaste with hints of fading sweetness. This was such a delicious beer that is an A+. This isn’t like inhaling a campfire and is quite drinkable. This is a beer that you should have. 

Then I had a smaller Helles Lager. This beer is 5.2% ABV. This lager pours a mildly golden color with a two-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and fruity with a light bread note. The flavor is mildly sweet and fruity with subtle hop notes. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it has a semi-sweet finish. The aftertaste has fading sweetness and fruity flavors. This one was good, A-. It was refreshing and smooth. Easy to drink and another that is not to be missed. So if you are in Swakopmund, Namibia then you should go to the Brewer & Butcher. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly!

Accra Brewery Club Premium Lager

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I sailed into Sekondi-Tokoradi, Ghana. I toured this African city, and at the end of the tour, we stopped at the Rainbow Hotel to watch traditional Ghanaian dancers. They handed out local Club Beer. This is a premium lager produced by Accra Brewery, Accra is the capital city of Ghana. This lager is 5% ABV. This beer pours gold with a two-finger white head. The aroma is sweet and lightly hopped. The taste is sweet, lightly hopped, and smooth. This lager has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it finishes with a light sweetness and some hop notes. There is not much aftertaste but a light metallic flavor. This reminds me of most macro beers you find in the US. It’s not bad, but it’s not memorable. This Club beer is a D+. It’s interesting because you’d never see beer from Ghana in North America. I did enjoy it cause it was SO HOT out. But I would not run back to Club Premium Lager. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Ceris Strela Kriola

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I arrived in Cape Verde by ship and I took a hike. Later I had lunch by the seaside and had Ceris Strela Kriola the local Helles Lager of the island. This lager is 5% ABV. Strela means star in Portuguese. This beer pours golden with a one-finger white head. The head faded steadily. The aroma is lightly sweet and fruity with a faint malt note. The flavor is lightly sweet, hoppy, and fruity. I did get the faintest malt flavor. This has a light-bodied mouthfeel. Then it finishes with semi-sweet fruity with a tiny hop note. The aftertaste is a fading sweetness. This is not a bad beer, it is a refreshing beer. But I think I have had better Helle Lagers, but I would recommend this because you might never have it again. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen

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Still on the Oktoberfest beer kick and this Oktoberfest Märzen is from Hacker-Pschorr. This is a Munich beer with an ABV of 5.8%. Thia Märzen is only made in October. This beer pours a darker copper color with a one-finger quick head. The aroma is malty and deep. But it is a medium malt aroma. The flavor is somewhat sweet and malty with a hint of a bread note. This has a medium-bodied mouthfeel. The finish is malty with less sweetness than the initial flavor. This beer has a malty sweet aftertaste that lingers briefly. This is a good solid German Oktoberfest, but it was plain and good overall. I give this Oktoberfest a C+. I would halfway recommend it but I think if you missed it then it would be fine. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Highlander Brewing Clawhammer Oktoberfest

Posted on by Evan


It’s October and fest beers are on the store shelves. I like the Oktoberfest beer over the pumpkin beer. This one is a local North Carolina offering from Highland Brewing in Asheville (highlandbrewing.com). This beer is a Märzen Lager called Clawhammer Oktoberfest. This lager is 5% ABV. This beer has hops such as Hallertau, Mittlefrue, and German Spalt Select. It also features malts such as 2-row, Munich, Vienna, Caramel, and Pilsner. You can only find this beer from July through September, and can buy some that is leftover in October. This beer pours a copper/brownish color with a one-finger beige head. The head is fairly quick-fading. The aroma is malty, sweet, and clean. It does, however, have a light bread note. The flavor is sweet and malted with a light and clean body. The same goes for the mouthfeel. Then you come to a clean and malty-sweet finish. That same flavor carries over into the aftertaste with a slight linger. This beer is a good light Oktoberfest beer. I would say this is the best. I give Clawhammer Oktoberfest from Highland Brewing a B. The overall flavor of this beer is mild, but that’s okay. It is solid and worth a try. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! 

Birra Menabrea Bionda Lager

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I love Italy; it is a beautiful country. When we think of Italy, delicious wine comes to mind. But they do have beer. I find most of it to be good. Some isn’t. Birra Menabrea Bionda Lager from Biella, Italy, is a 4.8% Pale Lager. I found this beer in my local Pasta and Provisions (a fresh pasta shop and Italian market). I have had this beer abroad in Italy, but never in the US. This lager beer pours a golden color with a one-finger translucent, white fizzy head. That head is gone in seconds. The aroma is classic lager with clean, semi-sweet corn-like notes. The taste is clean, slightly metallic, with corn-like sweetness, and a light bread note. This lager has a light body. Then this beer comes to a crisp, clean finish that is less sweet. There isn’t much aftertaste to this lager. You can taste the brewing unit in the aftertaste, but that fades quickly. For a macro Euro lager, it’s a solid beer, which I give a B-. But I would score this lower in the ‘craft beer’ context. This is a very approachable pale Euro lager that is refreshing, light, and easy to drink. You should try this, I think this is better than Peroni beer, way better! Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibility! Cheers!

Samuel Smith Pure Brewed Organic Lager Beer

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Samuel Smith (https://samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk) Pure Brewed Organic Lager Beer is brewed in Tadcaster, England, and importedbyy Merchant Du Vin (https://merchantduvin.com). This lager beer with a 5% ABV was purchased from my local Harris Teeter grocery store. Now I have had this Samuel Smith pint glass for a while and it has the brewery local etched on the bottom to promote carbonation, and was bought while on a pub tour in London. I think it was like two pounds from a Samuel Smith pub. This lager pours gold with a one finger fluffy white head. The aroma is light, sweet, clean, and crisp. The flavor is also light and sweet, crisp, smooth and malty. This beer has a clean, semi-sweet finish that is crisp. The aftertaste has a light malt flavor and is smooth/crisp. This is a great lager beer. I give this lager an A+, and highly recommend drinking it. It has just the right amount of delicious flavors. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!

Deep River Brewing Co. & R and R Brewing Co. Pickletown Lager

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Pickletown Dill Pickle Lager is a collaboration between Deep River Brewing Co., Clayton, North Carolina, and R and R Brewing Co. in Mt. Olive. That is where Mt. Olive Pickle Company is located. Each pint of Pickletown has fifty pickles. This beer pours greenish gold with a one-finger thin white head. The aroma is light, vegetal, with vinegar and cucumber. The flavor is light, vegetal, and vinegary, with a light pickle/cucumber. Not much pickle flavor on this one. It has a light feeling in the mouth. The beer finishes with a light pickle-like vinegar flavor. The aftertaste is a weak pickle. This beer is not bad for a lager, but it does need more pickle flavor. I think Pickletown lager is a C-. I didn’t mind this beer, but I think Martin House Best Made Pickle Beer is more of a pickle beer. But that beer is a Gose, not a lager like this one. I wouldn’t recommend this beer if you are really into pickles, but it is good if you don’t like them so much. If you want to try Pickletown, you can get it at Total Wine and More (totalwine.com). The pickle flavor on this lager is weak, but it is otherwise okay. Please stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember to enjoy responsibly! Cheers!