Taste test: lager

Cobra, £3.69 (4x330ml)
This was a blind tasting, so that sexy packaging counted for nothing. Our panel was judging all the lagers' appearance, nose, flavour and the finish. Cobra got off to a good start: "gorgeous amber colouring," said one panelist. There wasn't much to report on the nose, though. This is a fairly neutral smelling beer with faint, fruity undertones that start to show through once in the mouth. Subtle, quite light and very drinkable.
3 stars

Kasteel Cru, £9.30 (9x300ml)
Its "extremely light" colouration upset one panelist, who though it looked "anaemic and weak". But this is followed by a decent nose: "clean and crisp, slightly sweet." This is mirrored in the flavour,  which reminded the panel of apples and cut grass. "It tastes like summer." It's not like a typical lager, though. A pleasant aftertaste and a good balance between sweet and sour meant the panel found this a highly quaffable brew.
4 stars

Harrods 1849, £2.95 (450ml)
Tasting small quantities of a product sold in much larger measures has its pitfalls. This premium beer from Harrods certainly tasted "luxurious". There was a strong "smoky" aroma, but also plenty of caramel—it's a pungent brew. There was also plenty of syrupy sweetness in the mouth, but the panel wondered how much of it could be consumed in one go. It's fine to taste, but a whole bottle? "Too cloying."
3 stars

Cains Liverpool 2008, £1.75 (500ml)
This is quite a serious beer. Malty, almost bitter-like, its nose is described as "raisins and toasted hazelnuts". Its another syrupy brew, but not as sweet. In fact the panel found its aftertaste a little astringent. It also left a weird coating on the tongue, which didn't help matters. The panel decided this was one for in front of the fire, rather than the beer garden. It's a lager for bitter drinkers, or perhaps a bitter for lager drinkers.
2 stars

Cotswold Premium, £2.95 (330ml)
Silence broke out on the panel as this was tasted. This could have been bad news of course, but the praise soon began to flow: "Fruity and hoppy—full of flavour... a lovely amber colour, very comforting." This beer is probably the closest to "organic" of the six, and it showed: it's a cloudy, natural-tasting beer, with a fine-balanced flavour and an aftertaste that rears its head but doesn't dominate. An excellent all round performance.
4 stars

Pilsner Urquell, £4.15 (4x330ml)
There was a mixed bag of praise and pessimism for Pilsner Urquell's award-winning beer, which was a surprise. One taster was troubled by "cold baked beans" on the nose, while another praised the "perfect colour" but didn't like the bitter aftertaste, which destroyed the sweetness on the palate. "Short and bitter," said another. "I wouldn't drink that." Not all agreed: "That tastes how lager should: it's got bite."
3 stars