Kalik
Commonwealth Brewery Ltd.

 

 

 

 

My son brought me this from his recent trip to the Islands with his honey. Poured from a bottle and into a beer mug. This beer is has a light golden color with a little head. The aroma was really skunky and it followed through to the taste. All in all, it was not a good beer for my taste. I will not be trying this again, unless there is nothing else to drink.

12oz clear glass bottle. Poured out a crystal clear, straw-yellow color with a small, white head of foam. It left some lacing on the glass. It smelled of caramel, toasted corn and floral notes. Sweet caramel taste with cracker, sweet breads and a very mild bitterness.

 

 

Drain-pour!

 

 

 

 

 

When in the Bahamas, do as the Bahamians do -- and drinking an islander not named "corona" seemed like a good deal to me on vacation just a few weeks ago. Like a lot of things in life, it may look good but things can get a bit crazy once you actually commit: a lot of skunk from this guy and a bit harsh on the mouth, but not a bad overall taste. Not the worst, but definitely, DEFINITELY, not the best.

This beer had a sweetness about it I just didn't like. It was also kind of cloudy. Not sure why a AAL would be cloudy. I would take about any other AAL over this one.

 

I had one on tap while on my honeymoon in the Bahamas. It was watery and inoffensive. It is typical to its style (an island AAL), so I wouldn't penalize it for that. However, even for the style, I wasn't too impressed with the taste and flavor. It is versatile and works with many meals. However, it isn't a good mouthfeel. The color is decent.

 

 

Bottle to pils glass.

Smugglers, Nassau, Bahamas.

There is no date on the bottle. Right off the bat I have to admit that I do like this better than the stronger Kalik Gold, it's smoother. I don't see why so many people are complaining about this beer it's not that bad. I taste a good amount of malts, slight corn with a little bit of bitterness on the finish. I don't detect any corn syrup which is a plus but the aftertaste is not very pleasant. There is not a whole lot going on in the taste it's sort of bland, I prefer Carib Lager. I can't believe this beer has won awards, was it up against Bud Light & Corona Light? Cheers! C

 

This OK lager does its job. A beverage suitable for tropical weather. Washes down average food. Crisp.
But, it has crummy-to-poor ratings. Why ?
Could it be because Heineken owns Commonwealth Brewery ? Or is it that raters want flavor and alcohol for under $2 ?
So, I try to figure out the "Why" of the low ratings and go on Heineken's website. And I was surprised to see how much they are updating their image. (Last time I looked on their site, it was several years ago when they funded the huge Lagunitas factory and brewpub in Chicago's ghetto.)
Amazingly, Heineken is following many themes of local crafters: sustainability, local sourcing, giving back to the community, reducing CO2, and lots of other good stuff. What can be bad if a big company is actually trying to do good ?
Regardless of the answer, I am glad to add the Bahamas to my list of countries.

 

 

 

12-oz. can BBD 07/18 needed a strong pour into a 16-oz. mug to get a fizzy very short-lived white head with no lacing.
Clear golden yellow with a few rising bubbles.
Smells of unattenuated yeast, corn and slightly sour malt.
Taste is the same as the smell with faint hops that are more pronunced as it warms.
Hidden carbonation gives the mouth feel a boost, slightly above thin.
Looks okay, the head comes back with a stern swish. Taste and smell are below average.

Look: Amber gold with very little white head.

Smell: Ugh, skunked bad. The skunkiness of light exposure in the perfectly clear and colorless bottle has completely ruined the beer.

Taste: The skunk is a little less pronounced in the taste. Other than that, just a bit of metallic bitterness and adjunct malt.

Mouthfeel: Thin and highly carbonated, like soda water.

Overall: Maybe a better container would improve this, but I have the feeling it would only be a typical adjunct lager. In these cheap clear bottles, the beer is ruined by the time it reaches your fridge.

 

I had this on draught in Nassau. It was urine yellow with a quickly fading head of foam. Smelled like wet grass clippings. the taste was overly sweet with absolutely no hops. The mouth feel was very watery and thin. Over all not horrible but not great either. If you happen to be in Nassau, New Providence Island and want something to quence your thirst then ask for a Kalik. I'd reach for one over Bud and other crap from AB.

 

Drink as cold as possible. In fact, feel free to add ice as this will not in any way detract from the flavour and may even improve it. +0.25 for being the only beer in the complimentary hotel mini-fridge. Overall: not utterly vile.

when you get down far enough south in florida, you start to find this one all over the place at every little beachside tiki around. its an extremely light offering, even in a style known for being extremely light, it barely even constitutes beer for me, with the grain profile so minimal here that its as much water or soda as it is beer, the lightest of yellow goldens and of perfect clarity. good soda fizz rising up to the next of the clear bottle each time i take a drag. its immediately a little metallic, but not all that bad, honestly the flavor isnt terrible, its just absent, if that makes sense. if had adjunct lagers taste far worse, but by being so minimal in every possible capacity here, this fails to really do much for me, and being a tad off of dry, it doesnt even quite quench my hard thirst as much as id like it to, especially after it warms up even a little bit. subtle lemon and lime here, yellow corn, and an irrelevant lager yeast that doesnt seem to have quite completed the task. its lightness and high carbonation set it apart, and it washes down some chilled shrimp pretty easily, but outside of an island vacation vibe, im not sure how much value this has, even amongst its peers...

Had it in the Bahamas at a straw market, so being close to the source doesn't help.