Pistonhead Kustom Lager
Spendrups Bryggeri AB

3.55/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.75

Amazing design and great head! Aroma like a Czech pilsner.

Loving the flowery hops. Sweet malt, reminds me of Amstel.

Considering this is a budget Swedish pilsner, I'm impressed. A little on the sweet side for me but the hops is impressive.

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2.96/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

On-tap at Harry James, Stockholm, Sweden

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color and has a slight amount of visible carbonation. It poured with thin white head that died down, leaving only a narrow collar of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of floral hops are present in the nose along with hints of underlying malts.
T: The taste follows the smell and has a little stronger flavors of floral hops along with underlying notes of pale and bready malts. The hops contribute a light amount of bitterness.
M: It feels just about medium-bodied and clean on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a good balance between the malts and hops. The hop aromas and flavors also make the smell and taste a bit more interesting compared to other European lagers.

Serving type: on-tap

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2.96/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Golden color with a thin head with short retention.
Aroma with predominant notes of bready malt and lager yeast.
Malty flavor with notes of Pilsen malt, dough, floral hops, mild orange citrusy and lager yeast. Dry aftertaste with a low to moderate bitterness.
Light body with appropriate carbonation.
Not sure why Kustom, it felt rather standard. Not bad though, a summer beer with no off-flavors.

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3.12/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Well, i have to give it a 5 for the look - of the can! (Actually it's quite a flat look when poured)
After that is Lager Lager Lager... and a fairly generic one at that. Really quite malt/biscuity.

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3.15/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Brutal brewing Varby, Sweden "Piston head Kustom Lager." 4.60% ABV. Purchased at a Rimping market in Chiang Mai, Thailand for a scant 46 baht...how it's offered that low as an import is beyond me.

CAN. 330ml pull-tab.

Buttery character nods towards diacetyl off-flavour. Pils malts. Crisp, clean, smooth, wet, refreshing, well-carbonated. Mild floral hop character. Vague fruit. It's a bit too sweet, but tolerably so. Still, the balance could use some tweaking. Light-bodied and approachable.

There's not an ideal harmony of texture and taste, but the former complements the latter in a general sense. Not a gestalt whole of a beer, but there's some cohesion to the build.

Drinkable and enjoyable, but far from impressive. I do like it, but I doubt I'd buy it again outside Thailand (where it's shockingly cheap for its quality).

C+ (3.15) / ABOVE AVERAGE

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4.34/5  rDev +42.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

My deepest apologies to whomever sent this to me for inclusion in The CANQuest (tm)! It got relegated into the queue/backlog & just surfaced. This should be a good time since I am a metalhead. a gearhead, a hophead, an airhead & now a Pistonhead!

From the CAN: "-Introducing- Pistonhead -Kustom Lager-"; "Custom brewed with a double-clutch of Munchener malt and Pilsner malt injected with Spalter Select, Magnum and Perle hops."; "Beer/Cerveza/Olut/Starkol".

Aww, it's but a wee tiny 330-ml CAN! It should be Brutal Brewing big. I Crack!ed it open and CANducted a moderate Glug, producing a finger of fizzy, foamy, bone-white head with actually surprisingly good retention. Color was a gorgeous Yellow-Gold (SRM = 4 -5) with NE-quality clarity & it was no surprise that the Gelt Gang of Croesus, Mammon & Midas dropped in for a taste. Nose had a great honeysuckle & mown grass smell along with a biscuity maltiness that put me in mind of summers on my maternal grandparent's property, surrounded by working farms. Mouthfeel was medium, but effervescent. The taste was clean, adjunct-free, grassy, slightly sweet & perfect on a hot, humid day on the cusp of summer. Finish was semi-dry, highly refreshing & I found myself wishing (again) that the CAN was bigger so that I could have more.

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1.82/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2

When pouring the beer, you get a bright yellow beer with white foam. (EBC 5)
The foam has small means bubbles and is a little thin, and disappear quite quickly.
The aroma is a little thin and has hints of fruit.
Orange apricot is a lovely scent that also has a nice sweet tone.
Bake then there is the grapefruit with a little lemon.
A little cut grass.
The flavors are quite low and not directly prominence.
You will find the small fruit of orange and apricot, back after going a little grapefruit.
A little summer grass and flowers and a small segment legalistic nuance.

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2.25/5  rDev -26%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

Clear gold color and white head with mid high carbonation. Smells of grass or canned corn.Light body, almost watery some malts.says has magnum hops but dont taste it really ok session but not best.

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2.81/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

Pours golden, hazy with a very mild white foam head with almost no retention. Smell is sweet of malts but nothing else, no hops. Taste is so weird, sweet and some burnt corn notes, astringent bitterness. Overall a bad beer, not worth the money.

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3.02/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours straw colored liquid with a white medium head. Aroma of cereal, toast, grass and citrus. Taste is dry with notes of grape, cereal, vegetables, toast and grass. Low to moderate bitterness.

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3.06/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Because, you know, I like my kustom Lagers bespoke I decided to give the old Pistonhead Kustom Lager a go. Ok, first question - what exactly is a “Kustom Lager” and why is it spelled with a “K”? [that’s two questions... I know] A Foogle search (because we’re doing the whole replacing the first letter of words with another letter now) revealed nothing useful so I went to Bikipeda, the top option was a link to the Shandy page, which I guess in a sense is a “custom Lager”. Anyway Pistonhead hails from Spendrups Bryggeri in Sweden. They produce many Lagers. Lager being a popular style in Sweden it seems. Along with cider. And Vikings.

Poured from a 330ml can into a Pokal.

A: A nice hard pour produces a Lager with some fine characteristics; hazy golden body with a white 2cm cappuccino froth head that reduces to a half centimetre. Good head proteins as well, noice! 8/10.

S: Fresh spring water, cut grass, light malt grains and tinned sweet corn. I say “tinned” to denote a metallic tinge. Not bad. Not fantastic. Not shit. Not above mediocrity but below average. A hint above average is my final answer. 6/10.

T: Malty and a bit bland. If this is a Kustom Lager then I’ll be happy with my next Lager being non-customised thank you. The overall flavour profile is heavily muted with the above noted hints throughout (spring water, cut grass, malt grains and sweet corn) followed by the lightest citric bitter finish you ever tasted. Nothing wows me about the flavour of this Lager. 6/10.

M: Mid to light body, a tad aggressively over-carbonated, but that could be due to how cold the beer is (getting on winter here and everything is a little chilly thank you Captain Canberra Winters). 6/10.

D: Mmmmmmmmmmmehhhhhhhh. I could see this beer going down easy on a hot Australian summers day, but I could see a great deal of beers going down easy on a hot Australian summers day. We have hot summers in Australia. Cold Lagers go down left right and centre here mid-January. It doesn’t take much to impress me beerwise on a hot summers day. Spendrups Bryggeri had the chance to impress me with their Kustom Lager but it doesn’t particularly FEEL customised in any sense of the word, another ordinary Lager then. 6/10.

Food match: I normally say something silly for beers lacking flavour like “water crackers” or “rice cakes” but really it doesn’t make any difference what you have with this brew - you will be disappointed regardless.

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3.02/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

330ml can poured into a pilsner glass.

The white and thick foam head quickly rises and withstands for a while before subsiding into some patchy bubble film. Not much lacing left. The appearance is shine by bright gold color, clear in the texture with visible medium to high carbonation.

Aroma is somewhat dominated by the character of munich and pils malt with the trait of grassy, earthy and herbal scent from hop. Yes, grapefruit and citrus are also there.

Subtle bitterness of hop exhibits here and there during the sip as well as sweetness from malt and taste of grassy grain. Very dry and clean in the finish as usual for this style of session lager. No severe offensive.

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3.44/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

A: Golden filtered with a moderate amount of large bubbles, 6 fingers of yellow head that fades relatively fast.


S: Malt, apple juice, not much else really, just like a regular beer. A slight sage herb on the end.


T: Light malt, some pleasant floral touch, then a sour bitter finish on the end. Light sweetness as well.


M: Light syrupy body, little crisp carbonation, sort of sour bitter finish.


O: Skull on the can found this at Rimping Market, Mechock, Chiang Mai and drank Feb 18th, 2015. A solid version of the style from Sweeden, perhaps my first from this country. Not much else to say, except at $1.50 US a can here in Thailand, it’s a steal and I don’t know how they did it.

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1.74/5  rDev -42.8%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Bottle. Golden colour, medium head that leaves a good lace when it fades. Smell of grains, some barnyard and citrus. Watery palate. Taste of grain and grass. Bland and insubstancial

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3.57/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served cold from can into Brooklyn American pint glass.

A) Light amber / lager colour, slight haze, thin white head, quite a few small bubbles.

S) Bready Helles Munich malt. Smells nice.

T) Smooth, refreshing, but little depth of flavour. Does not taste like a Munich Hell, does not taste like a true Pilsner.

M) Refreshing and fizzy.

O) A nice refreshing lager, but this cost me £1.50 for a 330ml can; there are many other lagers that represent better value for money.

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2.89/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very refreshing and quite hoppy with some citrus and a little corn. This one has a good, solid pilsener taste to it along with some mild fruits.winey maybe aftertaste drinkable

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2.97/5  rDev -2.3%

Aroma is of grain and metal, with pilsner malt skunkiness. There's a touch of acetaldehyde. Flavor reveals an underlying diacetyl note, which carries into bready malt mid palate. Acetaldehyde and metallic notes weave throughout. The malt character is pleasant, but to much off flavor detracts from it. Can doesn't mention Amarillo or cascade hops. The finish is fairly bitter, but crisp.

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2.82/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2014. Acquired a while back from a supermarket. Cool label.

Poured into a stemmed pilsner glass. A clear golden colour with some faint floating sediment and good carbonation. Forms a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a patchy surface layer. Nice lacing. Aroma of light malt with hints of mild grain, subtle stewed leaves, faint grass and a touch of yeastiness. Perhaps a whisper of green apples. Uneventful.

Tastes of watery malt with a dry finish. Notes of light grain, mild stewed leaves, faint grass, subtle yeast and a twinge of solvent in the background. Well-attenuated, followed by a restrained, dry bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with pleasant carbonation and an insubstantial body. Slightly astringent, accompanied by an aftertaste of weak malt, acrid stewed leaves and vague yeastiness.

Meh - a pretty poor excuse for a lager. It looks nice but that's all it's got going for it. The aroma and flavour are bland and characterless; marred by subtle off-notes that hint at solvent. Lacklustre body. Watery and pointless - do yourself a favour and give it a miss.

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2.68/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Bought this at a grocery store in Shanghai China packaged as a 2 for 1 deal with a Euro Strong lager. Drank from the 330mL can

S: Very faint aroma coming through. Mostly of cracker malt. Not much else. A clean hop character is evident for a fleeting moment.

T: Taste is grassy and lightly citrusy for a bit. Not a lot of flavor here. Slight bready malt for a second.

Overall: A weak lager cleverly packaged. Not much difference between this and a lot of Chinese pale lagers out there except I guess this is all organic.

Avoid.

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3.17/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

355 mL can from a six-pack picked up at The Beer Store; best before Nov. 24 2014. Served well-chilled.

Pours a clear, golden-yellow colour, generating nearly two fingers of puffy, soapy white head at the surface. It wilts slowly over a period of minutes, leaving behind plenty of lacing and eventually resulting in a thin cap and collar. Looks great to me; the aroma isn't quite as impressive, however. Typical pale lager stuff - grainy pale malts, corny sweetness, maybe a weak touch of grassy hops. Not offensive, but not enticing in any sense of the word.

Very plain, straightforward flavour with no real surprises. Despite the use of a few North American hop strains, only a mild touch of lemon citrus betrays their presence - this is a standard, run-of-the-mill pale lager, with a flavour dominated by pale grainy pilsner malt and accented with some grassy, vaguely floral hop notes. Thin-bodied and kind of watery, with moderate carbonation that doesn't hold up well over the course of the glass. Easy to drink quickly, but at 4.6% they'd need to screw up pretty hard for it to NOT be sessionable.

Final Grade: 3.17, a C+. Pistonhead Kustom Lager is rather mundane, which is more than a little disappointing. Don't be fooled by this one's creative packaging art, or the label that boasts the use of a multitude of hop strains - this is a forgettable pale lager with no real strong points, and it doesn't taste a whole lot better than many domestic equivalents. I could drink this again (and will finish the sixer with no issues), but I'd be surprised if I ever find myself returning to it voluntarily. A stereotypical lager that most BAs can probably skip.

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2.22/5  rDev -27%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2

4.6% ABV, 330ml bottle: BBD Oct 14, poured into a 'Good People' badged US pint glass in Dec 13. I think I bought this in my local TESCO store.

Pale golden with a white head: very lager/pilsner in looks (what a shock).

Like all the Spendrups beers I've had so far (this is the 5th) it's not too good. More Pissed-un-broke (aren't we all) than Pistonhead.

Weak nose, taste and body depth: some maltiness but a false sweetness abounds in the taste and it lacks flavour. The best part of the beer is the artwork on the bottle and cap. Had I realised it was a beer from this brewery it would still be on whatever shelf I got it from!

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2.93/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

Amber clear clean body with impressive big foamy white head

All I smell is corn syrup

Quite a crisp clean taste nice malt
tiny hop presence not too sweet minimal bitterness, barely present but there

too fizzy and rather thin

I've had worse and with flimsy lager affairs I've not had much better

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2.93/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Can. Golden amber. Thick dense head.
Grainy aroma. Hints of lemon curd on toast.
Tastes akin to cheap euro lager with added malt.
Well carbonated. Light, although the malt does add a little depth.
Nah.

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3.57/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

330ml Can from Pitt Cue Co, Soho, London (£3.50):
Amber with a 1cm, bubbly white head that halves in size after 30 seconds.

Light & hoppy with some bitterness plus some fruits and corn. Fresh with some lager malts and it seems quite lively.

Very refreshing and quite hoppy with some citrus and a little corn. This one has a good, solid pilsener taste to it along with some mild fruits.

Light & refreshing with a pleasant citrus tang, medium carbonation and a light bitter finish with a slightly dry finish. The beer is smooth throughout.

Surprisingly enjoyable with an excellent and very refreshing taste. There was a nice, mellow balance between your typical lager taste and some subtle fruits sitting in the background.

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3.18/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A straw colored clear brew with a warm frothy white head that leaves good lacing.

Smell distinctly of lemons, some sweet corn, and nettles.

Starting slightly sweet, but quickly going over to lemon and grape-fruit pulp and then some peel, a clean slightly metallic bitterness.

Medium carbonation, fresh and slightly coarse texture, a smooth dry finish.

I must admit that this lager from "Brutal Brewing" actually was much better than I expected.

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