Red Stripe Jamaican Lager | Desnoes & Geddes Limited | Page 2 | BeerAdvocate
Desnoes & Geddes Limited
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.70%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
In 2012, Diageo moved production of the U.S. supply of Red Stripe from Jamaica to the U.S.; The supply is produced by City Brewing Co. in La Crosse, Wisconsin and the Latrobe Brewing Company in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, which was the main brewery for Rolling Rock for over 60 years. Desnoes & Geddes will still make Red Stripe for Jamaica, Brazil, Canada and Europe.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 11-30-2000
BEER STATS
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.5 |  overall: 2.5
Beach blanket beer.
Not much to like if you're looking for more than just a beer, but not much to dislike either.  Sunny disposition, child of the Caribbean sort of appeal.  No real difference from a host of other light appearing, light tasting, lightly hopped, lightly malted, genial brews.  The sort thing that appeals to many and offends few.
Worth trying, not worth a premium.
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2.02/5  rDev -32.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 |  overall: 2
This review is for the 484ml can version brewed in Ireland and the U.K. Pours pale gold with a foamy head that disappears quickly leaving scrappy lacing. Grainy smell. Tastes faintly of lemon. Very sweet. Light bodied. Smooth mouthfeel with medium to high carbonation. What is the purpose of this beer outside a beach in the Caribbean?
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4.04/5  rDev +34.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 |  overall: 4
A good island beer that tastes of cereal and grain.  It is a little creamy.  Well balanced.  I can't say I dislike it or love it.  It is good on a very hot beach in the Caribbean.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 |  overall: 3
Hazy yellow body poured from a bottle into a pint glass.
Little head although the heavy carbonation has a bite to it.
Mouthfeel is very light. The taste needs an ocean behind it. This must be awesome on the beach.
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3.38/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 |  overall: 3.25
Light gold pour with whit head; good cap retention; decent lacing; excellent clarity. Bready grains, corn cereal and a little caramel malt nose; flavors of grainy corn cereal and bready caramel malt.  Moderate plus plus carbonation; light mouthfeel. Bit of a corny linger.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 |  overall: 4
Poured from 11.2 oz. bottles into a large dimpled beer stein...
Appearance - Hazy yellow color, almost a hint of amber. Looks like a piss that an extremely dehydrated man took. Light head, good lacing on the glass. Appears highly carbonated.
Smell - Bready and grainy. Cereal. No skunk at all.
Taste - I can taste the malt. This beer has a distinct metallic taste to it - I'm sure the hops give it that taste. If it weren't for the metallic taste, the taste would be spot-on. I don't like the choice of hops this beer chooses.
Mouthfeel - Aggressive carbonation, but not too watery.
Overall - This is definitely an acceptable session beer. I was pleased to see it in a brown bottle to rid the chance that this beer would arrive skunked. It is also a neat fat little bottle. I wouldn't drink this beer everyday, but I would buy it again.
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3.07/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 |  overall: 3
Grenade style bottle, the brew is a clear pale yellow color with white cap. Some spotty lace sticks to the glass.
This smells sweet with grain and mild grassiness then mostly carbonic character like seltzer water.
It tastes sweet with cereal graininess, sulfur, corn and minimal mineral profile.
This is light bodied and modestly carbonated. Honestly not terrible but not good either.
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3.07/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 |  overall: 3.5
Props for being in a stubby bottle. Smell was your typical adjunct lager, so corn and other agents. Relatively light on the alcohol at 4.7% so you can turn this into a sessionable beer. The head lasted for a quite awhile and it left some nice lace. Quite quaffable.
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3.5/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 |  overall: 3.5
Red Stripe was returned to it's brewing home in Jamaica in August 2016..welcome back one of my favorite hot day beers.  The US brewed version just didn't make it.
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1.96/5  rDev -34.7%
look: 1.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.75 |  overall: 2
Only reason for trying this was to add Jamaica to my country list. Just what I expected from a Norh American cereal lager,pale and bland.I wasn’t expecting much, so I wasn’t disappointed
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3.15/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 |  overall: 3.25
Appearance - this one gets points in looks for the no neck bottle alone but either way It pours a beautiful clear golden straw color with 2 and a half fingers of white foamy head. after a few minuites it dies down and leaves not a trace in sight.
Aroma -Typical lager smells, some light floral hops spring water.
Taste - the taste is similar to other AAL's I get some light floral hops, a bit of corn, and that taste you get from bottled water. This is a nicer tasting AAL than budweiser or molson.
Feel - It has a light watery feel, with a slight prick on the tongue, This is a very smooth easy drinking beer.
Overall - This is one of the better AAL's I have tasted and I'm not a fan of the style at all. That being said sitting ona resort in montego bay sipping one of these would probably be very nice, Considering the style  Desnoes & Geddes did a good job at creating something very nice to drink.
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3.2/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 |  overall: 3.5
The look of this one is beautiful: pale light straw perfectly clear body with a pearly fizzy head, lots of carbonation. The smell is adjuct carbs, the taste is light grain, overall sweet. Light bodied, refreshing effervescence. Drinkability is through the roof.
Great beer, just enough flavor to put it past water, little enough to make it even more quaffable. As 'bad' as it is, it's outstanding.
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3.2/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 |  overall: 3
I saw a previous rater say this was like Jamaican budweiser. I think thats perfect. Its not as bad as bud light but its not a 5 star either. Just like bud, cept i think bud is a little more watery. All my teenage years my brother and cousin kept sayin this was disgusting beer shit causing brew. I disagree its not bad, and i would gladly have another. Not perfect but like the big name american brews its at least on par
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 |  overall: 3.5
(24 oz grenade brewed in Latrobe, PA; poured into a shaker)
L: crystal-clear, very pale yellow liquid... the foam climbs high, and does hold out somewhat longer than expected, even lacing a touch here and there
S: fairly delicate aromas... apple juice-like esters, even a mild wet yeast note in the back... very minimal grain aroma, and little-to-no hop... the hop aroma may be adding to its fruity notes(?), which are actually more like of a dirty, almost white wine quality... sort of a vaguely cinnamon/allspice aroma slowly emerges as it warms
T: playing it safe? - seems like it could speak louder... dry, cloudy, dimension-stunted malt... bit of a lingering, spicy bitterness (hop? or phenol?), which is honestly quite nice, probably its best quality...
F: kind of flat, fluffy-foamy flow... bit of a dusty-dry finish... its soft nature may make you forget your even drinking it - quiet going down
O: this IS the first time I'm trying this poured into a glass... I'd like to say it doesn't taste quite like any of the others of its kind... this must be drunk near cellar temp (haha) to get its 'full' flavor... the more I drink it, the more it's growing on me... I would take this over Bud or Coors (not sure about High Life, though) - taste speaks for itself...
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look: 4.25 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.75 |  overall: 2.25
Poured from an 11.2oz bottle into a pilsner glass.
LOOK: Pours with three finger's worth of white foam that shrinks down to two finger's worth after 2 minutes. Straw yellow in color. There is a plethora of medium-sized bubbles ascending to support that massive foam head. Lacing is thick and high.
SMELL: Has mild aromas of neutral scented hand soap that meet with subtle aromas of car exhaust, spicy hops, bitter hops, wood, and hints of biscuity malts.
TASTE: Mild wood flavors enter initially and are immediately followed by mild spicy hops. Subtle bitter hop flavors along with hints of biscuity malts and hand soap enter lastly as all previous flavors push on.
FEEL: Light-bodied and moderately carbonated. Goes down smooth and finishes extremely crisp.
NOTE: This tasted bad and smelled much worse.
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5/5  rDev +66.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 |  overall: 5
I honestly only tried this beer because i saw it on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I expected it to taste pretty bad actually. I was mind-blown by how smooth and flavorful this is and it became my favorite beer. It pours a medium gold color, with a smell of sweet grain and a bit of spice. The taste is great with a good level of carbonation and a mix of slightly sweet grain and hops with a smooth clean finish.
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2.66/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 |  overall: 2.75
Jamaican budweiser.....smells, drinks and tastes like it sounds. It has its time and place and for me it is when having very very spicy and salty foods.....like jere chicken or a beef patty. This beer is made for sitting on the beach by a grill when you want to have more than a few mixed with spicy foods.....taste and feel are very light and the evervesance helps enable the spice while relieving the pain.
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3.41/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 |  overall: 3.25
Pours a straw color with a modest but decent sized creamy head. Mostly clean aroma, but, hints of grain and some floral esters towards the end. Very clean, creamy, smooth and light. Sweet up front with a slightly spicy and dry finish. Light body. A decent brew for an adjunct lager.
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3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 |  overall: 3
From bottle, Pours Clear straw with a medium but quickly dissipating white foamy head. Aroma is slight hay, grass. Taste is clean, slightly watery sweet grain corn. Not bad.
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3.63/5  rDev +21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 |  overall: 3.5
Pale golden color.  Lots of carbonation.  Of course not much of a head.  Barely any lacing.    Aroma malty.  Extremely light body.  Goes down smooth and fast.  A great drink in summer and hot days.  Goes great with chicken, salads, seafood and grilled vegetables.
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2.84/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 |  overall: 3
The beer pours out into a Duvel glass a bright clear yellow color with a 1/4" white head that soon recedes to a small ring and thin layer of foam with a bit of extra thickness over the nucleation point.  Sipping creates a few scattered small patches of lacing and a bit of a leg here and there.  There is some foam in the ring and on the surface for most of the beer.
The light faint aroma contains a bit of malt and a faint touch of earthy hop, but not much more to speak of.
The flavors include a sweetness from the malt and just a hint of bitterness way in the background but never strong enough to totally eliminate the sweetness or even provide a counterbalance.
The mouth feel is on the light side and there is very faint prickliness from the carbonation.  The finish begins in the malt sweetness that slowly disappears leaving just a bit of almost dry very light bitterness in the back of the palate.
As an adjunct lager this seems pretty much what would be expected and probably would be refreshing on a hot summer's day.  Beyond that there's not much I can say for it and I'll probably not be having another, especially since even the mild sweetness hangs around much too long and begins to be unpleasant for me by about half way through the beer.
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4.21/5  rDev +40.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 |  overall: 4.25
Can't believe my 1,400 beer rating is going to be a Red Stripe.  So it looks nice in the glass with a decent soft head and retention.  Smell is much more pleasant that typical AALs.  Sweet and bready.  Taste follows the smell and is quite a delightful light lager.  Only negative is that it's a little dry in the finish affecting the thirst quenching qualities a tad.  Overall, its one of the better AALs out there.  Will add this to my other 3-4 go-to AALs when in the mood.  Thanks for being respectable #1,400.
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