Windhoek Lager

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

bottle - decants a pale gold lager with a rocky 1 finger white cap - poor retntion bit leave lace. Well cabonated. Moserate floral saaz aroma, light graininess. light Beck’s-like flavour, actually fairly decent for a light lager. Crisp, clean, quenching. When I spotted this at the store I was prepared to write it off as just another 3rd world austerity lager but it has flavor that stands up, if only domestic Canadian corporate brewed light beers were this flavourful I might drink one now and again in the dog days.

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

6-pack at the LCBO. Pours a clean golden colour with a frothy white head, good retention and very nice lace, especially for a light beer. Malty nose with a mild hop balancing things (Saaz-like pilsner). Becomes lightly sweet after breathing. Medium-thick mouthfeel with a little stickiness. Again, the malt well-blended with the hop with not overpowering sweetness. Actually, quite good for a light beer. Totally feels like a regular Euro lager, and even that I would say is above average. Nothing light here.

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

Further along in the beer tasting i had last night, we opened this baby up. Brought back from Africa from my good buddy Pfoxyjohn, and im glad that i was able try this: Clear golden, small thin off whitehead that quickly dissipates. Taste was soft, grainy fairly malty with a noticeable grassiness midpalate. But all in all it was a pretty refreshing beer. Thanks John!

Aroma: 2 | Appearance: 2 | Mouthfeel: 2 | Flavor: 3 | Overall: 3

A bottle I picked up at a Big Lots store here locally. For about 50 cents a bottle, I wasn’t expecting much and I didn’t get much. Huge skuned aroma that dominates anything else trying to get noticed. Flavor was some wet corn and a touch of grass. Looked like dirty dishwater that had been filtered. Odd beer. Forgetful.

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

This has always been my go-to beer (read Castle substitute) while in southern Africa. It's crystal clear, golden in color with a slight white head with very little lacing. The nose is a fine, fresh blend of hop and grain. Mouthfeel is crisp and the taste has almost a pils-like boldness of well-balanced hops with substantial malt. A long sweet-bitter finish again draws pils comparisons. Very good - at least much better than Castle lager.

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

Orangeish golden colour with a mediumsized foamy head. Aroma is hops and some weirdish sweetness. Flavour is sweet malts and a bit hoppy. Overall quite sweetish thing.

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

Yet another pale imitation lager which has never been lagered. Pale straw coloured, sparkling beer, carbonated. Probably best served really cold to hide whatever favours may be apparent to someone with better 'buds than me. One to try to get Namibia in your collection. Next please.........

Aroma: 3 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

Another drinkable oddball country lager worth a try only if you want to say you had a beer from Namibia. Poured with lots of paleness, very little color in other words. The head was thin, very thin, but remained on the surface. The aroma was corn-like, but not overpowering. After a few minutes (I can't believe I sniffed it again... it's only a pale lager), a doughiness came out, very odd for a lager / swill. Hmmm, interesting. Flavor was disappointing, balance being the best spot: not too malty sweet, not too bitter, a good use of hops and malts, but both were somewhat weak and the overall flavor wasn't that tasty. Who knows how long these bottles sit around before they get into our hands?

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

Bottle. Golden yellow colour with medium white head. Smells of corn and sweet malt. Flavour is malt and cor. Though it is crisp and not unrefreshing; had much worse.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 5 | Overall: 5

The second (of two beers) that were sitting in my fridge from the southern portion of Africa -- the first was the rather underwelming Castle Lager from the country of South Africa. This second beer, from South Africa's northwestern neighbor, is actually touted to be a reasonably decent Pale Lager. Considering the snooze-fest that was Castle Lager, I was looking forward to moving up in the world with this particular beer. Alas, t'was not to be -- this is just as boring and (dare I say it?) even more dumbed down than the aforementioned Castle Lager.

Adequate appearence, with a very rudimentary layer of foam topping a very by-the-numbers body of all-too-pale yellow. Almost spritzy with the carbonation.

But then along comes the aroma -- or should I say, the complete lack of any aroma. I guess that's better than any off-aromas (such as, say, skunk), but I still prefer some sort of "welcome mat' for my palate to enjoy, before walking through the door and getting to the flavor profile.

Not much luck here either, I'm affraid. More of the same -- nothing offensive, but, along those same lines, nothing that makes me want to seek this out, either. Strictly adequate graininess, with the mouthfeel a little too slippery and soft for my liking.

Drinkable only when nothing else is available. Looking at my `fridge, that is not the case. So, away with thee, yon Windhoek Lager.... Reminded me why I don't drink Busch Light anymore...
//TB