As a new reviewer, I put a lot of thought into my first beer to report on. Eventually the perfect memory hit me. One college evening sitting around with my roommates, I made a statement I had NEVER made before, “I could go for a beer.” As a typical girly girl, I had stayed firmly on the side of Vodka Cranberries, and Long Islands. But on this fateful I night, I ventured to the “beer fridge” that had been stocked by boyfriends and boy friends, and pulled out an orphaned St. Pauli Girl and from how I remember it … it was glorious.

So today I decided to go back to the beginning, my first beer of choice, St. Pauli Girl. And I have to say that while the memories are good, the beer is merely okay. The St. Pauli Brewery was originally built in the 17th Century on St. Paul’s Monastery. For a German lager with centuries of history, this lager drinks distinctly like the widely circulated American lagers. It pours a straw-yellow color with very little head. The taste is light with sweet malts and an edge of lemon zest. Perhaps the best word to describe this brew is thin; there is little depth or complexity. However without elaborate flavor profiles, the brew is left with an easy drinkability.

Ironically, a slogan for this beer is “You never forget your first girl.” I clearly did not forget, but I think I did glorify the memory just a bit. It’s certainly not bad, but nothing great either.

ABV: 4.9%

Grade: C