Who isn’t familiar with the concept of the Lawnmower Beer?
This is just the one beer, a cool and refreshing drink, the perfect reward for a salty upper lip and grass-stained shoes.
The main purpose of this particular beer is to be thirst quenching, and as Stephen Beaumont from the Beer Connoisseur points out, the LMB tends to be “light on flavour and heavy on hype”.
Often, the LMB of choice is a Corona Extra.
A very light, 4.6% ABV Mexican lager, this bottom-fermented beer is named after a solar phenomenon that causes something resembling a blonde halo or “crown” to encircle the sun.
Cleverly dubbed “The Golden Original”, Corona is aggressively marketed as THE beer for relaxation, sun, friends and taking life easy.
That being said, the folks behind this tall blond stunner have been uncharacteristically busy: internationally, Corona is the fourth-highest selling beer on the planet, the world’s most widely-distributed beer, and the number one best-selling Mexican beer all over the globe.
But don’t be fooled: just because there are boxes upon boxes of Corona bottles at the recycling depot at this time of year doesn’t mean that it actually spins everyone’s wheels.
In reality, most folk we polled just purchase it because they associate it with patios, not because they are crazy about the flavour. And it has to be noted, Corona’s iconic clear glass bottles fail to protect the beer from UV light, often causing stability problems (read: skunky flavour), so marketing their packaging as “legendary” seem to us a legendarily foolish idea.
Unimpressed and not buying the hype, we thought we would give two other potential LMB’s a shot. It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. Here’s what we found:
Tyskie, 5.5% ABV
About: A Polish brand now owned by MillerCoors, this light lager is one of the highest-selling beers in Poland.
He said: Nothing is overwhelming here. It’s very finely balanced, so it comes off as quite delicate. There is very little bitterness anywhere, but enough to keep it from being sweet — just what it needs. Perfectly carbonated. This was a surprise, but I really enjoyed this beer. It’s not a flavour punch, but it’s very enjoyable and not going to clash with any meal. Mission accomplished.
She said: Holy crap, I hate lagers, but I love this beer. It’s perfectly carbonated, fresh, a little dry (making it amazingly thirst quenching) and smells divine. As it warms up, the taste changes from fruity to caramel, but never gets too sweet. This would be the perfect afternoon beer in the sun. Try this beer!
Kelowna Pilsner, 4.8% ABV
About: Based out of (you guessed it) Kelowna, microbrewery Tree Brewing touts this as an excellent beer for any occasion.
He said: Quite carbonated, but not bitingly so. It’s very smooth, and I can imagine this one going down (a little too) easy. But, they aren’t kidding around when they say “mild hop flavour” on the label — it’s a little dull in that department. In short, it’s carbonated, alcoholic and, if you treat it properly, cold. It didn’t blow me out of the water, but I would have it again in a pinch.
She said: Not for me, thanks. I wanted to like this, as Tree makes a beer that I really enjoy, and I am a huge fan of Pilsners. However, the initial aroma was similar to any can from a North American macro, which was instantly off-putting. In sipping, I found it overly carbonated, sharp and thin in body, with a sweet after-taste. Really not for me.
These are just two options for replacing your beloved summer beer. Try switching out one Corona for one of these for a taste of something new and maybe one of these lagers will be your new LMB.
Both beers are available at the Whitehorse Liquor Store as are a host of other Corona replacements that can be discovered with a quick enquiry made to store staff.
Whatever you choose, make sure you do it quickly — that lawn isn’t going to mow itself.
Please enjoy this article responsibly.
