Carling Black Label
Molson Coors Canada

Carling Black LabelCarling Black Label
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From:
Molson Coors Canada
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Adjunct Lager
Ranked #253
ABV:
5%
Score:
61
Ranked #28,480
Avg:
2.52 | pDev: 31.35%
Reviews:
81
Ratings:
229
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 15, 2023
Added:
Feb 17, 2003
Wants:
  9
Gots:
  41
A contemporary lager beer with a light, crisp, refreshing aroma and taste.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by NilocRellim:
Photo of NilocRellim
Rated by NilocRellim from Minnesota

2.25/5  rDev -10.7%

Sep 17, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by SRV from Oklahoma

Aug 15, 2023
 
Rated: 2 by doctorgary from New York

Jul 22, 2023
Photo of miwestcoaster
Reviewed by miwestcoaster from Michigan

3.39/5  rDev +34.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
L- Beautiful gold body with white pillow top of one inch that sticks around. Nice.
S- Not much nose at all. Slight alcohol is all I pick up.
T- Some corn on the front end and dry hops on the back end. Not sweet, but dry, which I admire in an aal.
F- Above average for the style. Smooth easy drinking.
O- Far above the average for an aal lager. Recommended.
Apr 16, 2023
 
Rated: 2.63 by Roejogan from Canada (BC)

Apr 10, 2023
 
Rated: 3.07 by loganburgh from Michigan

Mar 11, 2023
 
Rated: 2.69 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Feb 04, 2023
Photo of Kevinski
Reviewed by Kevinski from Ohio

3.21/5  rDev +27.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4
This is good for an AAL. It tastes of corn adjunct and water but it goes down smooth. It's refreshing and cheap. When I feel like drinking in session it goes perfect in between Hamm's or Banquet. I wish I could get a straight answer on what the ABV is.
Sep 10, 2022
Photo of Mdawg
Reviewed by Mdawg

4.3/5  rDev +70.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
A hot post grass cutting day. I drank it out of the can. Perfect, the second one was even better. Look: perfect,because the can looks cool. Smell: seriously!? Taste: in the pabst realm, not watery, not too sweet, what, you were expecting the usual corn bread toasted malt b.s.? Feel: like a cold 12 oz can. Overall: on my way to the garage fridge for a 3rd.
May 13, 2022
Photo of FT_fedx22
Rated by FT_fedx22 from Minnesota

3.07/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Cheap sweet beer
Better than bud coors or green beer.
Not quite a banquet...
Apr 27, 2022
Photo of Spark420
Rated by Spark420

4/5  rDev +58.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I’ve always enjoyed Black Label even though it does not taste like beer! Very easy drinking.
Mar 05, 2022
 
Rated: 2.4 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 01, 2021
Photo of scotorum
Reviewed by scotorum from Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev +42.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
CARLING BLACK LABEL 9/1/20

An old standby from pre-craft days. Poured from the 12 oz. can into a Victory Donnybrook nonick.

a: Clear yellow with a finger thick white head which receded to thin surface foam and slight lacing.

s: Mildly sweet light malt and adjunct.

t: Bright clean biscuit malt with some slightly sweet notes.

m: Light side of medium, OK body and some carbonation tingle.

o: Always a reliable refresher, long a personal favorite among mainstream lagers.
Sep 02, 2020
Photo of buddy_harvey
Reviewed by buddy_harvey from Ohio

5/5  rDev +98.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
One of my all time favorite beers,grew up drinking this stuff,smooth and great taste holds a great head...it even tastes great at room temptire and it is cheap! What more could you ask for? If you have never tried it ...you should so and you will like it..just wish I could I find it bottles though.
Aug 10, 2020
Photo of Jerris
Reviewed by Jerris from Canada (BC)

5/5  rDev +98.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Sweet and refreshing... Probably the only beer in the world that holds its taste at room temperature.. It's very citrusy to my taste buds like five alive.

Idk why maybe because I find cheese disgusting and absolutely horrible, just the smell of cheese alone is enough to make me vomit.

I do try different beers from time to time and I always endup going back for black label

old and true à beers beer never disappointed always consistent flavors
Jun 30, 2020
Photo of buschbeer
Reviewed by buschbeer from Ohio

3.6/5  rDev +42.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12 FL. OZ. can
Served in a vintage Busch Bavarian Beer goblet

This beer pours a brilliant pale yellow and is topped with a fleeting white head that leaves spotty lacing.

The aroma is grain with a little floral and grassy hops.

The taste follows the smell. It starts out with light grain flavor. it is balanced nicely by a touch of grassy hops flavor. The finish is a little dry and clean.

Light bodied with a slick, smooth mouthfeel

This is a surprisingly good lager as far as macros go. It has a little more body and a slightly dry mouthfeel making for an enjoyable drinking experience. Stroh's, move over. You need to make room for some Black Label in the fridge.
May 31, 2020
 
Rated: 2.59 by Mister_Faucher from Washington

Jan 07, 2020
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Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +54%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce can into lager glass, best before 11/11/2019. Pours fairly crystal clear pale golden yellow color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of corn, wood, pale malt/grains, and light-moderate earthy hop notes; with solid strength, Taste of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, and lightly toasted biscuit; with lighter notes of corn, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Light-moderate herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of lemon, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, wood, peppercorn, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great robustness and balance of pale malt/grains, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a great malt/bitterness balance, and no astringent hop flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Very clean on lager flavors, minimal fruity/yeasty notes. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and fairly sticky mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5%. Overall this is a delicious pale adjunct lager! All around great robustness and balance of pale malt/grains, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the mellowly bitter/drying finish. Very flavorful and not watery for the ABV. Great clean pils malt/grain showcase, and great noble hop presence/balance for the style. Mild on adjuncts. A really enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example. One of the best AAL I have had for sure.
Sep 19, 2019
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev +32.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Happy CANada Day, hosers! Take off, eh? This is one of my FAVORITE holidays of the year since it provides me with the impetus to a) drink CANned CANadian beer ISO The CANQuest (tm); b) watch hockey (either pre-recorded games or movies, like "Slapshot"; c) watch "Strange Brew"; d) eat some beaver & e) parade nekkid in the street while waving a CANdian flag. 2017 was their 150th Anniversary so I pulled out all of the stops, using sparklers & firecrackers as accoutrements, which was attention-getting, to say the least. The local CANstabulary was bemused & amused as they led me away, but I was less-than-thrilled with the 1st & 2nd degree burns, especially to my sensitive bits! Needless to say, I have scaled back since then.

A BIG "THANK YOU!" to my local, in-person trading partner, @tone77 , for providing me with a buncha beers for today's CANebration! He said that many of them will take me back to the early days of The CANQuest (tm), when AALs were the standard & the norm. No matter! Today, we CANebrate & inebriate! Cheers to our CANuck neighbors!

This beer really takes me back. It was ~ 1969 & my late-Pops was a hardcore unionist working at the now-defunct ALCOA plant. A strike was in the offing & so a meeting was held at my parents' house to decide a course of action. My 'rents, while not teetotalers, were not big imbibers so alcohol consumption was kind of a rarity. I was ~ 4 y/o at the time & curious, so when somebody offered me a sip from their CAN of Carling Black Label, Pops nodded in assent & I partook for the first time in my life. I CAN only remember being astounded by the bitterness of the hops just before I dropped the CAN from my hands, spilling it all over the carpet. Uproarious laughter ensued, except from Pops, who promptly escorted me to bed. LOL.

I had "O CANada" playing on YouTube as I Crack!ed open the vent to begin this momentous CANebration.

This reminds me of another story. I was a Plankowner aboard the USS Normandy (CG-60) in 1989 & when we opened the Staten Island Naval Shipyard in late-1990, I was a fixture at Rangers games @MSG. It was easy - flash my active duty ID, pay a pittance & sit in the infamous Blue Seats where the action happened. Beer was a given & if I got there early enough to where they were not sold out, a potato knish. Profanity was the native tongue up there & cocaine was openly snorted, but those are tales for another time. On this night, the TOR Maple Leafs were in town, necessitating the singing of both the U.S. & CANadian national anthems. I know the latter in both English et Français so I was singing along when I suddenly registered the voices behind me. Right tune, wrong words, or so I thought. After the anthems were done & we were seated, I donned my Curious Cat suit & turned to ask the guys behind me as to what had transpired. They were Spanish-speaking Latinos of Puerto RiCAN descent who had grown up in Hell's Kitchen & were lifelong Rangers fans. They had been to so many games that they sing the national anthems in SPANISH! I sat back, flabbergasted.

Onward! I went with a nice, free-flowing Glug since this was such an auspicious ocCANsion, leading to the foamy formation of two-plus fingers of fizzy, foamy, rocky-bone-(Great) white (North) head, but with only moderate retention. 8=( Color was a pretty Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 - 5) with CANadian-quality clarity & now The Gelt Gang of Midas, Mammon & Croesus appeared to join the CANadian CANebration! Whotta party. Nose was actually not bad, when rating to style.

The adjunct that mars most, if not all, AALs is the inclusion of corn. I have loved Fritos corn chips since Kindergarten when I first had them as a snack, but I do NOT like the taste of corn in beer. It is an extender that traces its roots to illicit beer being made during Prohibition when anything & everything was fair game as far as ingredients were CANcerned.

Yes, there was a corn aspect to the nose, but I have encountered FAR worse with some like opening a bag of the aforementioned Fritos! 8=p This was on the low end of that f**ked-up spectrum. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was more innocuous than anything else. It was light in flavor to the point that adjuncts were more of an afterthought than something with which to be CANcerned. I was kind of surprised at just how flavorless this seemed to me to be. My palate, as a self-avowed, self-described hophead, seemed to have evolved to the point that AALs are rendered simply ethereal. Not bad, just not destined for Guy Fieri's "Flavortown". Finish was crisp, dry & refreshing on this hot, hazy, humid CANada Day, which is just what they were shooting for. Sure, it's a flawed beer, but the style itself is flawed. Remember, Rate to Style & NOT to Taste, boys & girls!
Jul 01, 2019
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.23/5  rDev +28.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a 16 oz. can. Has a very pale straw color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of grains, light sweetness. Taste is of malts, corn, light sweetness. Feels light bodied in the mouth and overall it ain't bad at this price point, and would probably be very refreshing most of the time, but it's a brutally cold February night in Ontario.
Feb 14, 2019
Carling Black Label from Molson Coors Canada
Beer rating: 61 out of 100 with 229 ratings