South Pacific Lager Beer
Company info:
South Pacific Brewery
Boroko, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
[No website listed]
Bottle size sampled: 330 mL
Alcohol: 4.5%
Standard drinks: 1.
Cap type: Non-twist
Cost: I picked this up for $2.99AU
Label info: ‘Since 1952’
What the label really means: N/A
The Hell-Cat review starts here
Label: This is a label that looks like it has stood the test of time since the beer’s inception in 1952. It’s simple, it’s clear, it seems to just work. ‘SP’ jumps out from the label in bold yellow text on a green background with ‘Lager Beer’ in red underneath, suggesting there are others in the SP family. At the top, a yellow strip highlights a coconut palm and the words ‘South Pacific’. For a label that I am assuming has been around for years, I think it works. Sure it makes you believe it’s a mass-produced beer, but this has its merits in that I am immediately thinking this is the beer of Papua New Guinean locals. It just has a certain local feel to it. It’s warm and inviting in the same way I imagine the PNG country and people to be.
I give it a label rating of 6 out of 10.
AROMA: South Pacific Lager Beer smells wheaty, slightly citrussy, subtle, and perhaps a tad boring…my spidey-sense is tingling for yet another generic lager.
Taste: GLASS – Interesting! This is a very surprising brew, and not at all how I imagined from the scent. It’s refreshingly crisp with a very subtle apple flavour that ensures this rises a tad above the generic lagers out there. I expected a lot less and was pleasantly surprised – mostly by the addition of the apple tinge. Sure, it’s not going to win any taste awards any time soon but it’s a step up from generic, being inoffensive and very
drinkable.
I give it a beer from glass rating of 6 out of 10.
Taste: BOTTLE – It’s just as good from the bottle, if not a little better due to the bottle shape – quite simply, it’s nice to hold. It fits well in the hand and throws back very easily. My only concern is that I’m feeling the brew is becoming a little bloaty.
I give it a taste from bottle rating of 6 out of 10.
Accompanying food: Spicy chorizo, haloumi and smoked baked beans. A good breakfast beer perhaps?
Best season to appreciate: Definitely a Summer, tropical brew.
All-nighter beer? The bloatiness concerns me…I think I’d have to try a few more to see if I could go all night, but at this stage I’ll say no.
NEXT WEEK: Marston’s Oyster Stout
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