Gage Roads Premium Lager

The last Gage Roads' beer that I had was their ambitiously titled 'Atomic Ale', which was most certainly a tasty and sessionable ale, but the problem with the marketing of that beer was that it was in fact about as atomic as Ethiopia's nuclear weapons program.  It was overall a very restrained and safe pale ale, that never quite picked up the nerve to take off it's seat belt.  It's probably logical to assume that a lager from the same brewery is not going to bring the house down, but given it was on sale and I was thirsty, in to the trolley it went.

Anyone that has been around the block once or twice on the beer circuit knows that seeing the words 'Premium', and 'Lager',  together on a bottle is more likely the firing of a warning shot to send you running, rather than a cunning ploy to lure drinkers in to a delicious ambush.  You see it all the time on a big brewer's labels, when in actual fact what lurks inside is watery fizzy yellow crap that you would only otherwise drink at an office christmas party or a wedding, because it's free and, well let's be honest, it still does the job when consumed in large quantities.  'Premium' in the beer world is more an attempt at compensation, rather than braggadocio.  It is the Porsche Cayenne of beer basically.

Gage's entry in to the world of 'Premium Lagers' starts off with a bang the size of a small cap gun, being fired by a midget, riding a Shetland pony.  The beer pours a light amber/yellow colour, with a weak fizz that eventuates in to nothingness.  The excitement I felt while eyeing off the glass was reminiscent of the the first time you watched Matrix Revolutions.  You know they've probably fucked it up, but you can always hope for the best.  The feel of the beer is sharp, and the carbonation has that biting sting to it.  It's slightly overkill and makes the beer feel artificial in my eyes.  The flavours though, are not bad at all.  The taste is light and grassy, with feint grains and malts.  Nothing exciting at all, but it's all taped together well enough that it doesn't fall apart on you like a Chinese motorcycle.

This is not a terrible beer, nor is it a good beer.  It's a 'slightly-better-than-the-big-guys' lager, but to be frank there are better alternatives on the market if you're into the bottom fermented variety of the world's favourite beverage.  I don't recommend you go out and buy it, but if you had to choose between this and a Pure Blonde or something, then Gage Roads would win by a nose.

4.5/10