Beer – #613 – Carlsberg – Elephant

Carlsberg Elephant, a blast from the past, blasting the music, and blasting the numbers, and blast the party.

En god gammaldags elefant.

A 500ml can of a beer of 7.2% ABV, making this 216 calories a serve, and this would be 2.84 standard drink units in the can.

Brewed by Carlsberg Brewery in the style that is Imperial Pils/Strong Pale Lager and they do that in Copenhagen, Denmark

Carlsberg Elephant Beer is an amber-coloured beer with big intensity in its aroma, and with a distinct maltyness.

Frowning Man with the Frowning Elephant

There is notes of honey in the aroma.

The palate of Carlsberg Elephant shows a good balance between a good body from the alcohol, and a discrete sweetness which is tamed by the sophisticated bitterness of the aftertaste.

So what could possibly go wrong with that ?

Familiar hoppy lager sour aroma. Pour is rather dull with a minimal head despite my best efforts, orange golden colour, somewhat expected.

Has that hoppy harshness and is fairly sweet to drink.

Alarmingly easy to drink truth be told, and I’ve had far far worse malt and grain heavy lagers that are a bit of a train crash, I really think I could willingly have a few of these and not be worried about being shunned by the beer snobs.

Could do with dialling up the hop harness a bit to make it more of an experience, and how they hide the alcohol is clever and devious, I think that possibly after the 3rd one you might not care so much.

The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as 7 of its things from the thing. I liked it, I’m not embarrassed to say that, it was quaffable and I managed to drink it double quick time. For the price sometimes you have to go a bit bulk over substance, with this though you get a bit of substance.

The double dip review

Am I enjoying it? I am, it’s alarmingly good and mellow not harsh or cloying and difficult.
Would I have another? I really would and if I see them I’d buy some more.
Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I would because it isn’t a hard drinking beer, and would slip down easy and make the conversation all that much more interesting

Music for this, Paul Weller, Started out with the band The Jam, Now a solo career, a new album Saturns Pattern, this is the track of that name. OF course you can listen here on the Spotify or wherever takes your fancy.

I have to say that I wasn’t enamoured of the Paul Weller effort, it’s all a bit vanilla and safe, nothing lyrically or musically that would make you go again, which is a shame because you sit here remembering ‘the Jam’ and their songs like you do the ‘Elephant Beer’ and frankly the Elephant beer wins the as I like it and remember it round.

Strong Pale Lager/Imperial Pils

Most commonly found in Poland, but also in other European countries as well, especially the East. These are essentially stronger versions of pilsners, though the increased malt and alcohol will noticeably reduce the hop accent. Because these are usually all-malt, and comfortably hopped, they are easily distinguishable from malt liquors. Without the malt character of bocks, these are worthy of a style all their own. In the US, a similar idea has been derived and is usually called Imperial Pilsner.