Twins Lager Beer
August Schell Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some have said this is the same beer as Deer Brand.
Really quite pale - barely gold. Full one inch white fizzy head. Brilliantly clear.
Mild grainy aroma with a mild yeast quality.
Flavor holds some sweetness while cold that's kinda' nice. Mild grain, enough hops to subdue the sweetness and add a mild bittereness on the finish. Enough drying on the finish to help with refreshness.
This bottle must be really fresh. This is one of the best of this style I've had in a long time. Drinking while cold I think kept off any excessive taste from adjuncts.
I'm surprised at how much I like this. Not too rich, but it is a little filling with the carbonation. The carbonation is a bit sharp.
Thanks Bryan for the sample.

Classic inexpensive American lager. Previously only available in returnables, Schell's is selling all their beers in recyclables now. Picked up a case while I was in New Ulm last weekend - it's an exceedingly drinkable and affordable beer. As another reviewer noted, it has some sweetness but it's nowhere near today's Grain Belt. No frills, just a smooth and refreshing beer.

An e-mail from the brewery indicated that Twins Lager is not the same beer as Hauenstein, just with a different label. When beer was 3 cases for $7.50 back some time ago(40 years I guess), there were several breweries that just changed the labels, the cases, and away it went. Huber and Cold Spring were notorious for that. Schells tells me that the Twins Lager uses a different recipe and yeast than the Hauenstein, but a side by side comparison leaves me wondering why they would go through the trouble. I have always liked "cheap" beers. Twins, and Hauenstein are no different in that respect. And there is something appealing about drinking beer out of a long neck returnable- be it brown or clear. Twins Lager is $11.00/case in Hutchinson, Minnesota, Hauenstein $11.00/case in Willmar. The beer drinkers of olden days wanted it cold, crisp, and cheap. Nothing against the new crop of specialty beers, there is nothing like a good Summit Pale Ale. But for afternoon lazing back and swigging, there is certainly nothing wrong with a cold bottle of Twins Lager. Twins Lager might be "TWICE AS REFRESHING" as the label purports, but, boy would it be a treat to drink an original recipe Fitgers again!!

Contract brewed by the August Schell brewing company. Comes in a returnable brown glass bottle with a gold, red, and black label. Very old school looking. Definitely kept around to appeal to people reminiscing about this beer from their grandfathers.
Pours a standard clear gold color, with a white head that disolves into nothingness very quickly. Smells of adjuncts. Maybe a tinge of skunky malt, but not that much. Taste is very sweet, reminds me of the old Grain Belt Premium. Mouthfeel is only slightly carbonated. This is a beer that you could easily put back a lot of in one sitting, I downed about 8 of them last night (I am reviewing an "eye opener" sample).
This stuff probably has very limited distribution, just like the other Schell beer, Hauenstein. No need for mass distribution. Just a standard, old school lager. If you can find it, try it or not, either way it will not be a "great" beer experience.