Sleeman Silver Creek Lager
Sleeman Breweries Ltd.

 

 

355 ml can. Part of Sleeman's mixed 6. Served cold into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pale golden straw colored beer. Good expressive carbonation and a finger plus of head that has some staying power.

Smell - Quite a bit of grainy notes and some cooked veggies. Not unpleasant and more aromatic than expected but doesn't inspire confidence either.

Taste - Strangely flavored, nothing off, but there's not really any grain. Very watery. Not unpleasant but not great either.

Mouthfeel - Clean and somewhat crisp, carbonation is pretty intense, yet there's a sensation of this going down so so easily.

Overall - Better than I thought it'd be, but not great, Gassy but goes down surprisingly easy.

Medium: Capped, Pils glass.
Opacity: Bright with a faint mist of minerals.
Color: Almost golden with low activity.
Head: Slightly foamy 1-2 finger.
Legs: Decent, okay swirl reaction.
Smell: Cabbage/Minerals.
Taste: Barley/Floral.
Feel: Cereal/Noble hops.
Body: Medium slick.
Carbonation: Prickly.
Overall: Feels like a German Pils, does the job well, not much adjuncts. Pretty good quality, probably the best one they brew.

Visual 6/10 - Flavors 6/10 - Sensations 6/10 - Balance 7/10 -
Freshness 8/10 - Intensity 5/10 - Complexity 6/10 - Appreciation 6.5/10

 

 

 

 

Regardless of the name on the label, virtually all of Sleeman's core brands look the same. Silver Creek Lager is no different: light yellow in colour, with an antiseptically clean complexion, and bubbles so plentiful yet entirely ineffective that they must be artificial (they can't sustain a proper head).

There's a certain characteristic that from day one I've noted in all Sleeman products; it's especially prominent in the aroma. It's been many years since I've last had an offering of theirs but I still feel confident I could pick them out in a lineup with other mass-produced domestic brand lagers.

Now I realize it must be the brand of corn syrup they use. This sweet, stenchy, skunky note has an industrial ring to it, a synthetic flavour that is markedly different from the wholesome, toasty graininess of actual malted barley. This taste is more like canned corn kernels and is unpleasant, even off-putting.

The one thing I hear in defense of large commercial breweries is that they're consistent; like McDonalds, their beer taste the same everywhere. You always know what you're getting. To replicate a fermented product like beer to the same standards time and time again on a massive scale isn't easy. This is true.

But who wants to make shitty beer? And who wants to drink shitty beer? I tasted my first Silver Creek Lager over a decade ago and it was just as insipid then as it is now. That's an impressive feat but not one I think worthy of commending. Consistency is a good attribute - quality is a better one.

The folks at Sleeman aren't dummies. They've left this recipe the same for good reason: it sells. This lager may be an injustice to the Czech and German ones that originally inspired it but, sorry to say, its bland, sweet, light-bodied and firmly carbonated qualities are exactly what most consumers look for.

A: Golden, light, active carbonation. White head.
S: Apple, skunk, corn. Mild.
T: Apple, mild bread, corny. Mild sweetness, pleasant bitterness.
F: Crisp and bright, but just slightly over carbonated.
O: Inoffensive but unremarkable. I wouldn't avoid it, but I wouldn't seek it out either.

A - Pale straw colour. Good deal of carbonation. Head fades quickly with no real lacing.

S - A slight skunky smell at the beginning, with an apple scent as well. Almost has a cider-like sweet smell, but not in an appealing sense when I'm about to drink a lager.

T - More of the apple like smell, but the taste is fortunately not as sweet. Slightly bitter aftertaste, though no real hop presence. A bit of a musty taste at the very end as well.

F - Carbonation is appropriate for the style. Fairly crisp and refreshing.

O - Overall slightly unimpressed with this one, not that I had overly high expectations. I think I can say this is my least favourite Sleeman product, and I'm not typically a big fan of the company either. I haven't had the Light or the Original Draught in a while, but from what I remember I enjoyed them both slightly more. However, it is still a serviceable lager that could be consumed in large amounts, and the unappealing factors would likely diminish after the first 2 or 3.

 

Flashback #309