DB Export Gold
DB Breweries

DB Export GoldDB Export Gold
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From:
DB Breweries
 
New Zealand
Style:
European Pale Lager
Ranked #388
ABV:
4%
Score:
66
Ranked #28,277
Avg:
2.39 | pDev: 22.59%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
25
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 05, 2023
Added:
Jan 27, 2003
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  5
In 1960 Morton Coutts discovered the Holy Grail of beer, continuous fermentation. A process that unlike batch brewing, meant once the brewing started the beer literally never stopped flowing. The process was adopted by the rest of the World and the beer that flowed was Export Gold.

Made using only the finest New Zealand hops, barley and pure spring water, it is perhaps New Zealand’s freshest and most refreshing beer. It has an ABV of 4%, and won a Gold medal at the 2011 Monde Selection awards and continues to win awards around the globe.
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Ratings by Zorro:
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

2.85/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Pours a clear gold brew.

Smell is banana and grains with a floral quality to it.

Taste is grain and biscuits, with a bit of honey or honeysuckle. A tasty, but not complex brew.

Mouthfeel is thin.

Fairly drinkable, beats Bud or Coors, Steinlager is better.
Feb 20, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of paradis3vil
Reviewed by paradis3vil from New Zealand

3.35/5  rDev +40.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
Sweet and light lager. For a budget beer this goes down smoothly and easily but isn’t the best tasting beer. Pretty average but you can’t really complain for the price.
Jun 05, 2023
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

2.72/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
$8 NZD per 500ml on-draught @ Mulligans Pub, Taupo, New Zealand.

Fruity for a lager, with an ANZAC biscuit-redolent cheap golden syrup sweetness at its core. Sweet grains, honey malt.

Altogether not terrible for a budget lager, with no overt off flavours present. It isn't watery, and while it is slightly syrupy, it's not as off puttingly syrupy as many malt liquors in the same price tier.

It's drinkable but not a good beer. Still, I think it compares favorably to other countries' national punching bag budget lagers (and every country has one) for what little that's worth. Okay, it's not Beer Lao, but it's probably a top 5 national budget lager if one were to rate only those (which might make for an interesting beer article).

High C- / BELOW AVERAGE
Feb 26, 2023
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3/5  rDev +25.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
DB Export Gold is sold in bright school-bus yellow packaging that, frankly, suits this style of ubiquitous, lower alcohol lager; the liquid itself has a correspondingly golden sheen and looks every bit as 'sunny weather suited' as that crayon-toned can. I'd probably be less inclined to buy an imperial stout with this colour packaging but for swill it works!

But macro lagers are notorious for looking good but tasting bad. The nose test is always the first true, accurate evaluation - does it smell like golden syrup, stale rice, or pure malted barely? In this case adjuncts aren't blatantly noticeable, though a lack of hearty, proper graininess does arise suspicions. Either way, there's neither the sense it'll be truly awful nor anything great.

I don't understand all the ins and outs of "continuous fermentation" but this method not only originated with what is now DB Export Gold but also - some would say - revolutionized beer production the world over. It did so, however, because of its economic advantages - it shortens the brewing cycle by weeks - and doesn't really have anything to do with quality, freshness, flavour or any of the things that are ultimately relevant to us consumers.

If anything, all it means is that this is more industrially brewed than most other industrial beers. Indeed, it's virtually indistinguishable from the average national brand lager, though it mostly avoids the cloying sweetness and obvious adjunct off-notes that many of those possess. This is - relatively speaking - "medium clean" drinking, its ultra-light body and high carbonation making for a reasonably pain-free and inoffensive after-work quencher (but nothing more).

It's not a uniquely Kiwi thing, but I have noticed that New Zealanders politely try to downplay things by speaking in reverse terms. Examples might be: "is it expensive? It's not really cheap" or "Is it far? It's not exactly close". To put it in that kind of context: this beer won't suffer from being left in the coldest part of the fridge and served with a lime wedge.

New Zealand is an island(s) in the South Pacific that possesses the beautiful white (and black) sand beaches you'd imagine - and has no shortage of the watery, light lagers that typically accompany those sorts of places. But of the variety I've tried from the likes of Tui, Speights, Steinlager, Lion and DB, Export Gold would be my 'lesser of all evils' among that list.
Jul 20, 2017
 
Rated: 2.5 by FLBeerGuy from Florida

Nov 29, 2016
 
Rated: 2.75 by probert from New York

Sep 05, 2014
 
Rated: 1.5 by shjdy

Jul 09, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by JakeBarnett from Minnesota

Jun 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by endless1408 from England

Jun 05, 2014
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

1.95/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 1.75
330ml bottle poured into pint glass 11/3/14 from notes

A clear golden yellow with a large loose soapy head leaves a couple partial rings followed by random patches

S sweet corn malt, cardboard, rather skunky, soggy bread, leaves something to be desired no doubt

T more skunk, a little sour, almost undrinkable, even worse then the nose

M watery, foamy, foul aftertaste, no real improvement in this department

O pretty gross really, nothing worth drinking

this was a free beer at a hostel and I think I overpaid, avoid
Mar 19, 2014
 
Rated: 1.25 by lisagirl from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

May 12, 2013
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

2.61/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
On tap at one of many hostels I stayed at in New Zealand. From notes.

A - Poured golden and bright. Decent carbonation, one finger of white head left good lace and a film of retention.

S - Sweet, corn, honey, sweet grain.

T - Sweet grain, honey, fairly sweet, just mostly grainy.

M - Good carbonation, medium body, a bit light in the body but expected for the style/ABV, sweet finish.

O/D - Run of the mill and nondescript. Simply doing what too many do. Doesn't offend but has more of a 'yawn' effect than 'wow'.
Jan 02, 2013
Photo of FLima
Reviewed by FLima from Brazil

2.38/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Golden color as the name says. Head quickly vanished to form a thin ring.
It has a faint aroma of cereals and sugar cane. Good carbonation and light body.
Sweet taste of cereals (not sure if they add only barley malt) and sugar addition. For me it is just a regular adjunct lager.
Nov 18, 2012
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

2.26/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours gold with a small, lasting head.
Nose shows hay, vegetal notes, sweet malt and cereal grains. Also some faint floral notes.
Similar flavours, more hay and vegetal characters. Again, there's a faint floral note.
Body is a bit watery.
Seemed promising at first but then quickly went downhill.
Mar 02, 2012
Photo of drpimento
Reviewed by drpimento from Wisconsin

1.39/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
Wow, rough trade. I let the bottle warm a bit out of the fridge first. Poured with a small, slightly durable white head and no lace. Color is a clear yellow with some bubble trails. Aroma is adjunct sweet, grain. Flavor is like nose with strong carbonic tang, no hop, little malt. Body is dominated by carbonic tang. Finish is like flavor, tang lasting longest - too long. Should be better forgotten. Drain time.
Feb 08, 2012
Photo of Kulrak
Reviewed by Kulrak from Australia

2.2/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
Pours a golden yellow with a small amount of bubbly head that fades away rather quickly. Smells yeasty and a little coppery, not a good beginning. Tastes pretty much the same as it smells, yeasty and a little coppery, and that's about it. There's a slight aftertaste of hops, but you don't really get any of the real hop or malt flavor. Mouthfeel is pretty watery and a little fizzy. It's pretty much a standard macro beer, so it's drinkable, in the same way water is. I prefer my beer to taste like beer though.
Sep 27, 2008
Photo of VitBAficionado
Reviewed by VitBAficionado from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

2.13/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
330 mL bottle

A: : “Fizzy-yellow” beer appearance, though slightly darker than American counterparts. Some lace forms but is spotty at best.
S:Smell: Sweet malts and that’s about it.
T: As one would guess from the smell – sweet malty taste. Not much else going on.
M: Highly carbonated but surprisingly smooth. Kind of like a grade C maple syrup if that makes any sense to anyone.
D: Bland but inoffensive. Could drink a bunch of it but no incentive to do so… unless its free. Beirut anyone?
Feb 19, 2007
Photo of jarmby1711
Reviewed by jarmby1711 from Australia

2.5/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Never seen this on the shelf before so thought it worth a try.
It was cheap so I had no great expectations,
It is a bland lager at best. Quaffable , harmless but offers nothing that many others also offer.
It is all biscuity malts without any sharp edges at all
Soft round dull all come to mind.
it is drinkable but why bother ?
Oct 20, 2006
Photo of jahsausage
Reviewed by jahsausage from New Zealand (Aotearoa)

1.89/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2
Export Gold alleges that it is a "full flavoured lager" which is an exceedingly long way from the truth. It is a pale yellow colour with a pitiful attempt at a head quite unappetising really. The taste was neither here nor there, it didn't really taste bad but nothing whatsoever stood out and there was little to no hops prescence of noble types or otherwise. This meant that its "taste per style" score was positiviely pathetic. In a rather silly move I decided to time myself drinking it, without any undue effort it took me 3 minutes 48 secs and while I felt a bit bloated afterwards I think that this is indicative of the inoffensiveness of this brew.
Apr 08, 2005
Photo of Bierguy5
Reviewed by Bierguy5 from Ohio

2.87/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours a golden straw color, with little to no head. No lace on the glass either. Not much in the way of smell, slight pale malty smell with maybe a touch of earthy hops. Again, the taste has a fair amount of pale malt sweetness with a slight amount of hops. Not much to write home about. Seemed to be closer to medium body that light. Not overwhelming with carbonation. Overall, not bad for a euro lager, but certainly nothing to search out IMO.
Sep 19, 2004
DB Export Gold from DB Breweries
Beer rating: 66 out of 100 with 25 ratings