Christoffel Bier / Blond

Brewed by Sint Christoffel Bier
Style: Pilsener
Roermond, Netherlands

(330 ml fliptop bottle, bought in Denmark). Hazy pale golden colour, moderate head, leaves some lacing. Aroma is yeasty like a blond ale and flowery (Saaz?) like a Bohemian pilsener. Flavour and aftertaste have a distinct hoppy bitterness, notes of pine needles, eucalyptus and grapefruit. Very nice. One small bottle is not enough!

(Bottled) Hazy dark yellow color with quite large, foamy head. Quite mild, slightly hoppy and sourish aroma. Quite hoppy, fruity flavor. Slightly sour, medium-bodied, medium-carbonated, quite smooth palate.

33 cL bottle, pilsner glass. Bread and hay malt (L); herb and grass hops (M); white grape, honey, pear aromas. Large, creamy/frothy, white head is well lasting and sits on a light gold/straw body with lots of carbonation. Moderately sweet, moderately bitter flavor becomes a lightly sweet, heavily bitter finish. Great hop flavor! Medium body, watery/creamy texture, fizzy carbonation. The bottom line is: a world class pils that seems to be woefully misunderstood.

Pale golden color with a large frothy white head. Toasty grain and malt aroma with hints of floral hops and light fruity peach notes. Wonderfully balanced. Lightly toasted malts hints of fruit, apple and peach. Finishes with some earthy herbal hops. Very enjoyable.

Bottle. Hazy golden color, light weak aroma, fruity taste, medium body, dry finish.

Pours Deep gold and hazy. Little white small beaded head. Earthy and mildly spiced apple perfume nose. Crusty bread malt. Bittersweet hop. Almost has a skunk to the flavour (none in the aroma). Late light caramel. Fruity pepper, tart and yeasty sourness. Herbal (mint?), dry finish. Filling. Nose is dull.

Bottle, Dec 2004 (BB 02/05). Head is large, frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is hazy dark yellow, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (bread, grain), moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs, lemon), trace yeast (barnyard), with a hint of DMS. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly acidic, moderately bitter, slightly husky. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. Bottled sample (now available in Colorado) shows what I found on draught in Amsterdam, though this is a bit better...it’s good, but just not that clean. Pity.

Draught @ Arendsnest cafe, Amsterdam, Nov 2003. Head is frothy, white, mostly lasting. Body is medium yellow. Aroma is lightly malty (bread, grain), moderately hoppy (flowers, herbs), with a note of DMS. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, moderately bitter, slightly husky. Medium body, velvety texture, lively carbonation. A bit disappointing...somewhat grainy and not as clean as I expected. [6/4/6/4/12=3.2]

This is a fine Pils, faithful to the style, and actually more aggressive than most European Pilsners. Plus, the beer is unfiltered, so it has that nice, murky look in the glass. If you like Victory Pils, you should like this one.