Grolsch Premium Lager / Pilsner

Brewed by Grolsche Bierbrouwerij Ned. (SABMiller)
Style: Pale Lager
Boekelo, Netherlands

Serve in Dimpled mug, English pint, Lager glass, Shaker

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[On tap at Pavlov’s Dog, Reading] I went through a brief Grolsch phase when I was at Uni - fueled partly by the cool bottles, but mainly by a University field trip to the Netherlands. I remember the Dutch barmen serving gleaming steins of lively golden beer, and using a piece of wood to skim the excess foam off the top of the glass and flick it across the bar (I soon learned to duck quickly!). I know they say that time makes the heart grow fonder, but the pint in front of me now looks a pale imitation of the beer I remember. It’s poured an insipid gold with a moderate, uneven white head, doing a pretty good impression of Fosters or Carling rather than a premium brand. Fortunately, tastewise it’s rather better - it tastes initially of sweet biscuitty malt, following through into a sour, bitter citrus aftertaste. It’s actually one of the better, more flavoursome macro lagers - not that that’s saying much! c2

The reason I tried this ubiquitous beer was the swingtop bottles. I’ve been collecting them for months for brewing from a store gracious enough to save them for me for the price of the nickel deposit. So, I finally broke down and bought a four-pack. The slight sweetness is followed by the hops lingering bitterness with a well rounded mouthfeel. Good stuff.

330 ml bottle from Systembolaget,Charlottenberg,Sweden Straight from the bottle Light golden color.Light sweetness.Nice macro lager.

500ml swingtop bottle pours a light golden color with a finger of white head that settles to reveal a tiny bit of lacing on the glass. Aroma is grainy malts and grassy hops. Taste is a sharp hop bitterness balanced with some grainy malts with a light sweetness. Definitely one of the better lagers out there and should also be classified as a premium lager.

My favourite macrolager. When tasting pale lagers I tend to compare them to this. Crispness reigns. Only problem is the bottles can occasionally cause a little skunk aroma, but it’s quite rare, and I think homebrewers would start jumping off bridges if Grolsch changed their bottles.

moderately skunked due to green bottle. pale yellow with minimal head. yet another euro lager. below average due to being quite bland.

Lager that stands up well in the fine Dutch tradition with an emphasis on malts.

Light golden color with small white head. Malty, corny aroma. Taste pretty the same. Not bad for thirst quencher.

Pours clear golden with a white head. Aroma and taste has notes of bread, malt and fruity hops.

Picked up a case mostly for the swing-top bottles to re-fill with my homebrew :) Pours a clear pale with a frothy head. The head settles quickly, forming cloudy clumps on top. Aroma is bready with grassy hops. Taste has a light sweetness and sourness, and heavy bitterness. Light bodied with low carbonation. Finish dominated by hop bitterness.

Bottle. Pale-ish gold goor. Tastes of rice and honey. . not anything special, but a decent euro mass produced beer