Christoffel Bier / Blond

Brewed by Sint Christoffel Bier
Style: Pilsener
Roermond, Netherlands

A very bitter pils with none of the subtlety that marks the best examples of the style. Gold with a slight haze and an attractive 2cm wad of foam. Great head retention and lacing. Pity this sample didn’t smell as fine as it looked. I’m not sure how old a ’best before’ date of Aug 06 makes this but it had a faint musty taint. Otherwise showing bready malts, faint acetone and lime marmalade. Soft, creamy mouthfeel, medium body. Quite sour and tangy - orange peel - with a lingering, bitter finish. Herbal and a bit crude. Became very phlegmy and cloying. I can see why this would appeal to many on the site, as it offers a much fuller flavour than most pilseners. (33cl bottle, IBS Perth, bb Aug 2006)

Darker golden body with mini floaties. Smaller white head. Aroma is saaz hops with some citrus and floral notes, reminds of good wheat beers. Hoppy flavour with some sweetness in the malts for a nice balance. A tad of spice on the end. This is nice pil.

It’s a pity that they went with "Blond" instead Pilsner as it is a terrific example of the style. At first I was put off by this beer, putting it up against Pilsner Urquell. I even remember thinking "pissy". But as it warmed it truly grew on me. I appreciated its sweetness that I had never known in a Pilsner and the orange zest is really interesting. So hoppy. I love hops. A really nice beer.

Bottle. Cloudy yellow coloured with a small white head. Aroma of malts, fruits, spices and hops. Flavour of malts, grape fruit and hops. Dry grape fruity finish.

TAP at the In de Wildeman, Amsterdam. Pours a hazy dark apricot colour with a thick and creamy white head. Produced amazing lacing in the form of perfectly formed rings of foam around the glass. Aromas of wheat and honey. Overwhelmingly delicious flavours of peach and apricot. Delicately floral but neither excessively sweet nor bitter. An excellent beer that is extremely drinkable and refreshing.

Bottle. White quickly dying head. Yellow unclear body. Fruity aroma. Strong hops flavor with long aftertaste.

Sweet bready malt nose covered by floral and herbal hops - the kind of Pils aroma favored by this hophead. Clear golden body topped by a huge creamy head, well retained and solid in its lacing. The flavor is honey coated fresh bread with great big gobs of hops, floral, herbal, and grassy. Nice lingering bitter finish. This should be sold in sixers in the area.

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Slightly hazy, straw coloured body with a medium size white head that lasted the full distance. At first I didn’t like this but then it quickly grew on me. Pleasant hops on the nose, hops in the taste as well, oily, a touch of lemon and some residual yeast. This beer will turn some people on and maybe turn some off, and as I said it did grow on me.