White Dutchman: Wieckse Witte

Have you ever wondered why are these beers called “white beers”? The first guess would have to do with their color, but they are not really white. The real reason hides in the fact that these beers are made with wheat in addition to barley, and etymologically speaking, both words “white” and “wheat” have the same root. Well, you learn something new every day.

• Name: Wieckse Witte
• Brewery: De Ridder Brewery (Heineken Nederland)
• City: Zoeterwoude
• Country: Netherlands

The bottle contains a very hazy golden colored beer with a very weak carbonation, and a very decent (about two fingers) white fomay head. The aroma is typically wheaty – you would recognize it even if you hadn’t seen the beer. Besides this wheaty and slightly yeasty aroma, you could also identify some spices and citruses (if you try hard enough).

I generally don’t like wheat beers. There are only a handful of them which I really liked so far. Sadly, this one is not among them. The sweet and spicy taste, together with too much yeastiness, is not really what I was hoping for. The bitter finish slightly improved the shole experience, but still… It was drinkable, but that’s it. Nothing more to it for me.

• Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, wheat, yeast, hops, spices

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3 / 5
• Smell: 3,5 / 5
• Taste: 2 / 5
• Overall: 2,5 / 5

• Bottle: 3 / 5

The Celebrity: Heineken

Everyone has probably heard of this beer, since you can get it almost anywhere in the world. One of the most well-known and marketed beers needs no other introduction, really.

• Name: Heineken
• Brewery: Heineken Nederland
• City: Zoeterwoude
• Country: Netherlands

Although, this is one of the most popular beers around the world, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee its quality. The (sad) truth is, Heineken is just an average beer, or even worse, a below average one. It has a nice golden color and a thin white head, which settles down pretty quickly. There’s not much to say about the smell and taste, to be fair. Heineken has a grainy aroma, and that’s basically it. The taste is sweet and malty, with the addition of some grainy taste, but without the needed bitterness.

All in all, it’s pretty watery (too watery actually) and doesn’t offer any real taste. It can be refreshing and drinkable, but so can be a glass of plain water. What’s even worse about this beer. It’s being offered in “top-end” clubs as a fancy beer, meaning it is consumed by all those wannabes, thinking they are all that. That’s the worst thing about it.

But let’s rather focus on the positives. Despite not being the best beer around (well, besides being unoffensive), it does have some of the best and funniest beer commercials out there. Some of my favourites are down below (warning: once you start watching beer commercials, it’s almost impossible to stop).

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3 / 5
• Smell: 2 / 5
• Taste: 2 / 5
• Overall: 2 / 5

THE LIST OF BEST HEINEKEN COMMERCIALS (in no particular order)

Pop!: Grolsch Premium Pilsner

Pop goes Grolsch! Although Grolsch is most famous because of its swingtop lid, it has to be admitted we’re dealing with one of the better (mainstream) Dutch beers out there.

• Name: Grolsch Premium Pilsner
• Brewery: Grolsch Bierbrouwerij (SABMiller)
• City: Boekelo
• Country: Netherlands

Grolsch is characterized by a clear, golden color and complemented by a very decent white, foamy head that settles down quite fast. The aroma that fills your nose after popping the lid can be described as a faint combination of sweetness, grains and grassy hops. The taste is exactly as the nose suggests. A mixture of bitterness, at first, followed by the sweetness thanks to the malts. The aftertaste following the mild taste is slightly bitter, in a pleasant way of course.

Grolsch is a very pleasant and decent pilsener. It’s smooth and easy to drinks, but at the same time nothing that will make you say “Wow!” But nonetheless, it’s a nice substitute for some other (more famous) mainstream lagers out there.

• Style: Pilsener
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops

RATINGS

• Appearance: 4 / 5
• Smell: 4 / 5
• Taste: 3,5 / 5
• Overall: 3,5 / 5

A Dutch Trappist: La Trappe Blond

Today I’m dealing with a trappist beer style.To be completely fair, this style is definitely NOT among my favourites. Depending on the situation, I rarely like these beers, so the ratings and desription are not really objective.

• Name: La Trappe Blond
• Brewery: De Koningshoeven (Bavaria – Netherlands)
• City: Berkel-Enschot
• Country: Netherlands

La Trappe pours out with a hazy golden color and with a very weak and quickly disappearing head. It has a sweet and fruity aroma which is complemented by a quite strong yeasty aroma, which I do not prefer. This highly carbonated beer has a semi-strong taste which is a bit too sweet for me, and definitely too yeasty. This last fact is the main reason why I don’t really like it, although the good side is that you cannot taste alcohol too much (as with some other ales).

So, the final word is that I do not really care about this one. Not because of the taste of this particular beer, but because of the taste of these beers in general. I am still yet to find a trappist that I will really like.

• Style: Belgian Ale
• ABV: 6,5%
• Ingredients: water, barley malt, yeast, hops, sugar

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3 / 5
• Smell: 2 / 5
• Taste: 2 / 5
• Overall: 2 / 5

I AMstel: Amstel Lager

Today’s beer in one of the several famous Dutch beers popular and accessible all around the world.

• Name: Amstel Lager
• Brewery: Heineken Nederland
• City: Zoeterwoude
• Country: Netherlands

Being a Dutch beer, I expected Amstel to be better than the average beers on the market, but then again, Heineken is also Dutch, so… But luckily, Amstel is better than other average lagers, not by much, but still. It pours out of the bottle with a clear and golden color, and is topped with a very small and not long lasting white head. It has a pretty neutral smell – I can only point out some grainy aroma. The taste is a mixture of malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness. It has a light and clean taste, which finishes with a decently bitter aftertaste.

So, what to say about Amstel then. It certainly is better than Heineken, actually much better, and much less watery. It probably isn’t the best Dutch lager, but what I’ve tasted so far, it certainly is among the best ones.

• Style: Pale Lager
• ABV: 5%
• Ingredients: hops, water, barley malt

RATINGS

• Appearance: 3,5 / 5
• Smell: 3,5 / 5
• Taste: 3,5 / 5
• Overall: 3,5 / 5