Balto Heroic Lager
Thirsty Dog Brewing Company

Balto Heroic LagerBalto Heroic Lager
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From:
Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Lager
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
74
Avg:
3.08 | pDev: 18.51%
Reviews:
46
Ratings:
53
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 01, 2014
Added:
Sep 19, 2002
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DrDemento456:
Photo of DrDemento456
Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Well being recently retired I guess this is why I found it at the House of 1,000 beers for a dollar and it was worth the dollar.

A - Well it's not very "golden" as others stated it looks more amber if anything with some haze and a 1/4 inch of head.

S - Smell is sweet with bread and caramel taking front stage and very little musky lager yeast. Not bad.

T - Well it was good so I am not sure of the low score (style discrepancy?) but I got some good toasted almond and a caramel finish which gave this "lager" some great character.

M - Light to medium it was good.

Overall I will have to see if they have any left because for a dollar it was one great "amber?" lager. Worth trying if you see it equally as inexpensive.
Jun 27, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by zestar from California

Aug 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Sep 08, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by Bill235 from Ohio

May 13, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by cliff1066 from Virginia

Dec 17, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Tyrawlings from Ohio

Feb 16, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by amstelcat from Ohio

Nov 27, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by xDeadGuYx from Ohio

Nov 18, 2011
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +29.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
from notes

brownish amber with a small off white head on top. Very clear with tons of carbonation rippling up from the bottom of the glass.

smells of malted grain, rice, and a touch of grass. Nothing to write home about. After a few minutes it was taken over by a musty bread like aroma and that was about it.. Nice rounded caramel tones in the finish were brought there by a bready like grain and a touch of some earthy and grassy flavors.
Aug 27, 2011
Photo of Brenden
Reviewed by Brenden from Ohio

3.08/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
This beer may be recently retired, but I did drink it. Notes are from last week.

Just as a note, I had no idea what I would have categorized this one as. I know that "golden lager" is not a style, and it was never specified. I don't know what led someone to categorize this as an amber/red, though.

The color is a deep gold with some clarity. A soft white head forms about one finger tall and fades relatively quickly. Light lacing is left behind in thin patches.
The nose is muted with hints of grains and a soft note of breads with maybe just the slightest mix of caramel malts and hops which, oddly, add little character.
The flavor follows suit, adding a spicy note and something very odd; a strange yeast strain perhaps? I honestly don't know what that weird flavor is and I've never tasted it in a beer before. Hops and malts are balanced, but they're light.
The mouthfeel is a little bland despite a medium body, but at least somewhat lively, though as it lingers it does weaken. It's still somewhat smooth and at least there's a nip at the beginning.
Well,I guess I won't be having this again since it's retired, but I wouldn't seek it out again anyway unless I was searching for a beer that would really confuse me as to what style it was supposed to be.
Aug 29, 2010
Photo of HopHooligan
Reviewed by HopHooligan from Connecticut

3.4/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Whata advertising campaign, put mans best friend on the label

A- Golden red color, little foam when poured from a bottle. Little
lacing that dissipated quickly.

S- toasted oat and caramel scent with a lil fruit.

T- Malty and syrupy, didn't taste like most lagers I've had. Bready
with small lemon flavor.

M- Nice medium carbonation with a light body feel.

D- I only got 1, but I could have easily polished off a 6er. Would be
a great everyday beer if it was cheaper.
Mar 17, 2010
Photo of Cyberkedi
Reviewed by Cyberkedi from Georgia

3.45/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Retired? Guess it's a good thing I found a bottle when I did!

Aroma is strong, malty and fruity. It pours a clear golden amber with a thick off-white head that does not stick around too long. Flavor does not quite match the aroma, being malty with a hint of fruit and a touch of hops but mostly unremarkable; still, it satisfies. Texture is smooth and tingly, rather typical.
Jul 22, 2009
Photo of dsa7783
Reviewed by dsa7783 from New Jersey

3.15/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Single, twelve-ounce bottle copped from Nikki's Liquors in Providence...
Not too sure if this qualifies as an Amber lager... Seemed almost like a Blonde to me...
Golden, light hue with no head nor lacing...
Smell: Light-lager aroma with hints of vanilla thrown into the mix...
Taste: Very vanilla-like flavor with only slight hints of amber and grains...
Decent mouthfeel along with an alright level of drinkability...
Very light on the overall amber red flavor... Certainly an interesting sample, though I wouldn't rate this brew too highly...
Sep 22, 2008
Photo of MuenchenerKindl
Reviewed by MuenchenerKindl from Germany

3.85/5  rDev +25%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 oz bottle to a pint glass the liquid is a clear yellow gold with good carbonation. The head is 2 fingers white and leaves some lace.

The smell is lightly roasted malt and a slight lemongrass hopy finish.

The taste follows nice malt very easy to gulp this brew, notes of biscuit and lemon in the finish. Nice

The mouthfeel is ok good lighter body and nice carbonation.

The drinkability is good quite an easy brew to drink and plenty refreshing. Prosit, MK
Sep 02, 2008
Photo of kinger
Reviewed by kinger from Ohio

3.59/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Quality brewer, decent lager. Aroma is crisp and light with a minimal scent of pale malt and a nice sweet kicker. Bottle says there is a caramel presence and I'm sure this is what I'm smelling, pleasant. Poured a rather dark golden color with a medium amber tint, great color. Minimal head that diminishes and very little lacing, rather disappointing. Flavor is sturdy and very good, I'm not a huge lager fan but there is enough involved with this one to hold my interest. Dry and slightly malty the amber malt and caramel blend in nicely. Crisp and dry there is a clean mouthfeel with a mildly sweet finish. This beer complimented my sausage pizza real well, for what it is it's a decent beer. Overall I like more complex and heavier beers but this is nice for it's style.
Aug 05, 2008
Photo of mhewes
Reviewed by mhewes from Colorado

3.17/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A : Pours a nice golden color with a little bit of head that disappears real quickly.

S : Mainly a malty aroma with some fruit and hops notes

T : Mainly a malt flavor. No hop presence. There's something else in the flavor that I can't identify and didn't see in the other reviews.

M : Light, good carbonation

D : It's ok but I'd probably pass on it.
Jul 16, 2008
Photo of TheManiacalOne
Reviewed by TheManiacalOne from Rhode Island

3.28/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a thin white head that fades quickly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of grainy malts, caramel, some hops and a touch of fruit.

T: The taste is bready and a little sweet with flavors of caramel, grain and some fruit. There's a decent hops presence that provides some balance and a touch of smokiness in the background. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, this is a decent beer but there really isn't anything to it that stands out enough to make me select it over many others.
Jul 03, 2008
Photo of becktone
Reviewed by becktone from Ohio

2.64/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Eye: Light in color, orangeish amber/lightly orange tinted golden. Red hues. It is clear with a nice white head , creamy in appearance with a nice size, and some good lacing though it seems to be quickly dissipating. Looks like it might be stabilizing
at about 3/4 of a finger. Pretty good overall.

Nose: Quite malty, smells quite a bit like LME. Especially the light or amber. Not much in the way of hops, actually I don't smell any hops. Just lots of concentrated caramel and malt. I mean, it doesn't smell much like beer, like I said, LME, its like that this beer wasn't even fermented or perhaps the LME wasn't even diluted with water, just what it smells like to me. And just not appealing to me.

Tongue: Quite malty on the palate, not really that much going on here, just some middle of the road malt flavor. Hard to describe, again LME, syrupy. Just enough hop to five some sembance to balance. Tastes too processed, not authentic. In my opinion this needs work.

Mouthefeel and Drinkability: I feel like the beer is light on the tongue, but that part of it is heavy like a syrup. Finish is drying. Carbonation is okay, a bit on the higher side and a bit coarse but I guess thats okay. This is definitely not one I'll be buying again, it is not worth $7-9 a sixer. Really, I don't think that this is even worth $6 a sixer. It just doesn't taste real. Sure its easy enough to drink, but just not nearly good enough to justify spending money on it. At first I thought that I really liked this beer, but upon closer inspection and actually drinking it out of the glass, my perception has changed quite a bit.
May 25, 2008
Photo of BeerlyHuman
Reviewed by BeerlyHuman from Ohio

1.43/5  rDev -53.6%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Picked up a single in the dollar bin at the local beverage center. Poured into a pint mason jar.

Strange toasted orange color with sediment throughout. Kinda ugly. Minimal head.

Smell was like old soup starting to ferment. Not good soup either.

Taste was very odd not at all clean like most lagers. Hard to describe this one.

Drinkability??? Barely got this one down.

Possibly a bad bottle (I hope) but wont chance another purchase. Most happy I didnt get a 6 pack.

One of my favorite beers is Siberian Night by Thirsty Dog and I love Old Leghumper as well. This should be discontinued in my opinion.
Mar 05, 2008
Photo of Proteus93
Reviewed by Proteus93 from Virginia

3.38/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: A slightly murky straw pour, decent finger and a half, off-white head.

S: Not a very strong aroma at all... some sweet maltiness with light hops.

T: Flavours are not bad. Sweet, malty, but kind of lacking in hops balance. They only seem to come out post-finish. Not a bad tasting brew, but not really complex at all.

M + D: A light-medium body, but the carbonation is reasonable and it's certainly drinkable. This is an easy one to quaff. I picked this one up because my son liked that it had a puppy on the label. I would get it again for that reasoning and not complain about drinking it, but it's not something to go out of ones way for.
Feb 28, 2008
Balto Heroic Lager from Thirsty Dog Brewing Company
Beer rating: 74 out of 100 with 53 ratings