Big Bear

A former Pabst/Hamm’s brand still available at Discount Liquors in Waukesha, WI. From a 40-oz screw top bottle pours a clear golden light amber colored brew with a fast dissolving white head that dissipates clean. Aroma of sweet corn, a hint of caramel and green vegetables. Taste is medium bodied, flavors of caramel, corn, and honey. Finish is quite gritty with some grain alcohol and corn aftertaste that quickly disappears. What to do with the remaining 39 ounces of this? Do I use it for bratwurst marinade? Use it has hair shampoo? Feed it to the cat? Nope, drain pour it back to the St Paul Sewage Department.

Oh God. This beer is for initiations and games of Edward Fortyhands only. Not to be drank seriously, or even evaluated as such. Points for colour.

1.18L (40oz) clear bottle, screw top. 8% abv on label. Yellow colour, white head fizzes away to nothing very quickly - not even a little ring of bubbles at the edge of the glass... Sweet aroma, some fusels, caramel. Flavour is sweet, caramel, corn puffs, some grain alcohol in the finish, but no real burn from it. Syrupy body, medium carbonation. Tastes "manufactured" instead of "brewed", but somehow I didn’t totally hate this...

"Beer #4 in the 40oz. head to head taste off. it sucks and that’s all you got to know but I guess here are some reasons it sucks. Oh gawd 4th out of 5 one more to go after this my liver and mouth hate me now. Corn, rice, chemical, sweet there that’s what this is. It’s shit but at least the pizza we ordered has a 1” layer of meat on it."

I reward this beer an extra point for the awesome label art. Even for a 40 this is kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel though.

Bottle from some store in Oregon.
Since my dad was considered a "bear" in the gay community, I drank this in honor of him. (And yes, he is chuckling at the gesture!) Pours what tries to be a decent yellow. A nice head sits atop the effort, and an aroma of sweet corn malt is emitted from the beverage. Flavor is sweet corn syrup and sour candy malt. Watery mouthfeel. R.I.P., Dad. You earned it.

Immediately thought of Mike when I saw this, so I had to pick it up in his honor. I can only guess this is 40 ounces of malt liquor nirvana. Straw color with a thin lid of white bubbles. Some pale and lightly toasted malt, green beans and hint of herbal hops. I have certainly smelt brews that are much worse. Sweet start with some corn syrup and hints of grain. Fairly fizzy feel, but I can only imagine what a sticky mess this stuff might be if it were to warm-up. I’m certain, this will only rise a few degrees prior to hitting the drain. Grain continues into the middle. Finish has a light alcohol and some metal. Finish is quite metallic as well. Quite not good, but far from some of the worst out there.

Good for a forty, but otherwise terrible. Only good for getting buzzed. Bitter finish but overly sweet as well.