Dundee Original Honey Brown Lager
After a slump in sales and a disastrous repackaging in the late ’90s, the makers of Duneed Original Honey Brown Lager are poised for a comeback. The company has returned to the original label artwork and a lower price — this lager brewed with honey is hitting the shelves once again.
I can distinctly remember passing this beer quickly by on the shelves in my formative drinking years in college. I mean why the hell would I want to drink honey — and if the beer wasn’t a pale yellow in color it was too thick for me. Oh, look how far I’ve come. My tastes have certainly matured. I wonder if my past assumptions of this beer were justified.
Luckily a couple of samples arrived on the front steps just the other day for me to finally try this beer out.
Appearance
Pouring a medium amber in color with a decent frothy head, Honey Brown Lager certainly looks the part.
Aroma
The initial couple of whiffs of the beer only revealed your standard lager aroma. But diving in deeper the sweet honey does come into play complementing the bisquity malts.
Taste
there’s really nothing outstandingly good or bad about this beer. The lighter mouthfeel and slightly sweet malt/honey combination make this one an easy drinker — and at about 4.5% ABV an enjoyable session beer. The beer has a lingering finish that reveals more of the honey aspect to the beers name.
Overall
The label artwork for the brew is definitely a misnomer. Sure there’s honey in there, but it’s certainly not brown. Perhaps that adds to some of the confusion when folks like myself are perusing the shelves of their local store. At any rate, it’s an easily drinkable brew that is smooth and clean. It would serve nicely as a stepping stone into more full flavored beers within the craft beer realm.
Rating: 3/5