197. James Boag’s Premium Lager

James Boag’s Premium Lager

Company info:
J. Boag & Son
Launceston, TAS

[www.boags.com.au]

Alcohol: 5%
Standard drinks: 1.5

Cap type: Twist

Cost: I picked this up for $3.95AU

Label info: ‘Since 1881 Tasmania has been our brewers’ inspiration to perfect their craft. The result is James Boag’s Premium – a perfect balance of brewing passion and the finest ingredients delivering a world-class smooth and subtle lager. Tasmania’s finest‘.

What the label really means: The use of the word subtle tends to mean middle-of-the-road in my experience. I hope they prove me wrong.

The Hell-Cat review starts here

Label: The main image on this label is a soft, water-colour inspired painting of a babbling stream, flowing from a small waterfall. A looming mountain bares down in the distance. It’s peaceful and idyllic but overshadowed by a bold and sharp red banner reading ‘James Boag’s’ – it makes me think of the many attacks on Tasmania’s landscape over the white-settled years and contrasts beauty with capitalism. Then behind that (and mirrored on the neck label) is a horrible gold outline of the same mountain. The use of gold is often a bad move on beer labels and here it is disastrous. It conjours up images of cigarette packets and instantly feels dirty, dusty, tired, and old. Lose the gold, Boags.

I give it a label rating of 4 out of 10.

AROMA:  It’s a generic lager aroma that is heavy, hoppy, and citrus infused.

Taste: GLASS – Smooth and citrussy fresh, it’s very easy to drink but it’s also a little boring. There is absolutely nothing to help this lager stick out from the rest of the pack and it is very disappointing. A strong addition of bitterness in the finish would make this brew come to life…sadly, it’s not to be.

I give it a beer from glass rating of 6 out of 10.

Taste: BOTTLE – From the bottle it’s much the same…perhaps now it’s a tad more bland and watery. This really is not a spectacular beer at all.

I give it a taste from bottle rating of 6 out of 10.

Accompanying food: I think Indian cuisine would suit this beer well.

Best season to appreciate: A Summer brew.

All-nighter beer? Easy to drink, yes. But could I stick to it all night? Unfortunately no…I think I’d seek out something stronger and fuller flavoured.

NEXT WEEK: Viking Pilsner