Matt Utica Club

On tap at Al’s in downtown Syracuse. Not a bad aroma. I don’t think this beer is as bad as it’s rated. I would put it on par with Heineken if not better. IT’s not fantastic but not awful. Would drink again

From the 12 fl. oz. can marked 2329-1346. It pours golden yellow with an emphasis on the yellow. The white head bubbles up quickly but there is virtually no retention. The aroma tends to be sweet and syrupy with the lead element being the malts but not too much in the way of hops. Average pale lager mouthfeel. The first thing I taste is a sweet malty note and then weaker hops pull up the rear. A classic brew and cheap but not necessarily of cheap macro quality.

Can. Pours light yellow in color, pure white head. Very weak nose, light malt, corn note with a grassy hop. Flavor is light, crisp, clean hops and cereal grains. Besides being easy to drink, it has a great historical claim - first beer to be brewed after the passage of the 21st amendment.

12 ounce bottle from Whole Foods Market in Cary, NC. Pours a pale gold color with a medium head. Fair head retention and lacing. Aroma of caramel, corn and light grass. Taste is grassy with grain and corn. Watery, thin bodied.

Bottle at a sports bar in Verona NY. I had a feeling about where this one was going, but I just had an itch to try another local product. Ultra pale clear yellowish pour....minimal bubbly head. Really, the best I can say (to quote others) is that it’s not the worst pils I’ve ever had. Lotsa grain, feed corn, and God knows what else. Hopped bitterness is evident beneath the fizziness. I won’t order it again, but it’s also not likely to give me nightmares tonight.

Utica Club is an incredibly clear golden lager with a big, fluffy, white head that has great retention and lacing. It has a fruity, bready aroma. It smells very clean. It is medium-light bodied, smooth and lively. The finish is crisp and dry. It has a mellow flavor-- lemony, fruity in general, with a nice leafy bitterness. It’s slightly sweet at the finish. This surprized me! It’s a cheap pilsner that really nails the style. When my brothers and I drink this, our dad sings the Utica Club jingle from decades ago... something about natural bubbles.

Can. Past tastings from long, long ago. Another swill I remember from my youth. Is this stuff even still around?

This is another cheap macro produced in Upstate NY. It is not bad though. Not a beer consosours drink, but one in which to enjoy in mass quantities.