Estrella Galicia Especial
Hijos De Rivera, S.A.

Estrella Galicia EspecialEstrella Galicia Especial
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From:
Hijos De Rivera, S.A.
 
Spain
Style:
European Pale Lager
Ranked #225
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
70
Ranked #28,043
Avg:
2.99 | pDev: 19.73%
Reviews:
123
Ratings:
335
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 17, 2024
Added:
Aug 15, 2002
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  88
Nace en 1972 como la Especial Rivera. Pronto se convirtió en la cerveza más representativa de la Compañía.
Elaborada a partir de un mosto específico, en el único centro de producción de Hijos de Rivera, en A Coruña. Los Maestros Cerveceros emplean en su fabricación aproximadamente un mes de trabajo, el 50% del cual se dedica a su guarda en frío.
Cerveza dorada y brillante. Excelente balance aromático entre las maltas y lúpulos. En boca ligeramente floral y herbal, de calidez moderada y con una intensa y prolongada sensación lupulada.

Born in 1972 as “Especial Rivera”, it would soon become Company’s most representative beer.
Brewed by Hijos de Rivera’s Brewmasters in the only Company’s brewery placed in A Coruña. It takes a whole month to be brewed, half of it inside the maturing tanks.
Golden color. Clean and bright. Excellent aromatic balance between malts and hops. Lightly floral and herbal flavors, with a moderate warm mouthfeel, and an intense hoppy bitter taste that lingers in the mouth.
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Ratings by ThisWangsChung:
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Reviewed by ThisWangsChung from Maryland

2.88/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
11.2 oz bottle into a pint glass. This is being paired with a dinner of scallops and shrimp over pasta - should work, I guess...

Appearance: Pours a light golden color. The head is a finger high, and white in shade. Retention is poor, but a small amount of lacing is left behind. (3)

Smell: Luckily, I'm not getting much in the way of cereal grains or cooked vegetables. Rather, I'm picking up a lot of crackery malt sweetness - and I mean, a lot. There's also a substantial amount of cotton candy and faint white wine. It smells much like an underhopped helles...or, maybe an overmalted one. As far as simple, regional lagers go, it's pretty decent. (3)

Taste: First comes the not-so-good news: it's very sweet. I'm tasting plenty of cotton candy and bready malt. I can't call it underhopped, though, because I actually do taste a grassy bite on the back end. So overmalted it is, then. But now comes the good news: the adjuncts are concealed beautifully. It really just tastes like an average helles instead of a lame AAL. Awesome, I s'pose? (2.75)

Mouthfeel: Despite the sweetness, the crisp bite keeps it easy to drink. But also because of the sweetness, there's to much body when the carbonation fades. And the carbonation fades very quickly. It's decent to start off, though. (2.75)

Overall: I can't hate on it. It's not really a bad beer at all. It goes really well with the dinner I made, too. I just wouldn't buy it again with so many other (cheaper) lagers around. Still, it's actually good by adjunct lager standards. (3)

2.86/5: Much better than Budweiser, at least...
Sep 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.68 by windowside from Germany

Jan 17, 2024
Photo of drmeto
Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

3.13/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
L:
-pours a clear golden with a medium-to-big,foamy,white head
-medium carbonation visible
S:
-grainy,honey,toasted malt
T:
-Follows the nose + cardboard,light lemon-y,light sweetness
-low-to-medium bitterniss
F:
-medium carbonation
-light-to-medium body
O:
A mildly decent Export Lager
Dec 05, 2023
Photo of JohRvs
Reviewed by JohRvs from England

3.43/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Look: Pale straw lager colour.
Smell: Malty lager.
Taste: Lager malty, sweet and crisp.
Feel: Light crisp refreshing on the tongue.
Overall: Crisp and refreshing, functional but not memorable.
Nov 28, 2023
Photo of lflotron
Rated by lflotron from Florida

4.43/5  rDev +48.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Very good
Nov 09, 2023
Photo of jonphisher
Reviewed by jonphisher from New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev +18.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours darker shade of pale, a vigorous bubbly white head forms, as it settles it leaves some rocky terrain and spots of lacing as it crashes, never devoid of white.

The nose is more complex than one would guess for a euro pale lager, touch of DMS, but then some spicy hops, a slight grain like sweetness, dry and husk like.

The taste is very malt driven, cereal and grain come to mind first with some white bread like sweetness, the hops definitely show again in taste, much like the nose; wow, even a bit herbal like, almost mint like before finishing grass like with a little spice on the finish.

Light body, but leaning towards medium; the malt really is bigger on this, almost like a helles verging on bock territory, great great vibrant biting carbonation that quickly coats the tongue in soft creamy froth, oh yea that is good; light bitterness, a touch of residual sweetness remains on an otherwise mostly dry beer.
Nov 05, 2023
 
Rated: 3.69 by Aitor from Spain

Nov 04, 2023
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.02/5  rDev +34.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear yelow with thick fluffy head.

Smell is bready, crackery and a bit spicy. Notes of citrus and rye, clean and crisp.

Taste is bready and a bit sweet and spicy with a moderate bitterness. Notes of rye, citrus and some wheat dough. Clean, crisp and drinkable.

Mouthfeel is medium and well carbonated.

Overall, a well made lager, very good for what it is. Easily drinkable, but not that memorable.
Nov 04, 2023
Photo of Ghrymm
Rated by Ghrymm from Canada (BC)

2.66/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Poured from a 330ml bottle.
25 IBU'S, but you would never know it.
A very lackluster beer.
Oct 19, 2023
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

3.49/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
330mL bottle stamped 08.2024 poured into a hotel paper cup at fridge temp 5.5 % ABV 25 IBU per label. The beer pours yellow in color with off white head. Head persists. The aroma is mild with sweet pale malt and grassy hops. The taste is semisweet pale malt with plenty of grassy hop flavor. Mild bitterness. Slight diacetyl. Mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, ok.
Oct 01, 2023
 
Rated: 2.53 by ScrantanDave from England

Sep 28, 2023
Photo of kuroqa
Rated by kuroqa

2.25/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Not great flavour and bad feelings. You get tired of this beer very quickly. After drinking 2 or 3, it leaves a heavy feeling in your stomach.
Mar 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.65 by cd34 from Illinois

Feb 12, 2023
 
Rated: 3.24 by QuintusHorace from California

Nov 28, 2022
Photo of Ant777uk
Reviewed by Ant777uk from England

4.03/5  rDev +34.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Re-reviewing...top notch smooth head, deep colour. Aroma has some definite uniqueness, kind of bitter German style hops...definitely inviting.

Really amazing malt taste. Some of the malt is roasted, which explains the more complex flavour. It's less refreshing than a typical pilsner or Mahou, but it's more complex. As a result, it has a great mouth feel...

This is a really amazing beer, complex and a fusion of different styles. I probably prefer Mahou just, though this is close behind. Estrella from Barcelona is nowhere this level ; )
Nov 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.25 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

Nov 13, 2022
 
Rated: 3.33 by Rainintheface from Florida

Nov 09, 2022
 
Rated: 2.97 by Massbook

Oct 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.5 by NorbertB1974 from Germany

Oct 22, 2022
 
Rated: 2.96 by SlightlyGrey from Minnesota

Oct 10, 2022
Estrella Galicia Especial from Hijos De Rivera, S.A.
Beer rating: 70 out of 100 with 335 ratings