Dundee Honey Brown Lager

Today’s review is on Dundee  Ales and Lagers, Honey Brown Lager. There is no BJCP style category for a lager like this, so this one would fall under category 23, the specialty category. This beer is not a vienna lager, but may be close so I will use that as a base style. I will not really deduct any points for it not hitting the vienna style lager since the brewer does claim it to be so, but for an example of what you may compare it to if you wanted to enter a beer like this in competition, you could enter it in category 23 as a vienna style lager with honey. One thing to keep in mind that even though the name states it is a honey brown, don’t confuse this beer with a brown ale style beer. I am not sure why it is called “brown” because the beer is not really a brown color, but rather a light amber. Still for most lagers (Schwartzbier excluded) this is a darker shade than some will be used to. With that, lets get started with the review.

The aroma is clean, with some nice toasty and sweet malt character. Some very light honey and the faintest hint of spicy hops. That is pretty much it for the aroma. Most lagers are clean and void of any fruity ar other secondary aromas. So that is to be expected of a lager like this. (8 points)

The color is a light amber and quite clear. The head poured very nicely, but dissipates quite quickly. A more persistent head would be a plus, still a nice looking beer. (2 points)

The flavor is OK. There is a decent soft toasted malt profile. There is a sweetness to the beer that lasts long into the finish letting taste the malt for quite some time. The honey in the aroma was not very strong, but here in the flavor the honey comes through quite a bit more. Although hops should not play a big role in a beer like this, a little more spicy hop character would benefit the beer in my opinion. Some people may find the lingering sweetness to be off-putting, but I kind of enjoy it. It is a bit honey early on, but turns a touch malty later. This beer is easily quaffable, but drying the beer out a bit would make it even more so. (14 points)

The mouthfeel is very thin, almost watery. This was the only part of the beer I really didn’t like. I also drank this beer with my dad, who also made the comment about how thin the beer was, so I know I was not alone here. No astringency or other poor mouthfeel qualities, just too watery. (3 points)

Overall, this is a very nice lager. I do think this beer can be a bit misunderstood which is why some may seem to score it low or bash it from time to time. Those who are apt to buy a beer with the name “Honey Brown” are probably expecting a beer to be like Newcastle at the very least. However, this is a lager, and not an ale. You should expect the flavors and aromas to be a bit softer and more refined from the cool fermentation and aging process. Do not expect this to be a full flavored brew, the flavors can be complex and rich, but will be very soft. A bit more mouthfeel and a touch more hops would be good in my opinion. But when it comes to drinkability, this beer has that down. (6 points)

Overall I score this beer a 32, which would translate to about a B- in my book. If this were not a lager, and supposed to be a brown ale, I would score it much lower. Still, the brown in the name is deceiving. When you see it and taste it, it appears to me to be closer to amber lager, a weaker Vienna Lager possibly.

Turns out I had this beer quite a while back. I found an old bottle in my bottle collection. The new bottle design is on the left and old on the right. Which do you prefer?