Grand Royal
Oxbow Brewing Company in Newcastle, Maine, United States 🇺🇸
Lager - Helles Rotating|
Score
7.10
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Grand Royal is a Munich-style pale lager brewed with European malts and noble hops. This bright, Bavarian-born lager is our take on a style driven by technique, tradition, and simplicity. Gold in color with notes of bread dough, biscuits, fresh-cut grass, and flowers with a moderate malt sweetness, balanced bitterness, and crisp finish.
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7.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Well balanced, clean pale malt, mild bitterness, a slight biscuity note. Good helles.
Tried
on 14 Aug 2026
at 01:51
5.6/10
—
Appearance 7
Aroma 5.5
Flavor 5.5
Texture 5
Overall 5.5
On tap at the Oxbow Blending & Bottling Portland. Pale golden coloured, medium sized white head, yeasty and light honey in the nose. Yeasty, honey, light herbal and sweet finish. Too sweet and on the honey side.
Tried
from Draft
at
Oxbow Blending & Bottling
on 15 Jun 2026
at 21:56
8.3/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8.5
Flavor 8.5
Texture 8
Overall 8
Reviewed from notes.
Can to mug.
Appearance: semi-glossy burnt yellow to copper color with a finger and a quarter of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light cereal notes, some floral to grassy hops with straw
Flavor: fuses the prior noted aromas to a fine biscuity to floral sweet and bittersweet quality; finishes the same way with a touch of dryness
Texture: light bodied, sessionable and a welcoming smoothness rolling along the tongue
Overall: I say a pretty nicely done Helles lager very worthy of coming back to.
Can to mug.
Appearance: semi-glossy burnt yellow to copper color with a finger and a quarter of white foamy head which dissipated nicely to leave some light lace
Aroma: light cereal notes, some floral to grassy hops with straw
Flavor: fuses the prior noted aromas to a fine biscuity to floral sweet and bittersweet quality; finishes the same way with a touch of dryness
Texture: light bodied, sessionable and a welcoming smoothness rolling along the tongue
Overall: I say a pretty nicely done Helles lager very worthy of coming back to.
Tried
from Can
on 16 Mar 2026
at 14:45
8.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8.5
Texture 9
Overall 9
16 oz can. This is labeled as a Helles lager by the brewer. Aroma of grass, Noble hops, crackery malt. Taste is apple, mild hay, and ends on sweet cereal malt. Dry, crisp texture. Good body. This is the most flavorful Helles I’ve ever had. It ends a bit sweet but that is what I like about it.
Tried
from Can
from
Greg & Jane's Beer and Wine
on 05 Jan 2026
at 22:12
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Slightly dark golden yellow pour fr bottle with white foam. Some crustiness and sweetness pretty good
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 May 2025
at 02:06
7.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 8
Can from Bine & Vine. Pours clear gold with a persistent creamy white head. Aroma is Noble hop with mildly bready support. There's a fresh green aspect. Med body. Just slightly sweet. Flavor matches the aroma. Very nice.
Tried
from Can
on 15 Oct 2024
at 23:35
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Can in MV. Cheers to Duke! Pours clear yellow-gold with a small, creamy white topping. Light-medium sweet flavour with lightly doughy biscuits, cereal, straw. Light bodied with fine, massaging carbonation. Pretty clean finish, more biscuity malts, mellow bitterness. Easygoing and very drinkable.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Aug 2023
at 16:48
8.6/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Canned 10/1/21, drunk 10/17/21. Bright, clear, copper-golden with a large, well-retained, white head. Beautiful, malt-rich nose of honey, sourdough (light), sugar cookie, earth and mineral and lightly floral, peppery hops. Beautiful in the mouth, as well, as peppery, lightly bitter hops match the malty, yet dry and medium body perfectly. Honey, a dollop of caramel, rustic grains and a long mineral, floral and pepper finish replete with alternating waves of creamy honey-like maltiness and pleasingly bitter, peppery hops. Exquisitely clean. Watery on the end, slightly, but it's endearing and matches the extreme drinkability of the beer's slightly lighter body. Definitely a crusher, but a clean, highly flavorful, balanced and enjoyable one.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Oct 2021
at 22:17
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
On tap at the Portland location. Pours gold. Cereal, noble hop spice, herbal, clean finish. Medium body. Decent.
Tried
from Draft
on 04 Sep 2020
at 00:25
6.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Draft at Washington Ave, pours a dark orange with a little haze, cloudy white head. Nose has malt, honey, flowers, some orange. Flavor has honey, sweet dough, flowers, a little yeast. The sweetness reminds me of a maibock almost. Finishes off dry. 7 3 6 3 12
Tried
from Draft
on 28 Jul 2020
at 20:29