English for "beer" (even though it is Danish!) (Carlsberg Lager)

Member Name: MichaelR

Product:	Carlsberg Lager
Date:	10/03/01 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice taste. Relatively cheap. Served EVERYWHERE

Disadvantages: Can't get rid of the aftertaste!

This is probably the most popular lager in the country. (Unless you're in Scotland as I am at the moment, but I'm talking UK wide. Certainly in England it is anyway)

If you're in Scotland, then "beer" is probably called "Tenants" (I'll have to do an op on that in a minute... hey, who called me a drunk?!) otherwise it's called "Carlsberg".

Carlsberg is lovely stuff in any of its three forms. There's the quite heavy draught variety with the the full, frothy head (unless it's been watered down, which seems quite common! There are many bars which serve "proper" Carlsberg around here fortunately though), the slightly tinny canned variety (you can taste the can in it, but this is common with most beers that come in tins) and the cool, crisp, refreshing bottled variety, which is by far my favourite.

There are distinct differences between the three, as there are with almost all beers and lagers. There shouldn't be, but there always is.

Let's start with the draught:

Now, as I said there before, it seems to come either thick, heavy, and with a frothy head, or rather thin (almost to the point of being flat) and quite light with a very wispy head.

Perhaps this is down to the fact that Carlsberg is no longer brewed exclusively in Denmark, but I couldn't say. Suffice to say though, that the "proper" thick version tastes far better.

The first drink from your pint glass brings a very cool, crisp and refreshing taste - which very (and I mean VERY) quickly gives way to a very bitter second taste with a bit of a twangy undercurrent, you can just about taste it underneath the continuing bitter bite on the middle-to-back of your tongue, but it should be there, down the sides.

Eventually these two tastes will recede and you'll be left with a sort of hanging beer (really beer, less lager) sort of a taste that's quite dry
and it will just sit in the back of your mouth and on the front sides to the tip of your tongue.

And it'll stay there. Forever. Until you drink again or eat something (even then it will stay there). The only thing that can kill it is either:

A) Mint or
B) A spirit

The tinned stuff is a bit different. It has almost the same texture as the draught, but as I said, you can taste tin in it - it's less of a clean taste than the draught.

It's still nice stuff - one of (not THE, but one of) the nicest canned lagers you can get.

The worst thing about the canned Carlsberg is that it just won't keep a head. No matter how thick you make it when you pour it out into a glass (what do you mean? you drink it straight from the can?) it just won't keep a head - and I like a head on my lager or any kind of beer.

Unless - it's in a bottle!

Bottled Carlsberg is...mmmmmmm... that's all I can say.

Served chilled, it is absolutely sublime. It tastes cool (not just because it's been chilled, it actually has a cool taste) extremely crisp, and very, very refreshing. It has the same aftertaste as the other two, although it is less severe - but it just feels so smooth and clean on the tongue, and you can gulp it down quite easily. (Ahem, should you have the desire to do so)

I'd recommend all three varieties, but especially the bottled one. Especially as there are often offers on bottles of this stuff.

It is the beer of kings also - don't forget that. It has the full approval of the Danish Royal Family (sure that'll influence your drinking habits!)

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