Earthquake High Gravity Lager (10%)
City Brewing Company

Earthquake High Gravity Lager (10%)Earthquake High Gravity Lager (10%)
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From:
City Brewing Company
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
Malt Liquor
Ranked #17
ABV:
10%
Score:
64
Ranked #39,694
Avg:
2.59 | pDev: 35.91%
Ratings:
81 | reviews: 55
Status:
Active
Rated:
May 13, 2026
Added:
Sep 19, 2015
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  16
No description / notes.
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Ratings by SHINDoGG:
Photo of SHINDoGG
Reviewed by SHINDoGG from Washington

3.01/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.75
It smells damn near like turpentine or rubbing alcohol, doesn't have the same "friendly" taste of basically any other lager, despite saying "high gravity lager" in its name, its even more different than hurricane or steel reserve (which have less harsh aftertaste) but still more redeemable than Smirnoff beer which is almost unbearable in taste. The real standout here is that once you sip or chug this puppy, you get blitzed, but not so f@cked up as four loko which has amazing "output" but results in unintended hurling which killed its potential early on. Not what I'd call a great malt liquor, if that's what you're looking for. The best tasting beer thus far would seem to be OE, but it doesn't have the impact this thing has. Definitely more of a "I wanna be loaded, but not to the point of hangover" scenario. I don't even get why someone would wanna keep drinking after having this, that's the type of experience it induced, if you want to be honest, in my opinion.
May 09, 2022
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2.61 by deusxvth from Massachusetts

May 13, 2026
 
Rated: 3.8 by UndulateSleet0 from Michigan

Mar 27, 2026
Photo of Adelise
Reviewed by Adelise

2.16/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 2.25 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5
Most disgusting “lager” pretending to be a beer. However for under $2 you can get a big boy 25 ounce at 10% alcohol volume so it’s a very cheap way to get drunk and that the appeal more than the taste. I buy them to get drunk cheap.
Nov 09, 2025
Photo of jmci9880
Reviewed by jmci9880 from Washington

1.29/5  rDev -50.2%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
L- Rather dark for how light of a beer it is. Garbage water.
S- Non descript, which is the weirdest thing for me.
T- Aftertaste of fermented onions and a weird, earthy/moldy taste. Like decaying leaves. Harsh but not bitter necessarily. Its like if you left onion skins, leaf clippings, and some solvent you found in your dads garage in a big bag and then heated it up.
F- Lots of fusel-alcohol and genuinely felt bad to drink. Unpleasant buzz that only worsens as it warms.
O- The most alcohol for the littlest money. Truly a horrid experience. I will probably do it again when the memory of this fades.
Oct 04, 2025
Photo of Mdog
Reviewed by Mdog from Minnesota

2.41/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
From a 24oz silo:

Appearance: Clear yellow, good head.

Smell: Sweet, some green apple.

Taste: Sweet to start, then a pretty strong hard apple cider flavor. Stays sweet and with a lot of apple through the finish. A bit of a metallic note in the end too.

Overall: Saw this while on a business trip to Omaha and I like to try beers all along the quality spectrum. This isn't terrible, but has a lot of the green apple flavor that I don't like in many high gravity malt liquors. Better than Evil Eye and Camo Silver!
Feb 08, 2025
Photo of beerrat
Reviewed by beerrat from Virginia

1.37/5  rDev -47.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.25
Taste like watered down rubbing alcohol and sugar. These may f you up if you can get them down. If this was the last beer made I would start brewing or go sober.
Dec 31, 2024
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

1.92/5  rDev -25.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75
Monstrous can picked up at Safeway. On opening you're greeted with a blast of sweet malts. Clear golden pour, fizzy white head. Aroma Is frat house floor after a kegger. Taste is sweet, ultra sweet, too sweet, corn, candy and medicinal. Yes, it that's good. Almost tastes like someone poured a 7-up in my cheap lager. I will struggle through and I will prevail.
May 03, 2024
 
Rated: 1.9 by Danzifer from Ohio

Feb 17, 2024
Photo of pabs84
Reviewed by pabs84 from Iowa

3.09/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 3 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Not so bad! One of the best things about this is its mouthfeel ‘cause it’s not so thick & heavy going down like Steel Reserve or Hurricane are. The flavor is better than expected, also. As others have said, it has a white wine character laced with a generic lager taste. Has an oatmeal note, too, which is nice and not out of place at all. There ARE some off flavor notes of vinegarness and varnish maybe?? Yet, given its price point, and given the cheap ingredients, one shouldn’t expect much going into it. I actually like this more than Bud and some other mainstream AAL’s of that ilk. Fair warning, though, if you are a Bud drinker, this could be a blow to your senses. But if you’re a trained drunk and know how to navigate through these kind of tricky arenas, it may just come across as a quite pleasant... sipper, let’s say. Cheers!
Feb 07, 2024
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Poured from a julian dated 24oz can.

On a rough pour 3 fingers of white almost decent, if not a bit foamy, white head formed, then becomes rocky and recedes to just under 1cm. Body is a clear, but relatively dark gold with lots of carbonation. Somehow lacing does form at an acceptable level, but the bubbles are larger than normal.

Aroma is enjoyably vague as if it were any more potential smelling it would be indistinguishable from an extremely cheap and old white wine. Slight 6-row sweetness somewhere in the but it doesn't meld very well.

Flavor is somehow better than the aroma, and honestly much better than expected. Still the tart, cheap white wine thing is still there right up front, before fading to a surprisingly light, bit present malty lager flavor. There is a slight bitterness that pops in at the beginning then quickly disappears, likely an off flavor.

Feel is surprisingly light for the "style". Not to call it drinkable, but when cold, it does come off as a little refreshing assuming you have nothing to do. As it warms it does begin to linger more.

Overall, despite its obvious flaws I would definitely call this a pleasant surprise for not completely offending my taste buds. Definitely put it in the freezer before consuming, but also definitely better than the Camo malt liquors.
Jul 14, 2023
Photo of BucsRaysBolts
Rated by BucsRaysBolts

2.4/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5
It's alright when you stop tasting it
Nov 30, 2022
Photo of Th2010805
Reviewed by Th2010805 from California

3.9/5  rDev +50.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3
It has a diffrence between the 8.1 and the 12 % i like the 12% better.. but wonder what is the truth. So. LOL. Cheap is what cheap gets. IDK 8 or 10 or 12... whatever they print. i like it . it is a good one. PTR 91
Sep 20, 2022
 
Rated: 2.4 by BorntoDie

Aug 03, 2022
Photo of superspak
Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina

3.34/5  rDev +29%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
24 ounce can into IPA glass, canned on 4/4/2022. Pours slightly hazy pale golden straw color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Dense foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation. This was..... not too bad. Aromas and flavors of big plum, pear, red apple, corn, cereal, white bread, herbal, wood, grass, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Super fruity DMS nose as it warmed. Light herbal/grassy bitterness and slight alcohol spiciness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malt and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light lingering bitter dryness, no cloying/astringency. Very easy to drink and pretty clean on lager flavors, but the aftertaste lingers with dms and it's a bit much. Otherwise really minimal warming after the finish for 10%. I actually kind of regret buying this haha, it was cheap though. Good for a buzz and nothing else, by design. It also has some kind of distinct yeast or grain note that seems to be common with the four loko lineup. The can says Drink Four brewing does make this.
Jun 07, 2022
Photo of crisco54943
Rated by crisco54943

2.39/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 2 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Tastes like ass, but love the kick, so mix it with Bloody Mary mix, etc...
Apr 07, 2022
Photo of hankp59
Reviewed by hankp59 from New York

2.52/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Like a typical American strong ale. Alcohol and corn sweetness on the nose. Clear yellow appearance. Strong alcohol flavor with a bit of malt. No hops to be found. For booze hounds only.
Mar 30, 2022
Photo of officerbill
Reviewed by officerbill from New York

2.44/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
L: fairly nice, clear gold with a hint of amber and a quickly dissolving head
S: light sweet corn with raw alcohol
T: sweet corn, bubble gum, apple and pear juices, background alcohol
F: rough & dry on the tongue with a noticable burn. Slick and sweet going down, but the burn lingers on
O: not awful for what it is. Quite passable if you drink it cold with spicy food.
Oct 23, 2021
Photo of Skywave
Reviewed by Skywave from Oklahoma

2.96/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Appearance
Deep gold color, clear, not much head, no lace

Aroma
Grainy, corny, strongly alcoholic. no hops to discern.

Flavor
Clean, grainy, corny and alcoholically sweet. Dies out in the finish with some apple, bubblegum and pear notes.

Mouthfeel
Prickly, medium-light body, and a bit hot on the tongue like you would expect.

Overall
For what it is, it is not that bad. But it is not great beer by any standard. Has fewer off-flavors than you would expect.
Oct 13, 2021
Photo of Storm_Rryder
Reviewed by Storm_Rryder from Iowa

2.75/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Yellow fizzy drink, light body. Mostly grain flavor, quite sweet, strong alcohol taste. Maybe i ve turned into a beer snob, i probably would have enjoyed this while in college but not anymore. Definitely not finishing the whole can. At least I can mark this off from trying one of every style.
Sep 18, 2021