Raven Special Lager

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Poured a crystal clear medium copper color with modest slightly off-white puffy head. Nice lacing as the head slowly fell to a thin ring.Smell is a pleasant combination of maltiness and sweet fruit. Taste has a firm malty character with a nice balancing amount of hops. Full creamy mouthfeel.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 3 | Mouthfeel: 3 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 4

(as The Raven, Haus der 131 Biere product). Copperish amber coloured, mediumsized beige head. Skunked hops and unclean malts in aroma. Flavour is cooked vegetables, malts and very weakly caramellish in the background. (Said to be brewed at Anker Brauerei in Nagold (Germany) by license for the European market, however, it is a product sold (only at?) Haus der 131 Biere, which apparently don't care about that the licensebrewed stuff they sell doesn't remind too much of the original beer anyway...).

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

I admit, I bought this bear solely for the purpose of adding the cool red cap with the Edgar Allen Poe picture on it. I was expecting a "Nevermore!" opinion, but this stuff wasn't half bad. Reddish golden color, very little head or lacing. Bready, nutty, caramel flavor. Sweet, but not overly so. Could use some more hops in there, but a very drinkable brew. I give it a +1 on overall just for the cool cap.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 9

~ 12oz bottle, picked up while on a business trip to the Vienna VA area, and sampled on a hot and steamy Monday afternoon (day-off) in San Diego CA.

The updated bottle looks interesting, with dour Edgar's mug looking at you disapprovingly on the bottle, a raven on top of his grave on the label, and a quotation from his famous poetry.

"The taste is poetic". Big words, from a place I'm not at all familar with. Upon further review, I guess this a one-beer Beer Marketing Company.

So, anyway, what does this beer have to say for itself? "Quoth the raven, 'nevermore'? But actually, I'd say that this is actually better than that.

Quite a bit maltier than what I expected, especially considering how it's listed on this site, style-wise. Pretty dandy, for a thirst-quenching lager.

Nuetral aroma, and rather clean in the mouthfeel. No sticky butterness or harshness here. Easily quaffable, with a nice bready malt prescence in the background. Appealing in the backend, too, though of course, I would have liked to have seen a few more hops tossed in for good measure.

But either way, this is not a bad drop, not at all. Hit the spot, during the later half of this long 4-day weekend. :)

Music: Old Man's Child's "The Pagan Prosperity"
//TB

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 5 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Not a bad lager, pours amber colored with a thin initial head that laced well. The aroma was bready with some caramel. Nuts, bread, and light caramel in the flavor without much hops in the finish. A little on the sweet side, but not quite cloying. Lacking a crisp finish, but still enjoyable. I liked it for some reason.

Aroma: 0 | Appearance: 0 | Mouthfeel: 0 | Flavor: 0 | Overall: 0

I had this one on tap in Maryland. It is just your ordinary run of the mill lager with very little substance and taste.