– a blend of ale and lager from Molson Coors
published Oct 9 ’14
Packaging
I grabbed the six-pack of Molson Golden because it reminded me of years past. When I was in college, Canadian beer had an aura about it. I remember when some guy at a party saw me
drinking Molson and asked, “Hey, is that a Canadian beer? Wow…,” like it was brewed on the moon and brought back on the space shuttle. Molson was imported, meaning it was better
because it wasn’t an American beer. Molson was unique and it showed the rest of the early-20’s crowd at the party that we knew something that they did not. And my friends and I were
positive that somehow those Canadians could just brew a better beer. Maybe we were right…back then.
So, this time, I grabbed Molson Golden and enjoyed some with a different mind set. Today, I want to drink a beer that is an experience, not just a beer. I wanted Molson to at least deliver that experience from my college days. Unfortunately, the packaging just does not deliver.
Molson Golden’s packaging seems to come directly from its name. The label and the six-pack have a gold leaf background with a predominant Canadian maple leaf. The bottles are a typical beer bright green and are medium height. The caps are twist off. No mention of a heralded history. No quirky slogans. Not a lot of interesting anything. In fact, the predominate color on the six-pack is close to corrugated cardboard. The packaging, in a word, is “Meh…”.
From the Brewer
A product of the Molson/Coors corporation, Molson Golden is listed in their Global Portfolio off of their home page. Molson/Coors is a huge, global
corporation producing what seems like over 100 different brews (I decided not to try to count them all). To get to the Molson Golden webpage, I had to scroll to the middle of that long list
of beers. Even a thorough Google search netted me nothing more than the single Moslon Golden page.
Here is every fact directly from the Molson Golden page: 5.0% ABV. Molson Golden is a unique blend of ale and lager that delivers the spicy, fruity flavors of ale, combined with the clean, crisp, refreshing qualities of a lager.
In the age of the social network and the internet, it seems odd that such a large global corp would dedicate such little marketing effort to the website dedicated to one of their products. Again, in a word, “Meh…”.
Color
Utilizing both the long version and the pocket sized BeerColor.com scales, Molson Golden is five and a half degrees Lovibond, which
makes it a Deep Straw beer.
Taste
Molson Golden starts out bland and flat – which sounds negative, but really it isn’t.
The middle is bitter with an ever so subtle hoppyness, but not complex.
The end is smooth and plain leaving no aftertaste – it ends clean and fresh.
I think Molson Golden is best matched with a hot and thirsty afternoon. It would be a welcome addition to any gathering and will go great with a bag of potato chips. Or a lightly seasoned seafood dish or even a salty plate of French fries.
It is not a light beer, but it’s not a heavy lager, either. It’s kind of an ale, but not too much so. Molson Golden does not taste bad; it’s just…refreshing. Which is great if you want a refreshing drink. But I find a tepid bottle of water a refreshing drink, too. So, what am I paying for?
Which brings me back to, “Meh…”.
Final Facts
Name: Molson Golden
Packaging: Classic gold & patriotically Canadian, but mundane
Type: Blend of Ale & Lager
Alcohol by Volume: 5 %
Taste: Very light, a whisper of bitter, but overall it’s refreshing
Price: $6.46 six pack
12 oz bottle: $1.08
Final rating: 3 out of 5 Caps
It comes up short with plain packaging and plain flavor, but Molson Golden delivers refreshment.