In case it’s not obvious from some of my earlier instalments, the title of this column doesn’t always mean I’m reviewing the best beer of the week. As someone who makes a point of trying every beer at least once (yes, even this one), I end up drinking - or at least sampling - my fair share of lousy beers, and while I try to emphasise the good ones over the bad in these articles, I also feel that I should give fair warning about some of the swill that’s out there once in a while.

Hence my decision to give some coverage to Bavaria 8.6 Red, a fairly recent addition to the selection of single cans ($2.40/500 ml) available at many Beer Store locations. Brewed not in Bavaria, but in Holland by Bavaria Brouwerij, this is the third beer from that Dutch brewery to be made available in Ontario, following their eponymous mainstream lager and the regular Bavaria 8.6, a strong lager that’s just a small step up from malt liquor. With a track record like that, I could hardly wait to see what Bavaria 8.6 Red had in store for me.

The first thing I noticed what was it didn’t have in store, and that was an alcohol level of 8.6%. Despite the prominent display of ‘8.6′ as part of the logo, the fine print revealed that it actually checks in at 7.9%. Not a big deal to me, but if I was looking to get a serious drunk on, I might be pissed off by the missing 0.7%.

As for the beer itself, it actually looks pretty nice when first poured, with a vibrant red-copper colour and a medium-sized white cap of foam. The head quickly recedes, though, leaving a slightly scummy looking film of small bubbles on the top that isn’t nearly as attractive. The aroma is quite sweet, verging on being cloying, with hints of artificial cherry. It has a sticky mouthfeel, and the flavour is exactly what the aroma suggests: cloyingly sweet off the top, with some cherry jam notes, and a building booziness in the finish.

Frankly, I’m confused by this beer, or rather by the idea of who the intended customers might be. Those on the prowl for a quick and cheap drunk would probably be more inclined to pick up a 40 of Olde English or a king can of Molson XXX, and folks looking for strong beer with a more refined character would be better served by Chimay or Duvel. Then again, I can’t figure out why people drink any of the beers in the Top Ten sellers at the Beer Store, so I’m probably not someone who should be trying to figure out how the beer business works. I’ll just file Bavaria 8.6 Red away as a beer that I’m definitely not in the target market for and move along.