Batch 19: Review

Coors Brewery Archives

Golden, Colorado, USA

Pre-Prohibition Style Lager

Inspired by an authentic Recipe

With Strissel Spalt & Hersbrucker Hops

5.5% abv

Appearance: crystal amber body with a one finger white head and it leaves some lacing on the glass

Aroma: faint spicy hops; dough; not much else

Flavor: grassy, spicy hops, pink peppercorn, lightly roasted caramel, lightly toasted grains, flavors come together for a nice lager

Mouthfeel: super fine carbonation feel – like a flat fizz; soft wool like; soft pink peppercorn spice on the back; dry lightly toasted notes with a touch of spice on the aftertaste that linger;

To the Point: have to say I did not expect much from this product; after being tortured with that Third Shift crap – what else do you expect from the big beer companies trying to compete with the craft beer segment … a good beer … yeah right.  Oh yeah, right!  This is good.  I will buy it again for sitting around the campfire up north.    

Here is Miller/Coors issue:

Guys like you and me are looking for a quality craft beer and we don’t mind paying $8 to $18 a six pack but, we see Coors, Bud or Miller behind the product we don’t want to buy it – the big guys pretending to be craft beer guys. 

Then you have guys like my buddy.  All that matters is that it is Bud Light, Miller Lite or whatever beer that comes in a 30 pack for $12.95.  They are used to boiled corn, cane sugar, and tap water beer.  If you have to pay more than 75 cents a beer you are crazy.  If the beer has actual flavor they think it tastes like crap.  These guys see a product like Third Shift, Redd Apple or Batch 19 and they think it is a craft beer and then they see 7 or 8 bucks for a six pack and they fall over dead. 

So, I think products like these, from the big beer companies, are doomed from what they have created – millions of beer drinkers that are used to their own bad beer and they won’t venture out.  And, those of us who learned that it was bad beer we were drinking and found real flavor from the small craft beer guys - we don’t want to go back.