Ice
Rainier Beer Company

 

This stuff actually ain't that bad....all things considered. Compared to other crappy ice beers...actually all ice beers are crappy...this one is by far the best I've had.

Poured a decent head that actually stuck around a while and left a good lace. The color was yellow....that's about it. Smells were expected, kind of skunky and very grainy. Tastes like a cheap beer, kind of skunky, with lots of grains and corn. But still not an overall horrible taste. And for that, I give it a glowing review!

This is probably the best ice beer out on the market. Pours a nice gold yellow with a bubbly head that fades, lacing stayed on the glass as I drank. The smell is sweet, little skunk and blast of grains and hops. The taste is quite sweet and grainy with hop tone on end. Feels full and crisp in mouth. A very drinkable ice beer, great for summer BBQ's!

Appearance – The body is shiny yellow in color. The head actually wasn’t bad. It foamed up big at the pour, hung around for a while, and laced the glass.

Smell – Typical American grain with a bit of sucrose.

Taste – The cheap sweetness really overtakes this one. That’s pretty much all I can taste, along with a few alcohol notes and a funky aftertaste.

Mouthfeel – Relatively flat compared to the head.

Drinkability – This actually went down with some semblance of smoothness, although I’ll never buy again.

I had a bottle of this tonight which I purchased at an LCBO in Ontario. It was brewed by the Sleeman company in Guelph Ontario. I was first introduced to this beer in Montana in the early 80s on an Elk hunt. Our guide brought out an ice filled Igloo cooler of the stuff after the 5 of us had struggled down an aspened high mountain slope packing out elk meat all day. It was a mule's job on an unusually hot early November day. The stuff went down like Odin's kiss to a thirsty skank who just peeled his ass off the side of a mountain slope. Other than the immediate thirst quenching qualities, the beer remained undistinct in my memory. I passed it in the beer stores in Alberta for years and never felt obliged to buy a 6-pack.

The rainier dry I had tonight was a delightful surprise after the first impression I had with this brand. It had fair color, a faint hoppy nose and.....suprise....flavour! I think this may have more to do with the fact that the Sleeman brewery made it more than anything. If you fellow Yanks get a chance to taste Sleeman wares....do it! you won't be disappointed. Quality all the way. I suspect that is what happened to this Rainier I tasted.