A Refreshing Light-Bodied Dark Lager...
Written: Nov 03 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Refreshingly light-bodied, smooth, malty tasting ruby red lager
Cons: A little light and unadventurous for my tastes...
The Bottom Line: This is a good "training wheels" dark lager for people who kind of, sort of, maybe want to try better quality beers, but aren't sure about "those dark beers".
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Heineken Special Dark |
It's been a dog's age in human years since the last time I actually bought a six-pack of Heineken Dark, but when I was strolling throught the local beer warehouse last week, the Heineken was practically hollering out to me, begging me to take it home and let it rub elbows with the big, bold brews that it knew were sitting in my beer fridge.
Heineken is one of those brands that seldom cross my mind for long. Their baseline pilsner may be one of the world's most widely marketed brands, but I can almost always find better. That's even more true of Heineken Dark. The beer is actually a fairly decent dark lager --- more similar, I think, to the amber lagers of the Vienna class than the darker, softer lagers of Munich. I actually prefer Heineken Dark to their flagship pilsner, but even so, there are just so many good dark beers on the market today, that its rare that I'm in the mood for a Heinie. Yet that's exactly what I'm in the mood for right now. In fact, right now, no other beer would hit me quite as well....
A Tall Cool Heineken Dark...
So without further ado, let's pull down a nice tall, clean glass and commence to pouring....
Appearance:
Deep brownish amber color that displays bright red hues when held up to the light. The beer pours with a brilliant clarity and a thin head that disappears in an instant.
Aroma:
Hmmmm....interesting aroma on this beer. It kind of bounces back and forth between the grassy straw scent of hops, a wallop of green apple ester, and a soft caramel scent. As the beer warms, the caramel intensity develops a bit of depth, intensity, and personality, and that green apple hangs in there....caramel apples, anyone?
Flavor:
Smooth, nutty lager that's a bit dry on the palate, but very well balanced, and that seems to emphasize toasted malt over any other flavor component.
Heineken suggest serving the beer at 40 degrees, but I think they do their beer a disservice. This is a beer that develops a fuller bouquet and a bigger depth of flavor as its allowed to warm, and the beer is basically a well-brewed beer, so there's no funkiness to hide. In my opinion, at the cellar temp level of about 50 to 55 degrees, the beer really shines with a flavor that reminds me of crispy, fresh baked gingerbread cookies.
The beer has a light body that's refreshing and very quaffable. Although the beer definitely emphasises malt over hops on the balance, it does it lightly without any big residual sugar character and without any big caramel flavor of unfermentables. It's a dark that won't put off average beer drinkers.
Overall Impression:
Heineken Dark Lager is a nice, balanced light-bodied dark lager. It reminds me a lot of the very drinkable, light-bodied dark lagers from Mexico --- lagers that are derived from the classic Vienna mold (the Heineken seems a bit darker and more intense than or , but a bit lighter and less malty than ).
I think there are a lot of beer drinkers who would really appreciate this beer. If you drink some of the more commonly available American dark beers (like Shiner Bock, J.W. Dundee Honey Brown, or even Yuengling Porter), and you like a somewhat more flavorful beer, but without the big, bulky body of a stout or a German-style bock, then I think you might be very interested in giving Heineken Dark a shot. It's not the most exotic beer on the market today, but it is a reliably good, normal strength beer for people who like just a suggestion of daring and boldness on their palate.
A good, cleanly brewed, all-purpose dark lager. Loosely in the Vienna style, but if you're a style stickler, then you and I both know you can do far better (especially at this time of year, when good Oktoberfests abound).
Recommended:
Yes
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