Red Horse Beer
San Miguel Brewery Inc.

entheos from California

3.54/5  rDev +28.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A strong lager with an acidic tang. It’s not great, but when out in the jungle of the Philippines, it is a refreshing drink! I’ve sang many a karaoke song while drinking a few!

Nov 28, 2019

b_t_s

4/5  rDev +45.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured about 2 shots worth from a blood warm 1 liter glass bottle(deeply scarred from numerous trips back to the factory for sanitizing and refilling) into a lowball glass half filled with a big chunk of ice (from a plastic bag full of water frozen and smashed on the cement wall). Give it half a minute to chill, slam it, and pass it back to the gunner, so he can line up a shot for the next person in the circle. Tastes like drunk, but a better class of drunk than Tanduay, GSM, or tuba.

Seriously though, Red Horse is a Filipino institution that's meant to be drunk over ice (sacrilege I know) and is perfectly suited for those remote/less modernized places where most people buy their refrigeration one bag of ice at a time. It's not an amazing beer, but it's decent enough. Even at full strength it goes down fairly easy, easier than any other beer I've tried at 8%. At "normal" dilution levels it's a pretty pleasant session beer that's got a bit more body and flavor than any of the "30 pack" beers in the states.

Oct 31, 2019

Bouleboubier from New Jersey

2.99/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

(330 ml bottle, 2018 date? ; purchased single off shelf... poured into a fat tulip)

L: brilliantly-clear, gold liquid, some dusty sediment afloat; off-white, crackly foam builds then falls... thin, broken collar remains; no lacing - looks almost still by the end

S: delicate jet-fuel malt liquor aromatic overtones, cidery note, subtle hint of sweetish cereal grain; perhaps a touch of oxidation creeping in... rather mellow aromas overall, not terribly boozy or syrupy smelling

T: almost a 2:1 blend of malt liquor and champagne (soda)... thin, attenuated (by alcohol), rather dry caramel finish; dry aftertaste to a fault, with a vague vodka-infused apple juice note dominant, mildly tannic bitterness... relatively devoid of depth, but nothing remotely off-putting

F: despite no visible bubbling after awhile, a subtle sudsy fizz accompanies the end of each sip... dull slick pudge up front, immediately thinning out to equally dull, dry finish; little warmth even

O: in comparison to its closest relative, high-gravity American malt liquor, this has a few degrees less flavor and character; altogether a bore... best (and probably most often) drank cold, straight outta the bottle... not worthy of a redo stateside (1571)

Oct 12, 2019

Spikester from Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +40%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Clear deep gold with three fingers of off white head Splotches of lace as head recedes.
Smell is malty with some herbal grassy hops.
Taste is sweet malts with some herbal grassy hops in the finish.
Mouthfeel is light with good carbonation. The finish is slightly dry and mostly sweet.
Overall a drinkable malt liquor type brew. There is a bit of alcohol apparent in the taste.

Sep 29, 2019

Nass from Florida

2.87/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.5

No date on the bottle but I do like the label artwork. I tend not to like strong alcoholic lagers such as this beer is since it clocks in at 8% abv but let's see how it goes. The beer pours a well carbonated dark yellow color into the pilsner glass. The aroma is sweet & malty. The taste is malty, some cereal grains, slight white bread, slight cracker. The taste is very sweet for a lager. I'm thinking that is probably due to some cheap adjunct being put in here like maybe corn syrup, the beer is quite cold so I can't tell what that is. Personally, I don't like my lagers tasting so artificially sweet. Cheers! C

Mar 28, 2019

MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev +24.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 500ml can into glass. No canning date information found on can.
Clear, pale gold colored body, with lots of upstreaming bubble carbonation. One finger egg shell white head persists as thin creamy cap. A few spots of lacing left behind.
Rather honey sweet smell with biscuit malts and some fruity esters.
Taste is full of the higher ABV, but still bready sweet with some nutty and fruity aspects. If allowed to linger in the mouth, there is a woody flavor that deploys, and gets a little bitter and rubber like.
Smooth thin to medium mouth feel. Good carbonation. Extremely easy to drink. Best aroma and flavor experience when the beer is cold and passed through the mouth and throat quickly.
Adequate thirst quencher and head ringer. Quite attractive in the glass with all the bubbles rising through the clear body. Pound and repeat until required buzz is achieved. I have had worse higher ABV beers when in search of the intoxicant effect.

Jun 30, 2018

superspak from Michigan

3.63/5  rDev +32%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

330 ml bottle into lager glass, no bottle dating. Pours crystal clear medium golden amber color with a 1 finger dense white head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light honey/nuttiness, and mild herbal/grassy earthiness. A bit of fruity aromas, but not overwhelming. Nice and pleasant aromas with bready malts and mild earthy hop notes; with solid strength. Taste of cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light honey/nuttiness, and mild herbal/grassy earthiness. Very mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light honey/nuttiness, and mild herbal/grassy earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Nice robustness of bready malts and mild earthy hop flavors; with a good malt/bitterness balance, and zero cloying/astringent flavors after the finish. Nicely clean on lager flavors, with minimal fruity notes present. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering bitterness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a smooth, bready/grainy, and slightly sticky mouthfeel that is good. Lightly increasing warmth of 8% through the glass, touch of spicy alcohol roughness. Overall this is a nice strong pale lager style. All around nice robustness of bready malts and mild earthy hop flavors; very smooth and easy to drink for the ABV, with the mildly bitter/drying finish. Clean and rich bready Pils malts, and mild earthy hop balance. A nicely enjoyable offering, and well made style example.

Jun 02, 2018

dacrza1 from New Jersey

1.91/5  rDev -30.5%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2

DATE: May 10, 2018... OCCASION: almost done with the yardwork for Saturday...almost... GLASSWARE: Neuzeller pokal...this one came courtesy of a break pack, and San Miguel's brewership doesn't inspire me to dive right in...pours a loud, fizzing champagne-colored body that loses all hope of head within seconds...this is the 8% version, so I am guessing the ABV killed its effervescence... the beer is crystal clear and golden hued with a stray bubble passing upward... smelling its corn and rubber from an arm's length, I am not drawn any quicker to a sip by its aroma... once at the nose, a slightly bolder, boozy waft asserts itself--a tequila or sugary spirit, but one reserved for a shot glass, perhaps... slight wood and fruity esters suggest a bit of character... the first sip: dry, oily at the tongue, and gone like a red horse would go... not impactful, and not the annoyance expected, but its mouthfeel is ghostly... a bit of metallic hose water, to be honest... not picking up the pilsner qualities here... corn, apple, slight bubblegum, vegetable, honey, dough, and cheese breath in and out with each sip... a cacophony of maltiness that settles without offending... could this be a beer I ever return to? I can honestly say I haven't seen it for sale at any location I frequent, but perhaps I do not venture to that part of the refrigerator...San Miguel, you continue to produce mouth rinsers in many strengths and shapes...at least this ABV is not kicking me like a red horse would...

May 11, 2018

TheSword from Australia

3.74/5  rDev +36%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I was over in the Philippines a few years ago with a work mate. Its a great beer if you really want to get stuck into it and get knocked out of your tree. I have never tasted a beer that strong and can have nasty effects if you drink to much of it.

Jan 27, 2018

hoptheology from South Dakota

3.31/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

My first beer from the Philippines. $1.89 for 16.9 oz. "FOR EXPORT ONLY"

Pours a darker than usual honey color with a lasting off-white head of 2 fingers. Lots of bubbles floating to the top to help keep the head stable.

This beer smells like apple juice.

Flavor isn't terrible. It's like licking a tire, eating tree bark and dry grains, and the apple juice you smelled but left it out for a week and now you taste it; and some pleasant banana peel as well. It's dry, but you don't taste the alcohol. Tire, tree bark, apple, banana. Some musty bitterness on the finish.

Feel is nicely carbonated, with a dry finish and some booze but not overwhelming. As it warms that element gets stronger. Some sand grittiness as well.

Overall, I don't see the hate for this beer. I'm finding it perplexing that I like this as much as I do. It's way better than a lot of mainland US lagers, and it has a nice apple-y thing to it. I'd take this any day over Steel Reserve, Colt 45, Natural Ice, etc. At the end of the day it's still a drain pour, but a much more tolerable one.

Jan 08, 2018

Cameo64 from Florida

3.26/5  rDev +18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Its a dry beer, pleasantly bitter and medium bodied. Its malty and a bit hoppy. Its a little grassy and a little floral, but the alcohol scent is present. The flavors are on the mild side. In my humble opinion, Red Horse is the best malt liquor I've tasted.

Dec 22, 2017

Troy-Hawaii from Hawaii

1.74/5  rDev -36.7%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75

Bought a 6-pack Times Supermarket $6.99
Smell of sweet malt
Clear golden color
High carbonation
Light-medium mouthfeel
Taste of alcohol is the dominate taste, some malt flavors
Overall not a good beer. Good only if you want to get drunk fast. Would not buy again.

Nov 04, 2017

VoxRationis from New York

3.38/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Decanted from an 11.2 oz (330 ml) bottle into a Weissbier vase; no production information.
A: Pours a light amber color with a half inch, white head that resolves to a rim with no lacing.
S: Sweet floral bouquet with a toasty aroma.
T: Sweet malts up front with only very mild bitterness. Peach and tutti-fruity notes.
M: Surprisingly light bodied (given the alcohol content) with low to medium carbonation.
O: I purchase out of curiosity. It is a drinkable, if not terribly memorable, brew. That said, the ratings on the site just seems a tad low and some of the reviews, a bit hyperbolic.

Aug 08, 2017

Everydayoff from Thailand

2.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

640ml bottle poured into a pint glass.

L:
Golden yellow color, it tops with pretty good white foamy head that retains for some time before sinking to some bubble film atop and leaving small amount of lace, high fizzy carbonation.

S:
Grain, sulfur, subtle DMS, rotten veggies, medicinal, and hint of alcohol solvent.

T:
Grain and grassy bitterness in the lead, then it follows with hint of lager yeast, bread, and grain again to wrap up all the things.

F+O:
Light body with lively crisp and some active carbonation, not much smooth, finish is dry. Maybe drinkable if there is no choice.

Mar 14, 2017

hophugger from Virginia

2.45/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.25

Crystal clear gold in color with nice carbonation bubbles rising to the top. Minimal head and non-existent lacing. Now, it goes downhill from here. Aroma is overpowering with corn and sweet grains and taste is nasty, watery and lacks any discernible flavors, give me a Bud Lit, it would be much much better.

Feb 24, 2017

CLEWISCC from Philippines

1.6/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 1.25 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.25

L: Packaging is lackluster. When poured, its appearance is similar to Red Bull. Moderate to Low carbonation.

S: Sweet and bitter smells at the same time. Not very pleasant to sniff when you pop one.

T: Tastes like a premix cocktail drink. Not much sweetness, very bitter without any hops overtones. Flavor is very muffled and I was not able to find any comparison with fruits or other foods.

F: It is marketed as "an Extra Strong Beer" and it feels as if its. The dominant feeling in one's mouth is the sting of alcohol thanks to not having much flavor to start with.

O: Very poor beer for experience, it is marketed as a quick and cheap way to get drunk and is brewed to do so.

*edited spelling errors

Dec 17, 2016

Beerdanza from Michigan

2.02/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

I opened a bottle and heard no pop or fizz. Tasted the beer and thought it may have gone bad. Opened another one to check. That's just the way it is.

Very subtle nose which can only be described as faint cherry liqueur.

Taste is almost absent. Again, to my pallet it's cherries, but more bitter than sweet. But the flavor is fleeting, and a sip ends up feeling fairly clean and fresh, if lacking in most beer attributes.

I threw one in the freezer for a while, and drank it from the bottle as a previous reviewer had suggested, and it was better ice cold from the bottle. Definitely nothing overtly offensive about it, and it goes down easy. With easy drinking and 8% abv, I can see where this brew, if obtained cheaply, could be extremely attractive.

However, my overall impression is pretty negative. For getting drunk it seems like a good deal. For savoring beer, it's a big bummer.

Aug 07, 2016

HeightsEats from Ohio

3.17/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Color is medium straw. Aroma is corn, biscuit malt and caramel. The flavor is biscuit / corn from a glass, but sweeter and cleaner if you drink it out of a bottle. Sweetness and full body keeps alcohol relatively well hidden. This is a decent / okay strong lager, good for a hot day and better straight from the bottle (where flavors stay simple) than in a glass (which opens up some not great elements).

Jul 25, 2016

kojevergas from Louisiana

1.82/5  rDev -33.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I guess The Filipino San Miguel is the brand owner (though they're licensing it from San Miguel Spain?) and San Miguel Thailand is technically brewing it under contract.

BOTTLE: 640ml. Brown glass. Sanguine label. Gold and red pry-off crown cap.

Brewed and packaged by San Miguel Beer Thailand. Filled April 09, 2016. 6.00% ABV.

AROMA: Graininess. Pale/pilsner malts. Mild grassy hop character. I detect no overt adjunct.

Aromatic intensity is quite mild.

TASTE: Artificial cherry, pilsner malts, pale malts, malty sweetness. Malt extract. Possibly cane sugar seeing as it's somewhat cidery.

No overt hop or yeast flavour. No off-notes apart from the almost cloying sweetness.

Imbalanced, with shallow depth of flavour throughout. Flavour duration is brief (luckily). Flavour intensity is low.

TEXTURE: Syrupy, slightly sticky, smooth, wet, overcarbonated. Heavy on the palate. Filling. Not soft at all.

Doesn't bring out the best in the taste.

OVERALL: Drinkability is low giving its sharp overcarbonation, heaviness on the palate, and off-putting sweetness. Definitely amongst the worst beers (currently) available in Thailand - which is a shame since Thai-brewed San Miguel Pale Pilsner (from the same brewery) is one of the best. Not a brew I'd want to revisit - but I imagine I likely will given the lack of diversity in Thailand's beer scene coupled with Red Horse's affordable price and comparatively high ABV.

I'll extend an olive branch and say that the red apple/cider-redolent flavour isn't bad.

D- (1.82) / NOT RECOMMENDED

Jun 03, 2016

hardy008 from Minnesota

2.09/5  rDev -24%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2

Clear gold with a thin white head which fades quickly, leaving spotty lacing. The aroma has grain, corn, and some earth. Smells fairly sweet.

Tastes like it smells. Too sweet for this style of beer.

Thin and watery with above average carbonation. Nothing to get excited about here. I will avoid in the future.

Feb 29, 2016

gandres from Philippines

2.53/5  rDev -8%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Sunday, May 15, 2011 2:00 PM Bottle poured to pint glass very cold beer
Sight: Light pale yellow, head, a lot of lacing
Aroma: not a lot, scent smell of malt, nothing else
Taste: watery, not a lot of taste
Mouth feel: very carbonated
Overall: good beer for the hot weather in the Philippines, and not to get drunk since it is soda the most inexpensive way

Oct 09, 2015

mmmbeer89 from New Mexico

2.01/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

it barely has any smell and doesn't taste very good. it's classified as a malt liquor but it doesn't taste like one to me, maybe it's a lighter & harsher tasting version of a malt liquor.

Sep 03, 2015

ordybill from Georgia

3.34/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass at the World of Beer in Columbia, SC. This is the classic beer of the Philippines that sailors and Marines lived off of in the old days while in Olongapo. Unfortunately it doesn't compare to other beers but in the tropical setting of the PI it is awesome. But, it is rather average but it did take me down memory lane for a bit.

Jul 28, 2015

Svingjo from Canada

2.98/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This poured a clear golden colour with a thin soda bubbled white head that dissapears quickly. The nose is bready, while being surrounded by a sweet pale malt. There is also some skunk and earthy hoppiness. The taste is like sweet corn along with a slightly apple taste, maybe some acetaldehyde. That earthy hop bitterness is evident as the taste comes to a finish. It feels overly carbonated, almost like they use the high carbonation to hide any flaws. Not my favourite but better than some other malt liquors I've had.

Jul 03, 2015

pat61 from Minnesota

3.21/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

L: Pours brilliant gold under a 1” white foam cap that diddipates at a fairly moderate speed leaving splotchy lace.
S: Fresh grains and some earthiness fill the nose.
T: Lightly sweet bread and a dose of apple with a moderately bitter, dry finish.
F: Medium light to medium body, medium high carbonation, clean and crisp.
O: Probably more apple on the palate than it should have but it works well with the grain flavors and helps hide the alcohol.

May 15, 2015