Grain Belt Premium
Local legends aren’t just born, they’re brewed. And no beer in the Midwest has a grander brewing tradition than Grain Belt. For over 100 years, Grain Belt has been the beer that fathers have passed on to sons and friends have passed amongst each other at local bars and watering holes. It is a beer with tradition that spans generations. Which is why it has become legendary–both here and across the country.
In the 1940s, around the same time Grain Belt built its famous bottle cap sign overlooking the Mississippi River in Northeast Minneapolis, they introduced a “Beer of Exceptional Quality”–Premium. With its crisp, unique flavor, Premium quickly became the flagship of the Grain Belt brand. And still is to this day.
Although the Grain Belt Premium recipe has changed hands over the years, one thing has remained the same–its legendary unique taste. And now that Premium is in the capable hands of a brewery with an even longer tradition than Grain Belt–the August Schell Brewery–may you rest assured that the flavor and heritage of Premium will live on forever.
So as a local legendary beer, we raise a glass to all the people, places and things that make the Midwest such a rich and unique place to live. Here’s to you!
In the 1940s, around the same time Grain Belt built its famous bottle cap sign overlooking the Mississippi River in Northeast Minneapolis, they introduced a “Beer of Exceptional Quality”–Premium. With its crisp, unique flavor, Premium quickly became the flagship of the Grain Belt brand. And still is to this day.
Although the Grain Belt Premium recipe has changed hands over the years, one thing has remained the same–its legendary unique taste. And now that Premium is in the capable hands of a brewery with an even longer tradition than Grain Belt–the August Schell Brewery–may you rest assured that the flavor and heritage of Premium will live on forever.
So as a local legendary beer, we raise a glass to all the people, places and things that make the Midwest such a rich and unique place to live. Here’s to you!
2.6
287 reviews
New Ulm, United States
Community reviews
Camping in Minnesota, so I thought I would try this and drink local. 12 pack of 16 oz cans. I figured it would be a traditional American lager and I am correct. However, I would have to say that this "Friendly Beer" is pretty good for the style. Glad I picked this up and will enjoy it around the camp fire.
Single 12 oz. bottle purchased in the Amana Colony’s. Consumed while camping in Rock Island. From the bottle. Clear yellow appearance. Aroma was sweet grain, corn. Taste was sweet, actually not to bad.
Pissy yellow, weak head. Just a sweet corn tasting beer, easy to drink in excess.
Can:
Clear, yellow-gold with a thick and frothy white head.
Aroma is slightly fruity...barley malt....
Taste is creamy, barley malt....I’m struck by the taste and aroma, which reminds me of strawberries and cream......
Really a standout....different....but extremely tasty....an absolute pleasure.
Can. Milky barley malt and straw aroma. Golden yellow with moderate head. Mildly sweet barley malt and mildly bitter straw flavor. Nice body. A great pale lager.
Pale lager minus hops & heavy on corn. Slight bitterness in the finish. Liked it more when I was younger.
Can @ Lyndale Tap House. Gold pour with a prominent white head. Strongly sweet nose. Heavy notes of artificial apple and white bread. Sugar and honey. Very sweet flavor. Drinks a bit bigger than its modest ABV. A flabby, sugary mess that unfortunately lacks the drinkability of the best in this style. Disappointing.
Grain Belt Premium Beer has a very thick, frothy, spongy, white head (somewhat like whipped cream, at the crown), a mostly clear, straw appearance, but with noticeably more white sediment chunks than what one will see with macro-lagers. Lacing is pretty heavy. Aroma is of surprisingly strong northwest hops, and the flavor is of white bread, white bread crust, mainline hop bitterness, and a touch of sweetness. Mouthfeel is light to medium, and Grain Belt Premium Beer finishes crisp and refreshing. RJT
Bottle service at Aces in Duluth with commonshawn, rosskyle, and another dude. Piss yellow in color with an aromatic lean towards grains and malt. Taste has bitter elements but an odd sweetness is also present. It’s very watery and pretty forgettable but I suppose I feel slightly obligated to appreciate it based on its Mpls heritage. Tough one to get down unless you’ve consumed way too many beers at a beer festival. And even then it’s not a pleasant experience. Where is High Life when you need it?
Bottle at aces in duluth with commonmac and rosskyle . Light grainy piss yellow. No aroma. Grainy grassy boring flavor. Kinda like wringing the juice out of a grain of rice. Some sweetness. Pretty bad, but I bet the 8th one will taste fine.
12oz bottle. The phrase grain piss gets thrown around a lot these days but this beer defines liquid waste coming out of your unmentionables. If you want a beer but don't need a beer this horse is for you.
Can’t the cubs twins game in Minneapolis. Can is red topped with a gold brown cross gatching. Smell if baseball, humidity, and sweat. Much drier than anticipsted. Still tastes like a nickel wrapped with corn. I do not regret the 7 50 paid for this. Like old style made with cleaner water.
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww wow wow yeah wow.
Bottle from work...tried many times and never rated... Corn and malt with a taste of straw ...drinkable .(#486)
Draft. Clear golden color, medium white head. Aroma of subtle white pepper. Taste is slightly sweet light straw. Drinkable.
Not the worst pale lager, not bad like many others, drinks easy enough if you need cheap beer this will do the trick
9/I/15 - 1Pt. can @ home - BB: XII/16/14 (2015-20) Thanks to sebletitje for sharing the can!
Clear pale blond beer, small creamy white head, little stable, bit adhesive. aroma: corn, metallic, some hay, bit of banana. MF: soft carbon, light body, very watery. Taste: corn flakes, some citrus, sweet touch, metallic, not bitter at all. Aftertaste: bit metallic, corn flakes, watery and sweet. A poor excuse for a beer!
16oz can as "Brain Belt, Zombie pub crawl", thanks Bacterial - Jeff for the extra. BB 12-25-2014. I reckon the beer gets a plus for can design originality.
De couleur dorée claire, col moyen blanc.
Arôme au bouquet typique de grains, cornmalt, le tout étant très monodimensionnel avec un rétro houblonné minimaliste.
Palais garde le même profil de pils malt, maïs qui est correcte mais sans grande inspiration. Houblon très léger avec juste une pointe herbacée voire en cherchant plus de fruité citronné. Petite rondeur adoucie en fin de bouche avec ce fini typique métallique.
This is a very good beer for its style. It is sweet and has a bread taste to it. It is by all means a lawn mower beer. A great stand by to have in the fridge when you are not drinking a stout or an ipa.
Poured from 12oz bottle into pint glass.
Appearance: pours a 2" sudsy white head that slowly falls with plenty of lacing left behind. Color is clear light golden with plenty of streaming carbonation.
Aroma: nice aroma of light barley, a bit of corn, some grassy hops.
Mouthfeel: light and crisp, slightly sticky, with a pleasant and refreshing finish.
Flavor: yeasty white bread, some corn sweetness, a bit of hop bite for balance.
Overall: well balanced and outstanding in the adjunct lager style. Perhaps the best I have had thus far.
Pretty bland stuff. Makes some of the other domestics seem like craft beers. That said, this stuff goes down easy!
12 oz bottle from my brother in law. 091614 stamped on the bottle. The pour is clear golden yellow with a one inch white head that falls fast. The aroma is cereal grain, a bit dirty, along with soft fruit and corn. The taste is the fruit sweet grain, coupled with corn and a bit of earth dirtiness. Compared to its peers, relatively clean, though. The palate is light bodied, active carbonation and a brief though slightly dirty finish. This was a go to cheap beer in college, so fun trip down memory lane.
@ John’s Grocery / Iowa City IA --- Clear deep gold with a steady 1/2" head, wide bands of lace. Taste is sweet malt and adjuncts, growing a little in the palate before adding light carbonation to finish. Sure, it’s no big deal, but it is also drinkable, better than most of the big box guys. Glad to finally have a can.
12 oz. can thanks to Skyview. Canned as "Brain Belt, Zombie pub crawl" clear gold with slow steady carbonation. Thin layer of soapy head. Aroma is sweet grain and mild lager yeast note. Also a berry note?
Flavor is simple and smooth but really not much flavor. Sweet grain, corn and maybe a blueberry note, ok... The finish is real clean, no lager yeast after taste. Very easy to drink and beats the hell out of Bud, Miller or Coors. Decent for a pale lager.
Draft 3/03 (Old Notes)-Pours a clear golden with a decent sized head. Aroma of grains and sweetness. Taste of the same with slight hops coming thru. This light bodied brew is pretty darn tasty as I was not expecting this to be this good.
Can from Krampus. Pours clear yellow. White head. Nose and taste of corn, lemon, grain and dishwasher fluid diluted in water. Not good. Light body.
Draft: Poured a clear golden with white head. Clean crisp aroma of grain. Taste is refreshing lemon grass, grain and balanced finish.
Bottle - small foamy head, pale straw color, sweet malty aroma and flavor, mild fruity flavors, mild hops - not bad for a pale lager
Brain Belt can thanks to J. Been after this one for awhile, believe it or not. Pours clear cold with fluffy white head, good retention, lacing. Aroma: crisp - crackers, mineral, light sweet fruitiness. Clean lager. Taste: lightly sweet, dry finish, crisp - cracker, toast, dry finish with only slight bitterness. Palate: light body, crisp easy drinking. Overall: I haven’t had many of these pale lagers, but this one is really nice. Also, the zombie can is pretty rad.
There is something about this lager. Sweeter and lighter than the average pale lager and strangely addictive.