Leaderboard Trophy Lager
Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery

Leaderboard Trophy LagerLeaderboard Trophy Lager
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From:
Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
4.2%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.54 | pDev: 11.02%
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
25
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 27, 2014
Added:
Oct 09, 2005
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
Brewed with malt, yeast, water and hops. Unpasteurized and unfiltered.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.5 by BigTrubble from North Carolina

Apr 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by jak from North Carolina

Dec 27, 2011
Photo of callmemickey
Reviewed by callmemickey from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Hazy, pale straw-gold body. Large frothy white head. Moderate retention and spotty lacing.

S: Grain, grass and herbal notes. Simple, but pleasant.

T: Much like the nose, the brew is dominated by grassy hops and a sweet grain body.

M: Light carbonation, light-medium bodied. Thrown for a loop with the unfiltered yeast as you get to the back end of the beer. Finish could be crisper and cleaner, but is certainly passable.

D: All said, a decent and moderately interesting offering. Worth a try.
Mar 21, 2010
Photo of srandycarter
Reviewed by srandycarter from California

3.5/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Light, straw to honey. Small very white head leaves to ring fast. Some spotty cling lace.

S - Light hops, malt, and a musky almost faint moldy smell, but not bad.

T - Nice light caramel, bittered a little tinny at the end.

M - Light body, fair balance.

D - Any every day beer. Not the greatest, but not bad, either. I would have another again sometime.
Feb 01, 2010
Photo of Kegatron
Reviewed by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz can into a pint glass.

Pours a clear paler colored gold with 3 massive foamy fingers of bright-white head. Retention is decent, holding at about ¾ of a finger and leaving a big latticework of patchy foam behind. The aroma is very grassy smelling with some grainy sweetness behind it and maybe a bit of a citric component working itself in there as well. Unfortunately, I'm also detection a weird mineral-like edge to this that isn't overly appetizing.

The taste is similar, with that same light grainy sweetness and gentle fruity flavors to it, along with a tingle of spicy hops that leaves an earthy and drying feel in the finish. The mouthfeel is lighter bodied, with a moderate crispness and a fairly smooth nature to it.

Decent little Light Lager here with some softer flavors but still comes off as quite quaffable. An easy drinking craft Lager in a can has to count for something, right?
Jan 14, 2010
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: Pours a hazy pale lemon color (an unfiltered lager - how unusual) with a one finger head that retains fairly well and leaves a few shards of lace; I was a little wary of the carbonation based on prior reviews, but this one was fine

Smell: Biscuity, slightly grainy, with a hint of lemon

Taste: Biscuity, up front, with a hint of lemon and then a developing grainy bitterness appearing by mid-palate; after the swallow, the biscuity flavors nicely offset the grainy bitterness, while an underlying touch of sweetness lingers like a drop of honey on the tip of the tongue

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this lager, having harbored a prejudice against their brews (in part, due to the poor review it got in the BA magazine a year ago); the lack of a lager twang makes it all the more appealing
Nov 08, 2008
Photo of ByTor2112
Reviewed by ByTor2112 from North Carolina

3.51/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a cloudy light gold color. very nice for an unfiltered lager. A big puffy white head is tight at the onset but slowly gets clumpy as it diminishes leaving a fair amount of lacing behind
Aroma-Lagerish, Sharp hop notes on a deep inhale, with some soapy aromas.
Mouthfeel-hop bitterness followed by a grainy cereal malt flavor. A froth on the palate sweetens it up. A touch more complex than the average US lager. This has a decent malt body with the hops fading in and out as it warms. This one is best if drank while it stays on the cooler side IMHO.
Oct 14, 2008
Photo of smerkinb
Reviewed by smerkinb from North Carolina

4.21/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5
The can has a paragraph long description of the purpose of this beer. Crafted to replace "water-hazard" golf beers with something flavorful. Let's see if it works.

Pours a pretty ripe wheat color with impressive 1"+ pillowy head that slower dissipates. I notice a lot of sediment and rereading the paragraph realize this is unfiltered.
Smells...yeasty. That's about it. I'm preparing myself for mediocrity here.
Tastes...SMOOTH. Incredibly smooth. Intriguingly smooth. Seems pretty basic--balanced. First impression is nothing extra here. As it warms a bit I catch a hint of clove. It's subtly sweet, with a touch of spiciness as well. I'm really beginning to look forward to each sip.
Goes down smoothly. It's mellow and almost gives a sense of creaminess it's so smooth. Finishes dry which leaves me greedy to have another taste.

IMO, this is EXACTLY what Top of the Hill intended. Not fizzy, not really complex but damn tasty! This is perfect for our hot NC days and I can easily imagine having this as a staple at the beach or after yardwork or, as they propose, on the golf course. Spot on! I will absolutely grab this to keep as a refreshing, thirst-quenching staple for the rest of the summer.
Aug 21, 2008
Photo of JMH_
Reviewed by JMH_ from New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours a very impressive slightly hazy golden colour with a big, awesome pillowy white head that is long lasting and leaves a bit of residue on the glass.

The aroma is sharp and clean with some sweetness, a bit of grain and a touch of floral hops.

The flavour is similar but is tame in comparison to what was expected based on the aroma. There is a light floral hop taste throughout each sip with minimal sweetness and again a fair amount of graininess. It's basically a lighter version of the aroma. Mouthfeel is crisp and light bodied and refreshing overall.

This is certainly a drinkable enjoyable beer that, whilst a bit simple (as the style would of course dictate), was much more enjoyable than expected. I'd happy sample this one again.
Apr 25, 2008
Photo of UnionMade
Reviewed by UnionMade from New York

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bright gold, with an even hazing of particulates. Puffy white head subsides to an even, misty coating. Speckly lacing, with good head retention.
Dry, lagery pils malt, with a not unpleasant apple fruitiness. Mild floral, soapy hops. Fairly clean, without any serious flaws or off flavors.
The first sip is very crisp and dry on the tongue. Definitely thirst quenching. Mild, bready malt flavors are kind of like soup crackers. A little bit of a honey feel, with light apple fruitiness. Mellow hops do a good job of balancing things out. Medium bodied, with lively carbonation keeping things interesting. Mild overall. Nice to sip and relax with.
Much better than your average american pale lager. Went nicely with a sausage & onion pizza.
Jan 27, 2008
Photo of DevilDogBeer
Reviewed by DevilDogBeer from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Well, if I had to guess, I'd say the brewery nailed just what they were looking for here. The first trip I took to the Brewery, the barkeep remarked that the owners and the brewers were huge golf fans. They despised CMB but could not take anything but cans on to the golf course. The remedy for Top of the Hill was to become a cannery in addition to the brew pub so they could bring the beer on to the course. I notice this beer takes a lot of knocks, but that is a true testament to the brewers! This beer is a full-bodied version of something between a Bud and Coors Banquet. You can even taste the corn! The pour is a straw yellow color with a foamy white head with small bubbles. The head fades but leaves wisp when let to sit in a glass. The smell is malty and a bit earthy true to the American Lager style. The taste follows suit so well you can taste to corn and rice adjuncts used in this brew. They bill this as all-malt, but no way, I do not believe it. This is a session beer to the T. You can drink dozens of these in a sitting given the attention diversion and time. I credit the Top of the Hill team with hitting such a true-to-style beer. If you think CMB is crap, this is crap, too since it hit the style very well.
Jan 08, 2008
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

2.83/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Got this one more as a novelty for my grandfather then anything else. But you know I had to give it a whirl. Poured a bright golden amber with a nice frothy and fizzy white head that quickly faed leaving behind simply an average looking macro like lager. The aroma was full of grain, tons of it and that was about all there was. A hint of corn in the back, but a predominant musty breadlike aroma. The taste was pretty bland to be honest. Not horrible mind you, just terribly average. Lots of corn and grain and bread again. This was your typical macro kinda lager, nothing really great at all, better then a bud light but I think I will pass. Grandpa loved it as he does all macros, so you know it could be that great. Average all the way would be the best way to describe it.
Nov 18, 2007
Photo of wagenvolks
Reviewed by wagenvolks from Texas

4.05/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
12 oz. can into a pint glass

Pours a cloudy, straw-golden/amber hued lager with a thick, well-retained bleach-white head. Fervent carbonation from the bottom of the pint fuels the foam, which leaves a hint of lacing.

The aroma is sweet, with light, fruity notes up front such as mandarin orange, banana, peach, and mango. Smell is a bit one-dimentional, but it's enticing nonetheless.

Surprisingly hoppy, this lager packs flavors of malty caramel & some citrus. Biscuity notes, too. The mouthfeel is light and crisp, with a well-placed bitter hop finish. Could be a bit stronger, though, both flavor- and finish-wise. Overall, however, this beer is amazingly drinkable. I'd easily have a 6-pack per 18 holes, if only I could golf as well as I drink beer.
Aug 15, 2007
Photo of tigerdoc
Reviewed by tigerdoc from South Carolina

3.82/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours straw yellow with a thick creamy head that sticks around for a little while. It's unfiltered which leaves is a little cloudy and with specs of hops which I may not mind from a bottled or draft beer but a pilsner in a can should be very clear if not brilliant. The aroma was nice a clean a little biscuit and noble hop aroma. The flavor was nice, dry, and smooth but still nothing that spectacular out of the ordinary. The mouthfeel was very smooth with a crisp bitterness on the finish. A very drinkable beer and I appriciate putting a quality lager into a can, but it isn't that exciting and I would have expected more for the price tag they slap on it.
Jul 17, 2007
Photo of fingolfin72
Reviewed by fingolfin72 from North Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
The top of the can herniated out a bit, so I decided I better ice it down and investigate. It poured the most enormous head I've seen in years. The rocky head didn't live very long, but it was impressive.
The nose was yeasty and lemony, more like a good hefeweizen. It was cloudy like one, too. The color of this beer was hazy gold.
The palate had a good amount of flavor - malt, yeast, lemons and a bit of pepper. Perhaps a touch too sharp, but I liked all that lemon-cookie-wheat-beer flavor. Strange that this is a lager. I liked the beer, but I wouldn't say it's true to the style.
May 03, 2007
Photo of beermanbrian
Reviewed by beermanbrian from Pennsylvania

3.12/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
I pop the tab on this one and the foam explodes out the top of the can. It took me a good 5 minutes to get this one in a glass. The head is rocky white foam that for it's huge size dosn't stick around for long, it's completly gone before i'm half way through this one. Straw yellow in color with bunches of unfiltered floaties hanging around. Smell of biscuits and grass. Taste is OK but pretty bland, biscuit maltyness and just a faintt grass hoppyness. Mouthfeel is a little on the thin side and it finishes with no flavor at all. Not impressed by this one.
Apr 13, 2007
Photo of tastybeer
Reviewed by tastybeer from North Carolina

3.83/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This is one of the most interesting American lagers I've had as of yet. Looks good, but not much like a lager. The fact that its unfiltered definitely shows and the head is giant to say the least. Golden color with some light amber to it, and a white fluffy head. Retention is great. Smell is grassy, grainy, has some crazy fruits and unexpected spices, with biscuity malt. Taste has more of the biscuit malt with a suprising sharp hop bitterness, spice and grassy hops like in the nose. Quite a crazy lager. This should probably be categorized as an India Pale Lager, if there were such a thing. There's also a bit of a Belgian thing happning, especially with all the spicy character. A macro would have been my last guess. Mouthfeel is not bad. Grainy and gritty texture which is enhanced by extended dry bitterness and prickly carbonation but body is too thin for the amount of flavor. Easy to drink, especially once the giant head fades down.

Enjoyable + very unlike any lager I've had.
Oct 20, 2006
Photo of wedge
Reviewed by wedge from North Carolina

3.92/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours from the can a pale yellow color, obviously unfiltered, with a foamy white head lingering on top. The flecks of debris are a little unsettling in such a light colored beer, especially a standard American lager, but hell, I'll still drink it. Smell, amazingly enough, has a good amount of hoppy goodness - actually a similar profile to their IPA. Grassy and a bit biscuity. The flavor is similar in its hop characteristics - citrusy, floral - sweetened bready grains. Solid, crisp bitterness. The mouthfeel is really the only thing, aside from the appearance (which is questionable), that suggests this is a lager: light, not quite watery, but does seem to dilute the flavor just a bit.

WTF? Is this the beer that's supposed to be in this can? This is absolutely not, by any stretch, a macro lager. Fruity, hoppy, sweet...quite the good lager in my opinion. Sure as hell caught me by suprise!
Oct 20, 2006
Photo of akorsak
Reviewed by akorsak from Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: The beer is a pale yellow color with a smattering of head but a decent lacing in the glass.

S: The lager has a biscuity aroma that is accentuated by the coldness of the beer.

T: The taste is pretty decent, not great, but decent. The first thing that I pick out is biscuity malt flavor with accents of caramel. The finish is not long but provides a solid flavor.

M: The mouthfeel is good, with a firm malt base that leads the way.

D: Very drinkable, a good sessioner with its lower abv.
Sep 20, 2006
Photo of Neehan
Reviewed by Neehan from North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A light, pale pour with a medium-sized head. The aroma is mainly of hops/grains. This beer has a crispy clean taste with a nice finish of hops, and balanced with sweetness.Very pleasant but nothing that really jumps out at you. The mouthfeel is also crisp and pleasant with a nice balancing of carbonation. A drinkable beer that went well with the "Thumbs and Toes" buffalo chicken appetizer served at Top of the Hill.
Aug 30, 2006
Leaderboard Trophy Lager from Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 25 ratings