La Crosse Lager
City Brewing Company, LLC

La Crosse LagerLa Crosse Lager
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From:
City Brewing Company, LLC
 
Wisconsin, United States
Style:
American Adjunct Lager
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
71
Avg:
2.95 | pDev: 25.08%
Reviews:
48
Ratings:
82
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 29, 2019
Added:
Feb 21, 2003
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  4
Brand possibly owned by Melanie Brewing Co.

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Ratings by Hopstout:
Photo of Hopstout
Rated by Hopstout from Minnesota

1.75/5  rDev -40.7%

Jun 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of WoodBrew
Reviewed by WoodBrew from Ohio

3/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
I tried this beer in La Crosse whilst there for my daughter's college orientation at UW-La Crosse. The beer poured a clear golden with fizzy white head that dissipated quickly and left zero lace. The scent and grain notes. The taste was sweeter leaning with grain presence. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation. Overall its an ok beer.
Jun 29, 2019
 
Rated: 2.52 by scootercrabb from Illinois

May 21, 2018
 
Rated: 2.7 by Krusader from Wisconsin

Oct 13, 2017
 
Rated: 2.39 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Jan 07, 2017
 
Rated: 3 by Dovers from Wisconsin

Aug 31, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by jgunther71 from Illinois

Aug 30, 2015
 
Rated: 3 by schoon from Iowa

Nov 26, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by MrBoJangles from Wisconsin

Oct 16, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by Viperman1316 from Indiana

Jul 19, 2014
Photo of Brenden
Reviewed by Brenden from Ohio

2.81/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
Pale yellow color? Check. Crystal clear? Check. Pretty thin in the body? Got it. The white head is just tall enough and strong enough, and lacing plentiful enough, for this altogether typical AAL to hit average.
Dust, must, grains and a note of oxidation that isn't even trying to hide comprise an unpleasant aroma.
Pale malts are a little more substantial along with the grain and husk, and this one heads to the dry side of the style, particularly as a little hop leaf come into play. There's a bit of mineral, perhaps a touch too steely, before a grassy finish. Hops are enough to give it an average rating, and it helps that the off notes the nose can catch aren't as strong to the tongue.
Light and thin with a strong crispness and not too much graininess to the texture, it doesn't err too badly until the bitterness loses character and turns astringent.
Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by NewGlarusFan from Illinois

Jul 15, 2014
 
 
Rated: 2.5 by wrightst from Maryland

Jun 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by derkfromwi from Wisconsin

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Alex_Weinard from Wisconsin

Jun 01, 2014
 
Rated: 1.25 by CraigTravor from California

May 15, 2014
Photo of CraftPro
Reviewed by CraftPro from Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +41.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
La Crosse Lager is a beer that underachieves, but not in the traditional sense. At $14 to $16 for a 30 pack of cans, it could be assumed that many potential beer drinkers are swayed from this brand due to its low cost and the risk that if it's a bad brew, one is stuck with 29 cans taking up space. The fact of the matter is that La Crosse Lager is truly an excellent beer.

In a recent double-blind taste test we conducted, La Crosse Lager scored higher than the vast majority of its "big brew" adjunct american lager counterparts (i.e. Budweiser, Coors, Pabst, Old Style, Leinenkugel's) and a number of "micro brews" from our region (i.e. Fitgers, Bent Paddle).

Reputedly, La Crosse Lager is brewed from the original recipe for Old Style. As most of us are aware, however, the Old Style product was greatly cheapened by Stroh's and Pabst after Heileman's got out of the business. Whereas today's Old Style has a noticeably stale, almost chemical taste, La Crosse Lager is spared from those unpleasantries. It's clean, crisp, and has well-rounded flavor.

La Crosse Lager is "krausened", the process that Old Style made a fixture of much of their marketing before turning to a cheaper brewing process. Krausening and the overall creation of La Crosse Lager is an expensive, old-fashioned process that is misleading, once again, by the beer's exceedingly low price point. Undoubtedly as City Brewery has 3 large breweries and derives most of their profits from contract brewing, they have the financial flexibility to bring this beer to market at a great price.

I would go so far to say that if this beer came with a Sam Adam's or Montana Brewing Company label that it would be the darling of "beer elitists" and command 3-4 times its current market price. But until that unlikely time comes, I will enjoy this taste of the Northwoods at a price that makes me feel that I'm getting an absolute steal!
Mar 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by briiguy from Illinois

Jan 02, 2014
Photo of guityler83
Reviewed by guityler83 from Wisconsin

2.88/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
A: Brilliantly clear, straw yellow color beer with lots of bright white bubbles shooting to the top of the standard pint glass. small finger tall head that quickly fizzed away when poured from the can.

S: Very faint bread with a hint of lemon, clean overall.

T: Low in flavor, just a hint of bitterness but not enough from keeping the beer from becoming sweet. A sweet corn like flavor overall with a light bready character. Very clean, crisp fermentation.

M: Light body with moderate carbonation. crisp finish is left on the pallet making it pretty refreshing.

O: Nothing special here, but it is a refreshing beer and I'd take this over a BMC any day just because it has a tolerable nose and some noticable flavor.. but not much.
Dec 19, 2013
La Crosse Lager from City Brewing Company, LLC
Beer rating: 71 out of 100 with 82 ratings