OT: Grolsch Beer

[The Stan]

I went today to get some flip top bottles for home brew (actually kmobucha). The bottles would cost about 48 - 60$ for 24. I then went to a beer distributor. 49 and change for 24 flip top bottles with beer in them.

Is Grolsch beer any good? What would be some comparisons to it?

TIA

 

[Frabjous]

Reliable sources say it tastes like Boilo and crab juice, with a hint of juniper berries.

 

[mrtailgate]

Closest style comparison is provably Stella, both are Euro Lagers. It's quaffable and it's flip top made them novel in their day. Beer snobs will chuckle but it's drinkable.

 

[auxgym]

Closest style comparison is provably Stella, both are Euro Lagers. It's quaffable and it's flip top made them novel in their day. Beer snobs will chuckle but it's drinkable.

I was going to say my memory tells me it tasted like a relative of Heiniken.....but that's probably because when I had it in the past Stella did not exist.

 

[LionJim]

I was going to say my memory tells me it tasted like a relative of Heiniken.....but that's probably because when I had it in the past Stella did not exist.

Much more like Heineken than Stella in its bitterness.

 

[RochLion]

I was going to say my memory tells me it tasted like a relative of Heiniken.....but that's probably because when I had it in the past Stella did not exist.

Stella is one of those brews where there seems to be a big disparity between bottled and draft. Even more so than other brews. I like both, but draft much better. Maybe it's the cold bulk lagering that benefits it more so than say ales.

 

[buats]

Much more like Heineken than Stella in its bitterness.

For "old times sake" I bought a 12 pack of Grolsch over the holidays. Not as good as I remembered but I would also say it's similar to Heineken and worth drinking. If you can get the bottles with beer at basically the same price, I would say go for it.

 

[RU31trap]

Just bought a 6 pack this weekend. To me it's a bit stronger than Stella, more along the Heineken family with overall better taste. I enjoy the beer and rarely can I have more than two. The problem with Grolsch is $10 a 6-pack.

 

[lj4heisman1]

Go with pilsner urquell

 

[pandaczar12]

Just bought a 6 pack this weekend. To me it's a bit stronger than Stella, more along the Heineken family with overall better taste. I enjoy the beer and rarely can I have more than two. The problem with Grolsch is $10 a 6-pack.

$10 a 6-pack is insanely cheap for beer.

 

[getmyjive11]

I was going to say my memory tells me it tasted like a relative of Heiniken.....but that's probably because when I had it in the past Stella did not exist.

You are correct. Grolsch is like Heiniken.

 

[interrobang]

$10 a 6-pack is insanely cheap for beer.

Where are you buying beer? The black market?

 

[RU31trap]

$10 a 6-pack is insanely cheap for beer.

Just curious, what is a quality six pack of beer going for these days?

 

[palmettolion]

Where are you buying beer? The black market?

Lol, no, that's just a guy that's hooked on craft beers. Once you move off of the adjuncts, things tend to get more expensive. A sixer of good beer will run you anywhere from $12 to $18 on average depending on what it is and the abv percentage.

 

[interrobang]

I'm a beer snob myself, but have no problem buying good stuff in the $9-12 range, short of the small local breweries which are inherently more expensive.

Maybe beer is just cheaper where I am.

 

[pandaczar12]

Just curious, what is a quality six pack of beer going for these days?

I bought a 4 pack yesterday for $17 and thought it was a pretty good deal.

 

[interrobang]

I bought a 4 pack yesterday for $17 and thought it was a pretty good deal.

What was it?

 

[kijanacat]

Pilsner Urquell is no. 1 i my opinion. Also, I have not bought beer in a long time (I have a client with a distributorship and he gives me a case every so often). The prices you guys are citing are insane.

 

[pandaczar12]

What was it?

I don't usually buy beer at the grocery store, but I've heard good things about this:

 

[interrobang]

Well for a barrel aged porter at 12%, $17 for a 4-pack isn't unreasonable

 

[LionDeNittany]

Where are you buying beer? The black market?

I think he is buying "bierre". And yes, on the black market.

LdN

 

[ram511]

Pilsner Urquell is no. 1 i my opinion. Also, I have not bought beer in a long time (I have a client with a distributorship and he gives me a case every so often). The prices you guys are citing are insane.

Bought a 6 pack of Pisner Urquell for Christmas for 8 bucks....I thought the price was wrong !!

 

[hagberg]

I remember the days of buying beer - white can, black letters, "Beer" (and they also had "Light Beer") - on base for about $2.89 for a 24-can case. We convinced ourselves it tasted good, as the alternative was to cut even further into our meager paychecks.

 

[JBDLion]

Can't comment on Grolsch much, but since Stella's been mentioned frequently in this thread..

I was an expat in Belgium earlier this decade. Belgium had two mainstream beer brands, Jupiler and Maes. Red bottle or Blue bottle. If you weren't drinking a strong Belgian ale, you drank either a Jupiler or Maes (they laughed at the "light" beer concept). However, Jupiler made a cheaper beer that very few of the locals drank but they exported as a luxury beer...Stella Artois. I always chuckled that Americans believing that Stella was premium was like Europeans believing that Miller High Life was truly the "Champagne of Beers".

Random observation: In the beer capital of the world, the most expensive beer at the store was Corona. I assume due to import duties/taxes.

Another random observation: Beer prices were generally consistent across purchasing locations. Yes, you could get cheaper prices when buying in bulk, but a single Duvel at the grocery store, corner shop, restaurant, bar, was always in the 1.5 to 2.5 euro range. No insane bar/restaurant markup like we have in the states. I miss drinking singles in public alongside a canal.

Related to above: I took a day trip to Westvleteren Abbey to drink the supposed best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. It was as amazing as advertised. It was also only 2.5 euros for a bottle, despite the limited availability.

Random Belgian beer joke:
The owners of Heineken, Jupiler, and Duvel walk into a bar. The Heineken owner orders a Heineken. The Jupiler owner orders a Jupiler. The Duvel owner orders a water. The Heineken and Jupiler owners laugh at him and say "Is your beer so bad that you won't even drink it in public?" Duvel owner responds with, "Well since you both ordered water, I thought I should as well."

This concludes my trip down Beer Heaven memory lane.

 

[pandaczar12]

Related to above: I took a day trip to Westvleteren Abbey to drink the supposed best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. It was as amazing as advertised. It was also only 2.5 euros for a bottle, despite the limited availability.

Westy 12 is no longer considered the best beer in the world, that would be Toppling Goliath Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout. It was for a long time, but by now everyone has had it and the shine has worn off. I have a few in the basement, and nobody is ever interested in trading for them.

 

[Hellspite]

I went today to get some flip top bottles for home brew (actually kmobucha). The bottles would cost about 48 - 60$ for 24. I then went to a beer distributor. 49 and change for 24 flip top bottles with beer in them.

Is Grolsch beer any good? What would be some comparisons to it?

TIA

Interesting...I got a case of Groelsch (a lager from Holland, approx. 5% ABV) for Christmas. The bottles are really cool. They have a wire cage that flips up a porcelin/rubber stopper on the top to open the bottle. the mouth of the bottle is very thick glass. I have been drinking mostly heavy dark beer in Winter and IPA's the rest of the time for the last couple of years (when i am not doing bourbon). I really liked this beer a lot, as did everybody who tried it at my Christmas party. Finished the last bottle earlier this week. PS - I don't like either Heineken or Stella. It could be the novelty of the bottle that I liked, or maybe just getting away from the bitterness of the other types of beer.

 

[JBDLion]

Westy 12 is no longer considered the best beer in the world, that would be Toppling Goliath Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout. It was for a long time, but by now everyone has had it and the shine has worn off. I have a few in the basement, and nobody is ever interested in trading for them.

It was (and was still quite rare) in 2011 when I was sitting in the Abbey cafe enjoying my Westy 12s and ham and beer cheese (yes, the monks made beer cheese as well) sandwich. Their extended holiday run where they exported it a few years back probably hurt the perception, but the monks don't care. They sell what they need to sell to maintain the Abbey. The extended push was for an addition/upgrade. I like that.

Anyway, the point of the story was about price, not quality. My standards have fallen quite far since my expat days and I am no longer qualified to comment on quality.

 

[Nitwit]

It’s Ok. I used to drink it back in the old days when beers like this and Moosehead were considered exotic. To me there isn’t a lot of difference between most lagers. It’s better than Budweiser! Now I usually just stick with Guinness - it’s the beer you’ve been practicing for.

 

[auxgym]

It’s Ok. I used to drink it back in the old days when beers like this and Moosehead were considered exotic. To me there isn’t a lot of difference between most lagers. It’s better than Budweiser! Now I usually just stick with Guinness - it’s the beer you’ve been practicing for.

Don't insult the King of all beers!

 

[Nitwit]

Don't insult the King of all beers!

Note to self - if you have to resort to saying “Dilly Dilly” in your ads in order to sell your beer, you’re making crap beer.

 

[auxgym]

Note to self - if you have to resort to saying “Dilly Dilly” in your ads in order to sell your beer, you’re making crap beer.

You switched the subject......we are talking Budweiser.....in a bottle........full throttle.....diesel.......not bud light.

 

[RU31trap]

I can only speak for myself but dark beers make me ill literally. The few times I drank one it would just sit in my stomach like cement. I remember going to a party during my senior year in HS and someone bought two six packs of Elephant Beer. If my memory serves me right I drank three beers. What a stomach ache. On occasion I've seen my girlfriend drink a Guinness Original without a problem. Go figure?

 

[mikeaac]

Can't comment on Grolsch much, but since Stella's been mentioned frequently in this thread..

I was an expat in Belgium earlier this decade. Belgium had two mainstream beer brands, Jupiler and Maes. Red bottle or Blue bottle. If you weren't drinking a strong Belgian ale, you drank either a Jupiler or Maes (they laughed at the "light" beer concept). However, Jupiler made a cheaper beer that very few of the locals drank but they exported as a luxury beer...Stella Artois. I always chuckled that Americans believing that Stella was premium was like Europeans believing that Miller High Life was truly the "Champagne of Beers".

Random observation: In the beer capital of the world, the most expensive beer at the store was Corona. I assume due to import duties/taxes.

Another random observation: Beer prices were generally consistent across purchasing locations. Yes, you could get cheaper prices when buying in bulk, but a single Duvel at the grocery store, corner shop, restaurant, bar, was always in the 1.5 to 2.5 euro range. No insane bar/restaurant markup like we have in the states. I miss drinking singles in public alongside a canal.

Related to above: I took a day trip to Westvleteren Abbey to drink the supposed best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. It was as amazing as advertised. It was also only 2.5 euros for a bottle, despite the limited availability.

Random Belgian beer joke:
The owners of Heineken, Jupiler, and Duvel walk into a bar. The Heineken owner orders a Heineken. The Jupiler owner orders a Jupiler. The Duvel owner orders a water. The Heineken and Jupiler owners laugh at him and say "Is your beer so bad that you won't even drink it in public?" Duvel owner responds with, "Well since you both ordered water, I thought I should as well."

This concludes my trip down Beer Heaven memory lane.

 

[mikeaac]

Really enjoyed your post. A few years ago I went to Germany, Belgium
and Holland as my last stop. Was chatting with a bartender and told
him I visited the other two countries and was in his country enjoying
their beers. I asked him which country makes the best beer and
he said Belgium. Got to try Leffe, blonde and dark and really enjoyed
it on tap and glad it has become readily available in states. It is a
heavy spicy brew, much like many of the better Belgium brews (not
Stella), so can't drink too many.

 

[Lion84]

Can't comment on Grolsch much, but since Stella's been mentioned frequently in this thread..

I was an expat in Belgium earlier this decade. Belgium had two mainstream beer brands, Jupiler and Maes. Red bottle or Blue bottle. If you weren't drinking a strong Belgian ale, you drank either a Jupiler or Maes (they laughed at the "light" beer concept). However, Jupiler made a cheaper beer that very few of the locals drank but they exported as a luxury beer...Stella Artois. I always chuckled that Americans believing that Stella was premium was like Europeans believing that Miller High Life was truly the "Champagne of Beers".

Random observation: In the beer capital of the world, the most expensive beer at the store was Corona. I assume due to import duties/taxes.

Another random observation: Beer prices were generally consistent across purchasing locations. Yes, you could get cheaper prices when buying in bulk, but a single Duvel at the grocery store, corner shop, restaurant, bar, was always in the 1.5 to 2.5 euro range. No insane bar/restaurant markup like we have in the states. I miss drinking singles in public alongside a canal.

Related to above: I took a day trip to Westvleteren Abbey to drink the supposed best beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. It was as amazing as advertised. It was also only 2.5 euros for a bottle, despite the limited availability.

Random Belgian beer joke:
The owners of Heineken, Jupiler, and Duvel walk into a bar. The Heineken owner orders a Heineken. The Jupiler owner orders a Jupiler. The Duvel owner orders a water. The Heineken and Jupiler owners laugh at him and say "Is your beer so bad that you won't even drink it in public?" Duvel owner responds with, "Well since you both ordered water, I thought I should as well."

This concludes my trip down Beer Heaven memory lane.

I was there on business a few years ago and really like Kwack beer - served it in a mini yard - I had it before when I found a few bottles at a place in Jersey - they consider Stella their Bud.

 

[JBDLion]

I was there on business a few years ago and really like Kwack beer - served it in a mini yard - I had it before when I found a few bottles at a place in Jersey - they consider Stella their Bud.

Did you have to give up your shoe until you returned the Kwaak glass to the bar? That's how you know it's an old original one...

Dulle Griet pub in Ghent will raise your shoe to the ceiling in a basket on a rope. The old glasses are valuable and impossible to replace. Great traditions.

 

[Gnat91]

I remember the days of buying beer - white can, black letters, "Beer" (and they also had "Light Beer") - on base for about $2.89 for a 24-can case. We convinced ourselves it tasted good, as the alternative was to cut even further into our meager paychecks.

I remember hearing stories about just general stuff with a white packaging and whatever it was in big black letters. The first time I actually saw anything like that was on base in Cali....and it was beer...lol. didn't buy any as I already had a case of Milwaukee's best in my hands.

 

[androcles]

...I still long for the days I could drive over to the Neuweiler Brewery in Allentown and get a case for $2 ... Nix Besser !!! ...

 

[Nitwit]

It’s all a matter of taste when it comes to beverages and food too. No one is right or wrong. Eat or drink whatever you like.

When I was younger I drank and ate more but thinking back I wouldn’t like watery beers, sweet wines or cocktails, or even cola drinks that were part of my 20s. I won’t consume any of that stuff now. Cheaper restaurants just add fat, sugar, and salt to everything to make it taste better. Big portions are more important than fine flavors. My tastes have matured.

I’ll drink a well mixed old fashioned, or a manhattan straight up, or a French 75 in summer, followed by a pistachio encrusted fois gras flamed in apple brandy as a start to a perfect meal, or maybe some raw oysters instead. Perhaps a rack of lamb entre with roasted fingerling potatoes and sautéed broccoli rabe accompanied by a good Cote du Rhône, with a chocolate mousse dessert, or a cheese course with a glass of port.

We have a tradition that once or twice a month instead of having a normal dinner at home, we will do wine and cheese instead. We will buy 3 European aged cheeses with different characters, usually one is a goat or sheep’s milk cheese, or a baked Brie, and serve with breadsticks, crackers, a sliced apple, and some almonds. And we will open a good red wine to go with it, whatever our best one is at that moment in our home. The thing that makes these dinners enjoyable is to go for a splurge with the wine and cheeses. It makes for a pretty relaxed evening. When food is rich and full of flavor, I find you eat and drink less, but enjoy it more.

Some people never grow up, just as sometimes people’s taste buds don’t grow up either. They eat what they liked in 10th grade all their lives. So I know some people like Budweiser, put syrup on their scrapple, and ketchup or BBQ sauce on everything. If that’s what you enjoy, well that’s what you should do. I’m not going to criticize people for their tastes, but I do think that sometimes people don’t fully experience a life well lived if they don’t progress in their culinary adventures.

Sorry to get too far off topic from the Grolsch beer thread. Again, it’s an OK beer in a cool bottle.

 

[Gnat91]

I have a friend that's a beer snob. He's always busting my nutts about how I still drink cheap beer. Why do I still drink cheap beer? Because I grew up on the stuff, just because I have money now doesn't mean I have to pay 50 bucks a case for beer I don't like.