Beerlao Dark | Lao Brewery Co.
Brewed by:
Lao Brewery Co.
Laos
beerlao.la
Style: Euro Dark Lager
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 6.50%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
Beerlao Dark is an award winning beer brewed with the finest ingredients and roasted malt. A full-bodied tasted experience with a golden brown color.
Added by Jason on 12-31-2005
Ratings: 166 | Reviews: 81
Reviews by Vancer:
More User Reviews:
3/5 rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a clear darker amber color with off-white head. Toasted grain on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with a little sweetness from the malt.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a clear darker amber color with off-white head. Toasted grain on the nose; follows onto the palate. Finishes with a little sweetness from the malt.
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3.09/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Take a Negra Modelo, add a little water and a pinch of sugar and you have a pretty good example of what this beer tastes like. Nothing bad about it though. Just down the list if other options are available.
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look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Take a Negra Modelo, add a little water and a pinch of sugar and you have a pretty good example of what this beer tastes like. Nothing bad about it though. Just down the list if other options are available.
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3.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VIII:
Tarnished reddish brass color with great clarity, big towering head that clings to the glass quite well. Mild, malty aroma with ghost-like suggestions of licorice root, mint and lemon peel. The nose ends up bready and clean. Light to moderate body with a bitty grainy mouthfeel. Bready malt with a pleasant but light-toasted character, clean on the palate. Hops are very modest with only a mild bitterness. A little husky and lemon in the drying finish.
Very easy to drink; dark in color, but the flavor doesn't reflect that too much other than a slightly toasted tone. A good pick to change things up.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Review from BeerAdvocate magazine Vol. II Issue VIII:
Tarnished reddish brass color with great clarity, big towering head that clings to the glass quite well. Mild, malty aroma with ghost-like suggestions of licorice root, mint and lemon peel. The nose ends up bready and clean. Light to moderate body with a bitty grainy mouthfeel. Bready malt with a pleasant but light-toasted character, clean on the palate. Hops are very modest with only a mild bitterness. A little husky and lemon in the drying finish.
Very easy to drink; dark in color, but the flavor doesn't reflect that too much other than a slightly toasted tone. A good pick to change things up.
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2.85/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Pours clear, light brown in color, with 1/4 inch head. Taste is chocolate and toasted malt. Very light bodied with moderate carbonation. Not a bad beer, but nothing I would rush out for either.
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look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Pours clear, light brown in color, with 1/4 inch head. Taste is chocolate and toasted malt. Very light bodied with moderate carbonation. Not a bad beer, but nothing I would rush out for either.
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3.33/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
undated 330 ml bottle.
Pours clear dark brown with a large tan white head that has moderate duration.
Very sweet aroma of roasted malts, caramel and rice.
Also has a sweet and roasty flavor, but not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests.
Medium body with medium carbonation.
O: Interesting and a little better than expected.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
undated 330 ml bottle.
Pours clear dark brown with a large tan white head that has moderate duration.
Very sweet aroma of roasted malts, caramel and rice.
Also has a sweet and roasty flavor, but not nearly as sweet as the aroma suggests.
Medium body with medium carbonation.
O: Interesting and a little better than expected.
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2.87/5 rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Had a bottle poured into a pint glass at a sushi place.
A - dark amber color with a light head that clings well
S - very sweet and bready, with caramel and burnt sugar overtones
T - again very sweet and malty, with a bitter finish and aftertaste that I found unpleasant
M - medium bodied with fair carbonation
D - I wouldn't go back for another.
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look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Had a bottle poured into a pint glass at a sushi place.
A - dark amber color with a light head that clings well
S - very sweet and bready, with caramel and burnt sugar overtones
T - again very sweet and malty, with a bitter finish and aftertaste that I found unpleasant
M - medium bodied with fair carbonation
D - I wouldn't go back for another.
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3.11/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A - dark, translucent amber with a big, thick cap of brownish, off white head that has pretty good retention
S - sweet caramel
T - faint caramel, a slight bitterness; very, very light flavor profile
M - light to medium bodied, smooth, a bit sticky, well carbonated
This is a pretty simple, one-dimensional beer. If this were American it'd be a poorly put together amber lager. As a European lager I give it slightly more credit. Nonetheless, it's disappointing and forgettable.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A - dark, translucent amber with a big, thick cap of brownish, off white head that has pretty good retention
S - sweet caramel
T - faint caramel, a slight bitterness; very, very light flavor profile
M - light to medium bodied, smooth, a bit sticky, well carbonated
This is a pretty simple, one-dimensional beer. If this were American it'd be a poorly put together amber lager. As a European lager I give it slightly more credit. Nonetheless, it's disappointing and forgettable.
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3.15/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
BeerLao Dark pours a clear dark-chestnut body beneath a short cap of creamy white foam. The fact that the head is so light in contrast to the darkness of the body beneath says something. The head retention is fairly good, and it leaves some partial rings of thin, bubbly lacing as it goes.
In the nose it's fairly malty with a bit of nuttiness and caramel. That carries over into the flavor as well, but it's not nearly as malty or flavorful as you'd expect. It's backed by a harsh, somewhat acidic bitterness that cuts through what malt is there and takes you abruptly to the finish before you've even had a chance to swallow it. Fortunately, a sweet dollop of nutty and caramelish malt remains on the tip of your tongue as the back of your mouth is coated in acidic dryness.
Overall, this is much better than the standard BeerLao, and I guess if I was stranded there I'd go for this.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
BeerLao Dark pours a clear dark-chestnut body beneath a short cap of creamy white foam. The fact that the head is so light in contrast to the darkness of the body beneath says something. The head retention is fairly good, and it leaves some partial rings of thin, bubbly lacing as it goes.
In the nose it's fairly malty with a bit of nuttiness and caramel. That carries over into the flavor as well, but it's not nearly as malty or flavorful as you'd expect. It's backed by a harsh, somewhat acidic bitterness that cuts through what malt is there and takes you abruptly to the finish before you've even had a chance to swallow it. Fortunately, a sweet dollop of nutty and caramelish malt remains on the tip of your tongue as the back of your mouth is coated in acidic dryness.
Overall, this is much better than the standard BeerLao, and I guess if I was stranded there I'd go for this.
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3.31/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Wow!! It's possible to find a dark beer in in Southeast Asia? That alone thrilled me when I first saw the label "DARK" in a cooler in Vientiane, Laos. The tan and orange-tinted liquid is a pleasure to look at. The foam lingers for a long time but it has a rather sickly grey brackish color instead of clean white.
Ugh, smells like typical SE Asia beer but with a touch more richness. There's a few maple scents that hold promise. I opened this bottle after returning to the States so the airplane altitude pressure may have altered this baby. I remember it smelling far better in Laos...no gag reflex.
Tastes malty and greasy in the mouth. There's flavors of sour maple, nutty pucker and the everpresent Asian additive, ricericerice...think I should've let this one warm up more outside the fridge. Feels light and airy. It leaves a distinct burn on the finish and has high carbonation.
This is a dark beer that goes down easy in hot weather by the Mekong River. I did this review after finishing a delicious beerfest here in St. Louis, so it faired poorly compared to what I'd been drinking. The truth is it's a damn good brew for the part of the world it's from. You're lucky to find any other commercially produced beer in Asia that's not just headache-inducing formaldahyde-brewed piss. Plus it's cheap... Cheers Communist Comarades!
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look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Wow!! It's possible to find a dark beer in in Southeast Asia? That alone thrilled me when I first saw the label "DARK" in a cooler in Vientiane, Laos. The tan and orange-tinted liquid is a pleasure to look at. The foam lingers for a long time but it has a rather sickly grey brackish color instead of clean white.
Ugh, smells like typical SE Asia beer but with a touch more richness. There's a few maple scents that hold promise. I opened this bottle after returning to the States so the airplane altitude pressure may have altered this baby. I remember it smelling far better in Laos...no gag reflex.
Tastes malty and greasy in the mouth. There's flavors of sour maple, nutty pucker and the everpresent Asian additive, ricericerice...think I should've let this one warm up more outside the fridge. Feels light and airy. It leaves a distinct burn on the finish and has high carbonation.
This is a dark beer that goes down easy in hot weather by the Mekong River. I did this review after finishing a delicious beerfest here in St. Louis, so it faired poorly compared to what I'd been drinking. The truth is it's a damn good brew for the part of the world it's from. You're lucky to find any other commercially produced beer in Asia that's not just headache-inducing formaldahyde-brewed piss. Plus it's cheap... Cheers Communist Comarades!
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3.94/5 rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Savannah. The appearance is your basic traditional Euro Dark Lager. However, the taste was surprisingly good. I thoroughly enjoyed this more than the Beerlao traditional.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Savannah. The appearance is your basic traditional Euro Dark Lager. However, the taste was surprisingly good. I thoroughly enjoyed this more than the Beerlao traditional.
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2.85/5 rDev -12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours dark brown with a thick white head that dissipates quickly.
Bretanomyces nose (which I expect is not intentional) with an underlying vegetal character that is not unpleasant and which turns to burnt carmel when in the glass a few minutes.
Thin mouthfeel that thickens and improves. Flavors of burnt carmel and light coffee with a high acid character and a malty fruit mid palate and goes to coffee and cooked fruit in the back palate and initial finish.
Finish then "finishes" with long pleasant malt and hops. End palate and finish is strength of this beer. Not what I would call "drink" friendly.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Pours dark brown with a thick white head that dissipates quickly.
Bretanomyces nose (which I expect is not intentional) with an underlying vegetal character that is not unpleasant and which turns to burnt carmel when in the glass a few minutes.
Thin mouthfeel that thickens and improves. Flavors of burnt carmel and light coffee with a high acid character and a malty fruit mid palate and goes to coffee and cooked fruit in the back palate and initial finish.
Finish then "finishes" with long pleasant malt and hops. End palate and finish is strength of this beer. Not what I would call "drink" friendly.
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3.52/5 rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a dark brown color with a small head. Smell is of caramel and malts. Taste is good, a bit nutty, malts are there as well as a hint of caramel. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a good quality brew.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a dark brown color with a small head. Smell is of caramel and malts. Taste is good, a bit nutty, malts are there as well as a hint of caramel. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and has good drinkability. Overall this is a good quality brew.
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3.49/5 rDev +7.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Dark, opaque and typically dunkel in apppearance. I love the malty aromas with roasted coffee bean and toffee that isn't too overbearing. It's just right. The taste is a liitle bit of a letdown unfortunately. I mean, again, it tastes like a usual dunkel beer from Germany, but I feel that it is lacking character considering I've never had a beer from Laos before and was hoping for some ingenuity. I don't consider rice additives ingenuity by the way. The finish has enough bitters to keep me reaching for my glass, though the length is slightly short.
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look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Dark, opaque and typically dunkel in apppearance. I love the malty aromas with roasted coffee bean and toffee that isn't too overbearing. It's just right. The taste is a liitle bit of a letdown unfortunately. I mean, again, it tastes like a usual dunkel beer from Germany, but I feel that it is lacking character considering I've never had a beer from Laos before and was hoping for some ingenuity. I don't consider rice additives ingenuity by the way. The finish has enough bitters to keep me reaching for my glass, though the length is slightly short.
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Beerlao Dark from Lao Brewery Co.
3.26
out of 5
based on 166 ratings.
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
The label notes this is a "dark" beer, hope it ain't "heavy" too. Har.
Pours a clear mahogany into the tulip glass, thin ivory head. Light aromas of caramel and malt, along with a hint of the infamous euro skunk. Nothing wrong with the taste, easy drinking sweet caramel and nut mixed with a decent malt backbone.
This would make for a respectable drinker in the hotter weather. Not the greatest, not the worst ever drank.
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