-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Melbourne Bitter
Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
- From:
- Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
- Australia
- Style:
- American Adjunct Lager
Ranked #257 - ABV:
- 4.6%
- Score:
- 63
Ranked #28,403 - Avg:
- 2.45 | pDev: 36.33%
- Reviews:
- 28
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 26, 2023
- Added:
- Jun 04, 2002
- Wants:
- 3
- Gots:
- 8
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Macca:
Reviewed by Macca from Australia
2.29/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
2.29/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Do not judge a book by its cover could not be more apt then when applied to this beer. It looks great. A good finger of head, nice retention and good lacing. Unfortunately that is where the positive elements sort of stop.
The aroma is of grains - Weet bix. The taste is metallic and husky. Some bitterness. A low carbonation.
The beer actually gets more drinkable as it goes on. Perhaps the taste buds deaden? This is not undrinkable, and I have been known to have more than one at the footy but only because there are no other options.
Nov 23, 2008The aroma is of grains - Weet bix. The taste is metallic and husky. Some bitterness. A low carbonation.
The beer actually gets more drinkable as it goes on. Perhaps the taste buds deaden? This is not undrinkable, and I have been known to have more than one at the footy but only because there are no other options.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by AzfromOz from Australia
3.7/5 rDev +51%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.7/5 rDev +51%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Christmas Eve Eve beers in 2023.
L: Bright, golden yellow; large, fluffy white head; vast amounts of large, fast-moving bubbles.
S: Dusty malt, sharp yeasty smell.
T: Sweet, dusty, earthy, mildly bitter, just like Grandad drank. It's underrated on taste and actually quite sessionable.
M: Full body, quite sharp on the tongue.
O: This was my favourite beer when there was no such thing as craft beer. Then in my beer wanker years I wouldn't have touched this with a barge pole. Years of hard-earned beer wisdom means I can now appreciate this for what it is: a classic Australian lager that admirably stays in its lane, delivering a crisp drinking experience redolent of Aussie summer barbeques, corner pubs, post-mowing beers, and family gatherings.
Cheers!
#403
Dec 23, 2023L: Bright, golden yellow; large, fluffy white head; vast amounts of large, fast-moving bubbles.
S: Dusty malt, sharp yeasty smell.
T: Sweet, dusty, earthy, mildly bitter, just like Grandad drank. It's underrated on taste and actually quite sessionable.
M: Full body, quite sharp on the tongue.
O: This was my favourite beer when there was no such thing as craft beer. Then in my beer wanker years I wouldn't have touched this with a barge pole. Years of hard-earned beer wisdom means I can now appreciate this for what it is: a classic Australian lager that admirably stays in its lane, delivering a crisp drinking experience redolent of Aussie summer barbeques, corner pubs, post-mowing beers, and family gatherings.
Cheers!
#403
Reviewed by BillyNoonan from Ireland
2.97/5 rDev +21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
2.97/5 rDev +21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3
Look, I find the reviews here overly harsh. It's a perfectly serviceable lager on tap or bottled and more than acceptable on a hot Australian day. I've always had a soft spot for the classic packaging and the crisp Aussie refreshment it offers. No more complex than you would expect, but there's a crisp feel and enough hoppiness to at least tickle the palate. I'm ok backing this one.
Oct 06, 2023Reviewed by Nath91 from Australia
2.36/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
2.36/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Melbourne Bitter is often seen as Victoria Bitters younger cousin, well, at least outside of Victoria that is. In recent years in seems to have been more prominent outside of Victoria, but holds a lesser reputation to the more well known VB. Something that is more widely regarding in regional Victoria, than Melbourne, but holds up as another standard Australian macro lager.
Look: Standard Australian lager. Dark golden lager hue. Clear, filtered. Thin soapy white head that disappears quicker than the sun in Melbourne. Think tiny bubbles floating to the top. Poured out of a 750ml longneck, looks almost flat.
Smell: Honestly not a lot going on. Very faint adjunct grain smell, hint of citrus hop, obviously Pride of Ringwood. There is a metallic ring I'm picking up. Honestly not a lot going on.
Taste: It's mild, and only slightly offensive. Very thin, carbonated. Classic bitter pride of Ringwood hop presence, but metallic flavour holds strong. Decent malt presence gives it a rounded sweetness. Slight graininess but honestly not a great deal going on. Dry-ish finish.
Feel: Thin, heavily carbonated. On a hot summers day, can see the refreshment value in this but not much else.
Overall: It's another mass produced Aussie macro lager. I've had in on tap in Victoria, and I honestly remember it drinking a whole lot better on tap than out of the bottle I'm reviewing it on. VB is probably marginally better than it, but to me it's not completely horrid. It's not great, and I'd probably prefer a European Supermarket beer over it, but it's nothing great. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it unless it's on special, or I'm in Victoria and there's nothing better on tap.
#️⃣0️⃣4️⃣
Aug 22, 2021Look: Standard Australian lager. Dark golden lager hue. Clear, filtered. Thin soapy white head that disappears quicker than the sun in Melbourne. Think tiny bubbles floating to the top. Poured out of a 750ml longneck, looks almost flat.
Smell: Honestly not a lot going on. Very faint adjunct grain smell, hint of citrus hop, obviously Pride of Ringwood. There is a metallic ring I'm picking up. Honestly not a lot going on.
Taste: It's mild, and only slightly offensive. Very thin, carbonated. Classic bitter pride of Ringwood hop presence, but metallic flavour holds strong. Decent malt presence gives it a rounded sweetness. Slight graininess but honestly not a great deal going on. Dry-ish finish.
Feel: Thin, heavily carbonated. On a hot summers day, can see the refreshment value in this but not much else.
Overall: It's another mass produced Aussie macro lager. I've had in on tap in Victoria, and I honestly remember it drinking a whole lot better on tap than out of the bottle I'm reviewing it on. VB is probably marginally better than it, but to me it's not completely horrid. It's not great, and I'd probably prefer a European Supermarket beer over it, but it's nothing great. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it unless it's on special, or I'm in Victoria and there's nothing better on tap.
#️⃣0️⃣4️⃣
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho
2.31/5 rDev -5.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25
2.31/5 rDev -5.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25
Pours out clear golden with high fluffy head. Musty cardboard aroma, tastes like white school paste. At least a hint of bitterness at the finish, but a tough drink to get down.
Jan 20, 2016Reviewed by Andrewharemza from Australia
3.03/5 rDev +23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3.03/5 rDev +23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I find this beer to be very sessionable it's a lager that's good to smash down at a bbq on a hot day.i get a earthy bitter taste and finishes very crisp.
Jun 17, 2015Reviewed by Mll777 from Netherlands
1.23/5 rDev -49.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
1.23/5 rDev -49.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1
Too bad I can't give negative points. This is by far the worst thing I ever tasted in life... I had to vomit just by tasting it. I could not believe myself so got a bottle the next day, same reaction...
May 24, 2015Rated by Andrewziggy from Australia
2.58/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
2.58/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75
A strong, earthly bitter taste from the pride of Ringwood hops gives the taste buds, or caliculus gustatererius if you will, a flavor sensation
Dec 18, 2014Reviewed by Connorarnott
5/5 rDev +104.1%
5/5 rDev +104.1%
This is a drink for men. The sort of men that discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. A strong, earthly bitter taste from the pride of Ringwood hops gives the taste buds, or caliculus gustatererius if you will, a flavor sensation usually reserved for kings among men or gods. The little red delights are commonplace in the fridges and eskys of all the great beer drinkers in this big, brown, wide, wonderful land of ours and will forever be so.
Nov 26, 2014
Melbourne Bitter from Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
Beer rating:
63 out of
100 with
55 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!