#1 - Carter Original Lager

I expected this beer to be well, awful. It's the cheapest beer I've ever purchased and it comes in a convenient '20 for 20 - drink 'til you spew' box - so I imagined that I'd have to struggle through every can.

To tell you the truth, I was surprised, not pleasantly surprised, just surprised.

Carter Original Lager is not awful - it pours a very pale straw, with the kind of head you'd expect from a mainstream European Lager. It has a very mild malt aroma, a little like plain, unbuttered popcorn that's been left out overnight. Its nose reminds me a little of Corona but not as intensely weighted on the corny side.

The taste was the main reason I didn't think it was awful because it had almost no taste at all (much like its colour and aroma) - just a hint of tart citrus. This hint is about as prominent as a twist of lemon in a large, cold glass of soda water. And the overall mouthfeel (despite being described on the box as full-bodied) is that of soda as well. It's gone as quickly as you can swallow it.

So, Carter is a beer all right because it's 4% ABV, but it's more like a soda than a beer. So I'd recommend it to people who don't really like beer at all.