Top Shelf Classic Lager
Lake of Bays Brewing Company

Top Shelf Classic LagerTop Shelf Classic Lager
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Lake of Bays Brewing Company
 
Ontario, Canada
Style:
American Lager
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
76
Avg:
3.2 | pDev: 20.31%
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
58
Status:
Active
Rated:
Aug 29, 2017
Added:
Oct 18, 2013
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  11
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ghisty:
Photo of ghisty
Reviewed by ghisty from Canada (NB)

2/5  rDev -37.5%
appearance: yellow. clear. without head at all.
smell: straight up honey. all I'm getting is an over powering honey scent.
mouth: slick, not really carbbed , just heavy and only slightly better than water.
taste: tastes like adjunct. pretty basic, with a slightly oiley after taste, sort of distant bitterness and a bit of vegetable in there on the finish.
overall: it could be worse, I knew it wasnt going to be great, it was on sale for $2.80
for a tall can, so I knew it was swill basically. the honey nose is over powering and probably the only interesting thing about this lager. If they wanted to make a lager, as the can advertises, they should have given it at least 5% abv. and not so.. adjunct..and watery.. its hardly a lager. its hardly and ale. its hardly worth my time.
Nov 12, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of puck1225
Reviewed by puck1225 from Texas

2.37/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25
Bought this on a whim while visiting Ann Arbor to watch a hockey tournament. My daughter found it and said I must get it. Took a while to drink it!

Anyway, poured it into a shaker pint from a can. Clear yellow, very little head, no lacing. Wheat smell. Grassy taste, slightly sweet. Ok.
Aug 29, 2017
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.53/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
16 ounce can into lager glass, no can dating. Pours fairly crystal clear medium golden yellow color with a 1 finger dense white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of cracker, biscuit dough, light honey, herbal, light pepper, and floral/grassy earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of pale malt and light earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of cracker, biscuit dough, light honey, herbal, light pepper, and floral/grassy earthiness. Mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of cracker, biscuit dough, light honey, herbal, light pepper, and floral/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness and balance of pale malt and light earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Very clean on lager flavors, with zero yeast notes present. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy/creamy, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is good. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is a very solid pale lager. All around good robustness and balance of pale malt and light earthy hop flavors; very smooth, clean, and easy to drink. Met all of my expectations. Clean and flavorful pils malts, with just enough earthy hops to balance the body and sweetness. A fairly enjoyable offering.
Jul 15, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by StormAles from Canada (ON)

Jun 29, 2017
 
Rated: 3.95 by Boo-urns from Canada (ON)

Jul 10, 2016
Photo of headlessparrot
Reviewed by headlessparrot from Canada (ON)

3.77/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Fine: I'll say it. I *enjoy* this beer. It's an interesting take on the American "pale lager" genre, but goes a slightly different route by using wheat (rather than rice or corn) as its "adjunct" of choice. The result is a sweet, wheaty, soft, biscuity, and only slightly hoppy/herbal beer (quite orange and almost cloudy in appearance, with quick-dissipating head); some slight orange/citrusy notes also pop up.

It's not what I was expecting, and actually differentiates itself from many other pale lagers. Enjoyable, if not striving toward greatness.
Mar 31, 2016
 
Rated: 2.53 by Sammy from Canada (ON)

Mar 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.25 by Jotora from Canada (ON)

Mar 05, 2016
 
Rated: 1.5 by fortyfield from Canada (ON)

Jan 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3 by DannyBaldoni from Canada (QC)

Nov 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.13 by StoutHunter from Michigan

May 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.46 by Tyler_V2 from Canada (ON)

Apr 19, 2015
 
Rated: 3.06 by mikecram

Mar 21, 2015
Photo of Bunman3
Reviewed by Bunman3 from Canada (AB)

3.1/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Knowing that this is the "Official beer of the NHL Alumni Association" almost makes me want to avoid this beer. In general, retired hockey players are know for their love of "light" beer, and this certainly fits that category. It's not as bad as most of those beers. Really, its a decent lager with a bit of biscuity malt flavour. Definitely not the worst thing a person could drink, but nothing to set it apart from other quality lagers in this category.
Mar 13, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by Mr_Rocca from Canada (QC)

Mar 08, 2015
Photo of DaveBar
Reviewed by DaveBar from Canada (ON)

3.05/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Purchased at the LCBO for just over $2.00 for a 473ml can. Served at 4deg C in a draught glass

A- Opens well and pours a medium head that is gone in 30sec. Medium to darkish gold color. Filtered clear

S- Decent hops and malt. Nothing to write home about

T- Has a good malt backbone but nothing special or anything that will stick out at you. Touch sweet

M- Dry but a bit of creaminess. Typical lager

O- Pretty good but will not buy again. Typical lager really. North American mass produced beer. At least there is no metallic smell or taste.

Food Pairing

This ok beer went well with...... Fish and chips!

Enjoy
Mar 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by GoHabsGo from Canada (ON)

Feb 24, 2015
Photo of tapir163
Reviewed by tapir163 from Canada (ON)

3.38/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I have read a few good and a few bad reviews of this beer. I would have to say it's not a bad beer at all, actually better than I originally expected. It's simple, just a lager without the adjunct taste. Light, malty and a decent amount of carbonation. Has an odd taste, a tad metallic but maybe that's just the tall can. I don't know what people want out of a lager, but for my simple taste, it does a commendable job.
Feb 01, 2015
Photo of DaveSutula
Reviewed by DaveSutula from Ohio

4.83/5  rDev +50.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
A much nicer lager than I expected. I would call it a Helles, although it might be just a tad dark for that. There's a malty sweetness that holds up brilliantly in the can even though my sample is over 5 months old...
Jan 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.11 by DaPan from Canada (ON)

Jan 06, 2015
Top Shelf Classic Lager from Lake of Bays Brewing Company
Beer rating: 76 out of 100 with 58 ratings