I was given a six pack of Desperados beer (along with a bad-ass Coleman cooler). They describe it as “a one-of-a-kind beer blended with tequila barrel-aged lager that delivers a uniquely refreshing and smooth taste. Crafted at the crossroads of beer and spirits techniques, Desperados is the ultimate beer for nightlife and fun, perfect for adult consumers, 21 and older, who are looking for memorable nights out. This distinct Latin-inspired European import beer will launch this month in select retail and onpremise outlets in the Southeast.”

Desperados is part of the Heineken family and is described as “a crafted beer that combines the refreshing tasting character of beer, with the high-energy and nightlife image usually associated with spirits such as tequila.” They already distribute this beer is 66 countries so unlike Miller’s Fortune, it already has a proven track record outside of the States.

Since it's described in the press release as being something different, I took a few of the bottles to a family event so that I could run my own multi-generational taste panel. That’s normal, everyone does that at family dinners, right? :)

I guess the beer would fall into the pale ale category. It had a fruity smell and flavor. I likened it to an apple/pear/citrus tasting cider with a lime-ish finish. The tequila is not jumping out at me like the spirits do in other barrel aged brews. Pretty smooth and easy to drink quickly.

While the panel was split more or less down the middle, with extremes on both ends, it did seem like Heineken did appeal to their target demographic on this one.

• Two older guys who are more macro-orientated and were station in Germany in the 60’s & base their beer preferences on their memories, thought it was pretty good.
• An older woman who loves Mike’s Hard Lemonade didn’t like it at all.
• A 30-something woman who is an IPA fan thought it was OK while her 30-something husband pounded an entire bottle in three sips and wanted to know where he could get more.
• And last but not least, Mrs. FloriBrew thought it was cider-like but not her cup of tea despite loving Cigar City’s Hard Cider.

I’m going to preface my thoughts about this beer with the fact that honestly, I am the wrong guy to rendering an opinion on this one. Unlike my 30-something brother-in-law who loved it, I don’t fall into Heineken’s target demographic for at least two reasons – I’m not a 21-30-something high energy nightlife kind-of-guy and I’m not a fruity tasting beer drinker. Had it been more like their Newcastle Brown Ale, I probably wouldn't have shared it.

That being said, I found Desperados to be just OK. No more, no less. I think of it as the Denny’s of beer. If I was at your house and that’s all you had, I’d drink it but it is not a beer that I am going to seek out.