Robinsons Brewery 'Trooper' Premium British Ale. 4.7% abv. Copper color. Excellent retention, nice lacing. Finger of tan bubbly head that gradually recedes to a thick sustaining collar. Nose of sweet malt, treacle, toffee, notes of citrus.

Front taste of toffee, herbal hops, light honey. Aftertaste is light brown sugar, light malt, candy sugar. Light-medium body. Mouthfeel is carby, tangy, light syrupy, sweet finish.

This is an excellent beer, meant for those who love sweet malty brew, not a flavor profile one would expect from the world of heavy metal. However, please take note of the rest of this review.

I hesitate to recommend it solely due to inconsistency. I've had this beer three times before the date of this review, and each time offered a different experience.

The first session proved thin, almost watery, with nary a malt presence and minimal carb. The second session provided the bulk of my above review, with rich malt, sweet toffee, a slightly fuller body, and a sustaining head. The third session had head and body, but lacked aroma or aftertaste. 

Clearly, there are issues at the brewery, but I chose to give them the benefit of the doubt and base my review on the best of the three sessions. It should be noted that the three different bottles were not from the same pack, which would denote a packaging problem. The bottles were purchased from three different shops, several months apart.

If you are a fan of rich malty beer, and you are a fan of Iron Maiden, one of the original British metal bands still rocking today, you might elect to roll the dice and grab a bottle (or several bottles, to increase your chance of success). If you are a fan of consistent quality and taste, and couldn't care less about beer endorsed by musicians, I wouldn't blame you for leaving this on the shelf. 

Ultimately, if you are like me, a fan of the band, but moreover curious and adventurous and willing to try your luck, what I can tell you is that you may discover a wonderful brew. Take all that as you will.

From the brewery:

"TROOPER takes its name from the Iron Maiden song which is inspired by the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. Being a real ale enthusiast, vocalist Bruce Dickinson has developed a beer which has true depth of character. TROOPER is a Premium British Beer inspired by Iron Maiden and handcrafted at Robinsons brewery. Malt flavours and citric notes from a unique blend of Bobec, Goldings and Cascade hops dominate this deep golden ale with a subtle hint of lemon."

[source: ironmaidenbeer.com]

Westheimer Premium Pilsner. 4.8% abv. Pale straw color with a finger of white bubbly head. Clear. Good retention coupled with outstanding lace. Nose of bright sweet corn, grain, light vegetal. Aroma of herbal soap comes across after a bit. Front taste of grassy malt, mild herb, corn husk, sweet herbal on the back end. Aftertaste is grain, sweet botanical, mild bitter herbal hops, dry finish. Light body. Mouthfeel is cool, soft, carby, clean.

This is an excellent pilsner, which is saying a lot considering that, next to sours, pils is my least favorite type of beer. Still, despite my reservations, a good beer is a good beer, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's well constructed end to end, starting with a light yet dancing aroma, continuing with a flavor profile that offers a gentle blend of malt, herbs, and distant sweet botanicals. The body and feel are superb, and the overall impression is refreshing and slightly sweet.

I love old world classics as well as new world craft beers, and this is a wonderful old beer that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. I've always preferred German pils over Czech or Austrian pils, and this beer further supports that. Very good stuff. Well recommended.

From the brewery:

"Unpasteurized, full-flavored live German lager. Produced strictly according to the German Purity Law of 1516."

[source: bottle]

"One of the best beers in Germany. Year after year, Westheimer Premium Pilsener beer passes the hardest test in the world. Experts at the German Agricultural Society rate this peak Pilsener with top marks. A Spitzen pilsener with multiple awards for quality and taste, you can count Westheimer Premium Pilsener rightly with the best beers in Germany. Craft brewing from exquisite ingredients is what makes Westheimer Premium Pilsener true to the German Purity Law of 1516, carefully brewed and then aged for a full four weeks for unique Pils quality."

[source: westheimer.de]

Sapporo Premium Beer. 5% abv. Pale yellow color. Thin white bubbly head. Excellent retention and lace. Nose is skunky, corn, boiled veggies, yeasty. Front taste of sweet light malt, canned corn, tangy back end. Aftertaste is sugar sweet syrup, canned greens, metallic sustain. Thin body. Mouthfeel is tangy, metallic, watery.

This is a Japanese macro beer. Don't let the fancy can and marketed heritage fool you, this is a cheap grain adjunct beer. The flavors are the standard boiled vegetables and overly sweet syrup to help mask off flavors, all wrapped in that classic metallic aftertaste and thin body.

This is one of those beers that's best served ice cold - in order to numb your tastebuds - and much helped by nostalgia, a beer that may remind you of hanging out at a nice sushi bar with friends. I had this beer at a get-together, and several people commented that they love pairing it with sushi. The beer reminded them of late nights with friends and tempura rolls. Unfortunately, without the ambiance of a nice Japanese restaurant and fond memories to look back on, this is just another cheap adjunct beer. Pass on this one.

From the brewery:

"With lush use of aroma hops, Sapporo Premium has an amazingly crisp taste, refreshing flavor, and refined bitterness to leave a clean finish. Whether in our iconic SILVER CAN that is long loved by our American fans, in bottles, or on tap, Sapporo Premium Beer can be enjoyed on any occasion."

[source: sapporobeer.com]

Session Premium Lager. 5.1% abv. 18 IBU. Straw-gold color. Finger of white bubbly head that falls to a sustaining collar. Fair retention. Moderate lace. Nose of grain, grassy, veggie. Front taste of light malt, corn, herbal. Aftertaste is corn, cooked greens, faint herbal hops on the back. Thin body. Mouthfeel is warm, astringent, crisp.

This is a decent lawnmower beer. Full Sail Brewing markets this separately from its other offerings, touting it as a bridge between macro and micro beers, which is another way of saying it tastes like a macro but is made by a micro. Imagine a car that drives like a Ford Fiesta but is made by Ferrari. Is that the car for you?

The appearance, body, taste, and marketing strategy all remind me of Firestone Walker's '805' of which I gave a less-than-glowing review. Their similarity is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly since Session tastes slightly better and is significantly cheaper than 805. Stacked against all beers, I'd pass on this one. Stacked against macros and other micro-macros crossovers, this beer is not the worst. Recommended, if you are going to a barbecue or mowing the lawn.

From the brewery:

"It's all about Session-ability! Session’s not a micro, a macro or an import. It’s a little bit of each. Yet none of the above. Which makes Session a true original. Just about everybody who likes beer likes Session... This is the Session that started it all, with that retro-cool red label and rock-paper-scissors under the caps. The original Session is a classic, all-malt lager that’s crisp, smooth, and refreshing. Winner of multiple gold medals at the top national and international competitions, Session Premium Lager is a beer that truly crosses boundaries, from blue collar to white, red state to blue, cocktail bar to bar-be-que. Session Premium lager is an extremely tasty import-style lager, like the kind of beer made back in the pre-Prohibition days— plenty of flavor that goes down clean and smooth, we like to call it "Session-ability." American and European hops offer a wonderful noble hop aroma, and the two-row barley malt and a touch of wheat malt give a pleasant, refreshing finish. Why have a beer when you could have a Session!"

[source: fullsailbrewing.com]

Foster's Premium Ale. 5.5% abv. 18 IBU. Gold-amber color. Thick bubbly head with good retention and some lace. Faint aroma of malt with muted hops. Flavors of malt, roasted grain, some corn. Thin-medium body. Mouthfeel is lukewarm, sticky, bubbly. Aftertaste is mild hops, bready, yeasty, dry.

At the pour, this ale was better than expected. However, it lacks character and complexity, and the nose becomes off-putting as the temp drops, with emerging notes of cooked veggies and canned corn. Not a terrible brew, but not something I’ll be revisiting anytime soon.

From the brewery:

"It’s brilliant copper appearance sits beneath an enormously foamy head. A nicely balanced maltiness accentuated by rich caramel notes and a slightly sweet character. Foster’s Premium Ale is a 5.5 alcohol volume ale with a brilliant copper color that delivers a rich, earthy beer-drinking experience with a smooth caramel finish."

[source: fostersbeer.com]

Warsteiner Premium Verum. 4.8% abv. 28 IBU. Pilsner. Pale yellow-gold color. Crystal clear. Thick white head. Good retention and lacing. Nose of hops, somewhat floral on the back end. Taste is balanced bitter hops and grain. Aftertaste is a brief sustain of hops with the bite fading over a minute. Thin-medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, bubbly, crisp, light. 

This beer is a solid example of its category. If you enjoy pilsners, this one is sure to please. Recommended.

From the brewery:

"In the beginning was a pilsener, the now famous and popular Warsteiner Premium Verum. This pilsener, brewed with top-quality ingredients and the particularly soft water from Warsteiner’s own Kaiserquelle. In more than 60 countries worldwide, beer lovers enjoy the premium beers from Warsteiner—but no matter where it’s opened or tapped, you always get the original Warsteiner premium quality."

[source: www.warsteiner.us]

Montecristo Premium Connecticut. 6x60. Connecticut shade wrap with Dominican bind and fill. Light brown almost wrap. Excellent construction with moderate veins. Superb cut and light. Easy draw pre-light and throughout. Perfectly even burn to the band. Mild, creamy taste on the wrap. Mildly sweet flavor on the intake with the flavor becoming rich and robust down the first half. Ash is marbled well, dropping reliably an inch at a time. This cigar ends sooner than expected for such a big stick. Still, this is an extraordinary smoke, one of the best I’ve had. It rivals the genuine Cubans I’ve had. Highly recommend.

From the company:

"Montecristo premium cigars, sometimes referred to as Montecristo Yellow, present the legendary Cuban cigar in a mild Dominican “exile” series that defies comparison to the Havanas. Each rich-tasting cigar sports impeccable construction with a silky, golden wrapper that burns beautifully, a marvelously sweet aroma, and the creamy finish tells you you're smoking one of the world's great cigars. Considered one of the finest cigars on the market, they are a “must have” for cigar lovers of every experience level. Make sure you always have some Montecristo cigars in your humidor. These excellent cigars are available online and in-store."

Oranjeboom Premium Lager. 5% abv. 19 IBU. Aroma of canned corn. Gold-yellow color with white head. Thick head drops fast to thin collar and some scattered lace. Taste of mild malt and corn, kinda sweet on the back end. Thin body. Very little aftertaste.

Oranjeboom ("or-rron-ya-boom") was the first beer I ever had, back in 1990. My friend Henny is from a proud Dutch family, and his dad always had a pack on hand (stored above the washing machine). I had half a warm can and hated it. Drinking it now for the first time since then, with age and an actual palate to help me out, I'm surprised to find that I don't hate it nor do I love it. It's a mediocre macro from overseas, Holland's version of a Budweiser. For me, at least it's got nostalgia.

From the brewery:

"Oranjeboom Lager Beer is an affordable Premium Imported lager beer to deliver quality beer for an affordable price. We have used the best ingredients like the freshest hops, clearest water and the best grains to come to the required taste profile. Clear, gold coloured lager beer with a nice creamy head. It comes with a classic European noble hop aroma. Oranjeboom Lager Beer is a medium dry drink and has a slightly malted taste with notes of toasted grains. It finishes with a pleasant medium long aftertaste that is nicely dry and hoppy."