...might be good, but thumbs down for Name Tag (formerly Red Oval) Lager. Suckered in by the low price and a friend's review that it was pretty good, I tried this beer tonight and actually liked it at first. It looked quite appealing in the glass. A rocky head of foam and nice golden hue, a fruity nose and a bubblegummy taste, but alas it was not to be. I should have known better, as I've been let down by the brewer in the past. You see, Name Tag beer is actually brewed for Trader Joe's by Minhas Brewing in Monroe, WI, purveyors of many bargain basement brews such as Mountain Creek (a.k.a. Mountain Crest) lager. I was a fan of the brewery when it was known as the Huber Brewing Co., which it had been for decades. Huber was famous for it's Huber beer and in my 20s I was famous for having a bottle of Huber Bock in hand (sometimes referred to as the Brown Bullet.) Anyhow, the flavor of tonight's can of Name Tag Lager seemed to deteriorate after a few sips; a weird after taste sort of developed, somewhat metallic perhaps, but almost an odd sort of sweetness. That said, I was still able to finish it, although it left me wanting for a Pabst or Old Style.
