Dutch Food and Drinks: Grolsch

What:

Grolsch – a 5% pale lager often served in green bottles.

Why:

The Grolsch brewery was founded in 1615 in Groenlo and is considered the second largest brewer in the Netherlands.  The town of Groenlo was then known as Grolle, hence the name Grolsch, which means ‘of Grolle.’

“In 2007 Grolsch also started using green bottles for the home market. Grolsch was the first major brewery to stop using the brown refillable bottles which are used by nearly every brewery in the Netherlands. The new green bottles have the Grolsch logo marked in the glass and come in a new package.” – Wikipedia

Where:

Grolsch can be found in supermarkets, alcohol shops, bars, clubs, restaurants and even at the cinema.

When:

I believe I read a rule somewhere that said that alcohol shouldn’t be consumed until after 5pm but since it is always 5 o’clock somewhere, I guess it is fair game to drink Grolsch whenever you want.

Varieties:

Grolsch produces a range of mainly pale lager beers from alcohol free to 11.6% alcohol:

• Grolsch Premium Pilsner – Known internationally as Grolsch Premium Lager, is Grolsch’s flagship beer and comprises 95% of all sales. It contains 5.0% abv.
• Grolsch Premium Blond – Blond is a lighter version of the Pilsner, with 30 per cent fewer calories and 4% abv.
• Grolsch Premium Light – A light version of the Pilsner with 3.7% abv, available only in the United States.
• Grolsch Premium Weizen – A traditional hefeweizen brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. It finishes soft and wet and has 5.5% abv.

Specialty Brews:

• Grolsch Premium Lentebok (6.5% abv)
• Grolsch Premium Herfstbok (6.5& abv)
• Grolsch Premium Malt (alcohol-free)
• Grolsch Oud Bruin (2.5% abv)
• Grolsch Het Kanon (11.6% abv)
• Grolsch Premium 2.5 (2.5% abv)
• Grolsch Lemon 2.5 (2.5% abv)
• Grolsch Cranberry Rosé (5.5%)

How Much [Should I Drink]:

I’m really the wrong person to ask on this one as I am not a huge beer drinker.  As beers go (in the opinion of a minimal beer drinker) Grolsch is not too bad.

Pas Op! (Watch Out!):

Some of the Grolsch bottles have a beugel, a swing-top cap.  Opening these does not require a bottle opener but does require a bit of practise so as to not cause bodily harm to your hands and fingers.  This advertisement, makes the whole thing look a lot easier than it is (at least for me!) but it really does make that cool plop sound.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuBn7LZxjU0[/youtube]