Elephant Strong Lager

Review Date 5/23/2025 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Strong Lager   Brewery: Carlsberg   Country: Denmark   State: N/A   $ Per OZ: $.13 (B)   ABV: 7.2%

Here’s a trip down memory lane: Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor. I recently picked up a bottle of this old (and I mean old) favorite beer from Half Time Beverage. Way back in the early 80s, I used to but 6-packs of it frequently, and I have fond memories of drinking it with my dearly departed brother David. It was the stuff of legends then, in those earliest days of my beer drinking saga.

On June 26^th of 1998 I reminisced on the beer as follows:

For many years, Carlsberg's beers were imported into the United States by Anheuser Busch. The Elephant was always my favorite of the lot, a tasty strong lager with a hell of a kick. Now Carlsberg beers are brewed by Labatt in Canada for sale in the USA. The Elephant doesn't seem the same. They've added a red lager version as well, Elephant Red.

Happy to say, the bottle I am currently enjoying is marked brewed in Denmark. Carlsberg says about the beer:

Unforgettable

Did we choose the name Elephant to honour the statues that guard our brewery gates, or because it's a beer you'll remember forever? Pale gold in colour, Carlsberg Elephant beer is extra strong and rich in malty character, with a hint of caramel, balanced by a satisfyingly dry bitterness. Once enjoyed, never forgotten!

They seem to be correct, as I have not forgotten it and have been enjoying it for more than 40 years. They say it is brewed with pilsner malt and rice and a blend of quality hop varieties ensuring a consistent taste.

Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor has an alcohol content of 7.2% by volume according to my bottle. I cannot seem to find what I paid for my bottle, but Total Wine sells it for $16.49 a six-pack of 11.2 ounce bottles, or $8.99 for a 4-pack of half liter cans. The latter is definitely the better deal per ounce; the bottles are almost twice as expensive. My bottle is stamped Best Before 10022024. I drank it well after that and it was in very good condition indeed. I kept it refrigerated the whole time I had it.  

Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor pours to a pale golden color with a thick fluffy white head and a nose of bready sweet malt and bitter hops. Taking a sip, the beer is again bready, gently sweet up front with a hint of cooked corn. Hops quickly emerge and become lingering bitter in the finish.

Not overly complex, but pleasantly malty and hoppy, and even better than I remember.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??