Right out of the gate I have to say that out of all the 40s I have sampled so far, Steel. Reserve is definitely my least favorite. It was almost impossible to get the traditional 5-second slam down. While every other 40 I’ve tried was extremely smooth going down, each gulp of Steel Reserve almost felt like I was taking a shot. It really put the focus on liquor in malt liquor. Which could’ve been a good thing, but the strong taste of alcohol did not match the buzz I got. Even at 8.1% ABV I didn’t even feel anything until I was a little halfway through the bottle. With the taste being as bad as it was, I ended up accidentally babysitting the thing to the point where it got room temp. Rather than drinking it I decided to man up and slam the rest of it, which was about a quarter of the bottle. That was one of the most strenuous slams I’ve ever done. After I finally got the last sip down it took a great deal of focus not to puke. I almost gave in and let it all loose, but momma ain’t raise no.. well you know how it goes. After getting through all 40 ounces, and stomaching the awful taste. I was left at a disappointing level of drunk. I was so sober I had to dip into my White Claws to finish the job. If you ever have to turn to a seltzer to do what your 40 lacked to do, that’s when you know that you got a bad 40.The only good thing about Steel Reserve is that it has the blue cold stamp on the label much like the Olde English label. Other than that, I do not recommend this 40.
2.3/5 Stars
Up a Creek Without a 40 