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Grolsch Premium Lager

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Grolsch, Holland’s very own premium lager since 1615.

Grolsch Premium Lager is currently brewed and bottled by the Grolsch Brewery (Grolsche Bierbrouwerij), located in the city of Enschede, Netherlands. This brewery is a state of the art facility which has the capacity to produce 4 million hectolitres of beer.  This equates to more than 12,000 330ml bottles!

Most people will know Grolsch for its unique swing top lid pictured above.  I know many people who have happily bought Grolsch just to get their hands on the unique bottle which can be used for many things, from a water bottle to a candle holder.  Unfortunately, the mainstream Grolsch bottles such as the one shown at the top, no longer come with the unique swing top but instead have the standard pop top.  It is my understanding that you can still get the swing top on the 450ml variation of this brew but locating that size may be a mission in itself.  There also was a 1.5L limited edition variation of this brew that had the swing top but unfortunately I haven’t seen that bottle for a while now.  This fully imported lager pours with a full white, bubbly head that disappears quickly to leave specs of lacing on the glass.  The colour is a light gold, that is clear with plenty of carbonated bubbles sticking to the inside of the glass.  It’s smell is noticeable and inoffensive.  There’s a sweet grainy aroma to it.  The taste appears slightly bitter up front followed by a surge of sweetness.  It’s a pleasant brew that has a good balance between malt and hops, though I’m not sure how long I could drink it for, so be careful if you’re planning to use it as a session beer.

Grolsch is a decent lager and one that is still brewed from its original origin, in this case Holland aka, The Netherlands.  I recommend giving it a try for yourself but just bear in mind that it’s not a session beer and if you see the swing top bottles, snap those babies up quickly cause they’re hard to come by.

Rating (out of five):

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Sapporo Draft Beer

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Sapporo, Japans answer to the well-known lager.

Before I continue I would like to make it clear that this review is based on the imported Sapporo Draft beer and not the brewed under license alternative that comes from Canada.  Sapporo is said to be ‘Japan’s oldest brand’ with its beginnings being traced back to 1876 when the Kaitakushi Brewery was founded and Sapporo was the first Bavarian-style brewing company in Japan  The company now has five breweries located in Japan along with the Sleeman brewery in Ontario, Canada.  Unfortunately, the majority of Australia’s Sapporo now comes from the Sleeman brewery in Canada and still all this while it is being dubbed as ‘Japan’s premium beer’.  This rice lager is made with the use of two-row barley that was specifically developed by the company itself.  Two-row barley has a lower protein content to that of traditional barley and therefore has a higher fermentable sugar content making it more suited to this brew.   Sapporo Draft pours a decent white fluffy head that is short lasting and it also leaves a small amount of lacing on the glass.  It’s appearance is a clear Straw yellow colour and it has plenty of carbonation with bubbles collecting around the head of the glass.  The aroma is dull and subdued but there is a slight sweet malt smell to it that can be discovered  with further inspection.  Sapporo Draft is easy to drink with a smooth, crisp and refreshing taste but there’s not a lot more to it, taste wise.  It would make for a good thirst quencher, possibly after a hard day of cleaning the home or the like.  Delicate citrus flavours are evident but unfortunately the high carbonation conceals a lot of the taste.

Sapporo may well be Japan’s oldest brand, but unfortunately, time has not made this brew an exceptional  lager.  While it may be appealing to some, others will be left expecting something more from these Japanese Brewers.

Rating (out of five):

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Kronenbourg 1664

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

Kronenbourg 1664 is touted as the premium beer of Brasseries Kronenbourg brewers since 1664, well let me tell you it’s not anymore, at least not here down under.

The Kronenbourg 1664 we buy here in Australia is brewed under license in Victoria by the Foster’s Group and it is this version that I am reviewing here.  Originally Kronenbourg 1664 came to Australia from the Kronenbourg Brewery in France and the name Kronenbourg comes from the French village of Cronenbourg.  The other part of this beers iconic name came from the year in which the brewery was founded, 1664.  It was originally founded in Strasbourg as the Hatt Brewery but was relocated & renamed in 1850 and is now owned by the Carlsberg Group.  Kronenbourg is the fifth oldest beer brand in the world that is still being used to this day.  You can get your hands on the real imported Kronenbourg 1664 in Australia but don’t count on 1^st Choice or Dan Murphy’s stocking it as I unfortunately made this mistake.  Kronenbourg 1664 is premium lager with an alcohol content of 5% per 330ml volume.  It has a crisp, clean and refreshing taste that presents with an initial bitterness.  It would make for a good season beer.  Neither of the two bottles I consumed poured with any noticeable head but they did leave an even amount of lacing on my glass.  There’s a clear golden hue to this beer and it comes well carbonated, which it quite noticeable with its mouth-feel.  The aroma smells of sweet malts and is generally pleasant all round.  A commendable point about this brand is it’s cap covered labelling and green 1664 embossed bottling.  Both add to the pedigree of this beer making it stand out from the crowd.

Although Kronenbourg 1664 may not be the most amazing lager on the market it does come with high regard in certain circles and its name has every reason to.  If you haven’t tried Kronenbourg 1664 for yourself I suggest you do, and where possible, read the label first and see if it’s the fully imported version.

Rating (out of five):

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Royal Dutch Post Horn

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Royal Dutch Post Horn is premium full strength lager that is fully imported from Holland.

It is brewed by the Posthoorn Brewery which is located in the Dutch city of Breada, Holland.  Post Horn is the English translation of the word Posthoorn and hence is the name of this brew.   Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of information as to the history of this lager but I will give you what information I do know.  Royal Dutch Post Horn comes in a six-pack of green 330ml bottles, each having an alcohol content of 4.7% per volume.  The standard green bottles have ordinary labelling, with white, green, gold and red blended together to try and catch your eye.   You can expect to pay $16 for a six-pack as I did at my local independent bottle store.  It is imported into Australia by ALM Imports in NSW and I have yet to see this beer being sold at 1^st Choice or Dan Murphy’s, so be sure to find your local independent bottle store if you’d like to try it.

This imported lager pours a fluffy white head that leaves small amounts of lacing on the glass.  It has a clear golden yellow hue with plenty of carbonation, some may think it has too much.  There’s a sweet malty aroma but is quite faint.  The mouth feel is creamy while also being a tad watery.  As for the taste  ̶̶̶  it is clean, crisp and dry and on a summer’s day I can see it being rather refreshing.  I found the taste diminished substantially after I had consumed three bottles for some reason and this made me call it quits for the night.

Overall, Royal Dutch Post Horn is not an outstanding  lager by any means, but it is certainly not the worst.  Personally I think this beer is better suited to the hotter, summer months so if you want to give it a try do so then.

Rating (out of five):

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Bighead

Friday, June 25th, 2010

Bighead is Australia’s first true no-carb beer but, unfortunately it also has no-taste in my opinion.

This no-carb alternative is brewed & bottled by the Burleigh Brewing Company in Burleigh Heads, Queensland.  We certainly are a fan of their unique creations and have already reviewed their Duke European-Style Premium Lager and their limited release My Wife’s Bitter.  So why did we not like this novel brew?  You’ll just have to read on to find out.

Is this truly a no-carb beer?  Well according to the nutritional information section on the bottles label, it has zero grams of carbs per 330ml serving.  The company has also gone as far as to have this brew independently tested and it complies with the Australian & New Zealand Food Standards to have no carbohydrates.  It’s a known fact that mainstream low-carb beers generally lack any real flavour and unfortunately this brew conforms to the notion.  It pours a light shade of gold with no noticeable head nor does it leave any lacing on the glass.  There’s no noticeable aroma to this beer either.   It’s alcohol volume is 4.2% which is lower to other low-carb offerings, such as Bondi Blonde’s 4.5% and Platinum Blonde’s 4.6%.  The taste is uninspiring and almost seems flat but, I can see some carbonation happening inside the glass so this isn’t the case.  The taste is watery and doesn’t make you want to drink more, regardless of the fact it has no-carbs.  Negatives aside I’d like to say a few positive things about this brew.  Obviously the best part is that it has no-carbs, which is great for the waist line.  The labelling and branding of Bighead is fantastic and it caught my eye when browsing at my local bottle shop.  Another positive to this lager is that it’s 100% natural and has no additives or preservatives.

Ultimately the best thing to do with this brew is to try it for yourself and make your own mind up as to whether or not Australia’s first no-carb alternative is for you.

Rating (out of five):

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