Steel Reserve – You get what you pay for

I was feeling adventurous, yet cheap, last Sunday evening as I stood before the beer cooler at Mr. T’s Riverside.

Scanning the 12-packs, I noticed a brand I’d never seen before – Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager.

The word “steel” in the name didn’t excite my imagination in a good way, but the “high gravity” part was intriguing. It was also the cheapest 12-pack in the case.

So I ignored my guiding principle that “you get what you pay for” and bought a 12-pack of cans.

When I got home, Austin recognized the package immediately and gave me the young man’s perspective that its best quality is its high alcohol content of 8.1%. A little Internet research confirmed that “high gravity” refers to its high specific gravity, a measurement used to quantify the amount of alcohol in a fermented beverage.

I still had a few Budweisers left in the fridge, so I didn’t get around to opening my first Steel Reserve until last night.

The taste was kinda watery with a hint of corn and a noticeable absence of hops. We had dinner on the screened back porch and in the Arkansas August that’s a venue that calls for a beer with a lively, refreshing flavor. Steel Reserve is not that kind of beer. In fact, it’s more accurate to call it a malt liquor. Thanks to the high alcohol content, the buzz comes on quicker, but the flavor – or lack of it – made me ready to stop after the second round.

Once again, I proved to myself that you get what you pay for.