Trader José Premium Lager
Trader Joe's Brewing Company

This one pours a very light golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like light citrus, grassiness, lemon, and wheat.

This is honestly a pretty solid take on the style – not quite Modelo, but in the Pacifico or Sol realm, and would be pretty excellent on a very hot day.

This is light bodied, crisp, and pretty clean, with a pretty nice drinkability.

I liked this much more than I expected that I would.

 

Wouldn’t drink it again… but not the worst thing I’ve ever tasted!

 

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Pours translucent yellow orange with a small white head. Smells of sweet grain, not much else, and pretty weak. Tastes of sweet grain, fuller than most. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, an above average beer.

 

 

This beer wasn't really what I was expecting it to be. The dark lager was much better then this. It still has a slight sweet taste in the end but let me start from the beginning. The pour was good, the look didn't really look pleasing (I love my beer to look cloudy). The smell didn't really have much to it, honestly the taste was the best part (which is why you buy the beer in the first place) but it wasn't a "Whoa! I'm going to get this again!" It was like a "Ehh, at least I got to try this" kind of taste. If you're looking for something better definitely try Hefeweizen Baravian style beer as it was much better then this. (Assuming you got this from Trader Joes). If not I'm sure there's better around!

Not a Corona but will do with a little sprinkle of salt and lime. Kind of flat. It’s cheap and clearly not a great Mexican beer.

 

 

the price is right, but let me tell you, you have to drink these ice cold, fast and quick, a lime wedge helps, but you do not want to let this warm up even a little, it totally falls apart. it can pass as a corona type when its freezing, and that is how this must be enjoyed, i get some metallics, some serious adjunct cheapness, and a sort of composting element when it comes up to temperature, not great. despite being cheap in taste, it has some redeeming qualities too, including some body so its not watery feeling, high gushing carbonation, and even a little lager yeast character in the flavor which isnt all that common in this sort of thing. it really does take the lime well, a little acidity brightens it right up and adds some needed freshness and juiciness in the middle of a beer that really doesnt bring much flavor to the table. that said though, for about a dollar each, you can do a lot worse on a hot summer day than a sixer of these bad boys. the trader joes beers remains incredibly hit or miss, but it has been fun to drink through them and discover a couple solid ones. this is middle of the pack, but is definitely not the worst mexican lager on the market...

 

Very average lager, worse than a Corona by far. Not very crisp, rather flat actually. Smelt of roasted corn and malt. Very sour grains in the taste. Not very enjoyable.

 

11.2oz from the grocer

Drinking out tha' bottle, a little disappointed because this one is far less tasty than the light version. Not sure why they taste so different.... This one has the grain and corn and alcohol taste dialed up to eleven. But otherwise it's similar. I'd pick Corona over this one, while their light version blew both Corona's away. At least there is no skunk, and actually a little nip of hops at the end (!)

YMMV, it's okay beer. This one could've used a lime

 

Its a corona wanna be. Not as good as corona but very close to it. Feels good to drink out of the bottle. Very good price for the quality. Its definetely underrated

Bottle from Trader Joe's Bedford.
Lightly hazy piss yellow in color with a bubbly white head that shows moderate retention. Green apple and skunk with hints of malt and hops. Brings me back to canoe trips on the Merrimack with Jason, just add lime.

12/7/20
Appearance: Pours a deep golden color with a mild, crispy white head that fades quickly. SRM of 8. (3.75)

Aroma: Pale and sweet malts upfront. Stronger skunky and grass aromas with bready undertones and peppery hop aroma. Faint lemon citrus. A prominent Munich honey aroma behind it all. (3.75)

Flavor: Initially it's yeasty, peppery, and slightly spicy as it fills the mouth. Flavors of bread spice, grass with a touch of citrus. Again, mild citrus with a stronger than expected grassy and bread spice hop characteristic. It has a pale, but sweet malt backbone. Finishes a bit sweet, but balanced. (3.75)

Feel: Medium-to heavier bodied, and smooth. Decent carbonation. Pretty well rounded. A touch of honeysuckle sweetness lingers on the tongue. (3.75)

Compared to Modelo: Pours an identical color. This one was more oxidized and had more skunk aromas. Also more earthy grass and bread aromas. Less crackery. Less clean. Fuller and sweeter.
4/27/21: Pours identical. More sweet bread and honey. Less cracker and pale malts. Less crisp. Smoother and sweeter.

Compared to Cerveza Pacifico 6/27/20: Very similar. Pours a slightly darker color. Slightly stronger and breadier aromas and flavors.
1/26/21: Very similar. Pours a similar color, slightly darker. Milder aromas. Slightly more honey and less Munich bread aroma. Same on the flavor. Slightly smoother with less yeast. Winner: Pacifico slightly.

Compared to Dos Equis 7/27/20: Pours a similar color. Stronger skunked aromas. More rice malts. Less earthy and bready.
10/30/20: Pours a similar color. More smooth and pale malts. Less pepper spice, bread, and stone.

Compared to Corona 11/23/20: Pours a similar color. Similar pale malts, but more bready and corn. Less cracker. A heavier body, smoother, and sweeter. Winner: Corona
7/13/21: Stronger aromas. More adjunct/corn malts and bread. Less earthy Munich malts. A fuller body and sweeter.
9/20/21: Pours darker. Stronger aromas. More bread and malty. Less

Compared to Peter's Brand 1/8/21: Pours an identical color. More white cracker, white bread, honey. Less Munich malt and German bread spice.

Compared to Molson Canadian Lager 1/18/21: Pours a similar color. More aromas of pale malt and honey. Less bready and yeast.

Compared to Odell's Colorado Lager 2/17/21: Slightly darker. Similarly mild aromas. More yeast and corn mash. Less honey. Fuller-bodied. Overall, quite similar.

Compared to Harp Lager 2/22/21: Similar color. Milder aromas. More pale malt and honey sweetness. Less bread dough and yeast. A smoother body.

to Leinenkugal's Honeyweiss 4/12/21: Pours a lighter color. More bread, grass, and honey on the aroma/flavor. Less wheat, yeast, corn mash and adjuncts. Sweeter, smoother, less carbonation.

to Pecatonica Muskelager 8/19/21: Pours a similar color. More bread and German notes. Less fruity citrus, yeast, and floral notes.

Overall: This is actually a pretty good representation of the adjunct lager style. A nice mix of German and American hops here. The hop flavors, carbonation, and mouthfeel are all well-rounded. It does drink a bit sweet. Surprisingly a good job here. (Final Rating: 3.75)
*Compare fresh to any American Lager*