Grolsch Beer Review - Back From The Dead

May 28, 2023 Cameron Mackenzie

Grolsch is a classic European pilsner with a long history, dating back to 1615, with the opening of its brewery by Willem Neerdfeldt in the Dutch village of Groenlo, then known as Grolle, from which the beer draws its name. The story of Grolsch is one of romance, when in 1650 brewery apprentice Peter Kruijper sought marriage, with Needfeldt’s daughter Jenneken. After three attempts, Peter used two types of hops to successfully create a beer that was deemed perfect by the brewery. This marriage between Peter and Jenneken, lead to the creation of the classic Grolsch beer and the long history of Grolsch as the breweries most well-known drink.

The drive for perfection that led to the creation of Grosch, has been at the forefront of the brewery’s long history, and can be seen in the beer’s promotion and introduction of its renowned swing-top bottle. Introduced in 1897 by Theo J. de Groen following his purchase of the brewery, the swing-top ensured the maintained freshness of the beer while removing the need of an opener. The closable swing-top also ensured the beer could be savoured. While nowadays Grolsch is also available in cans, the imagery of the swing-top remains at the forefront of the breweries branding and is pictured on those cans. The long-continued success of Grolsch led to the brewery receiving the Dutch Royal Honours in 1995, in celebration of the brewery long history and reputation of excellence. Now owned by Asahi Group, Grolsch is easy to find and widely available globally.

Grolsch is very much your typical pilsner, a clear golden brew with a crisp and malty finish that lingers at the back of your mouth. Grolsch is very much akin to other European pilsners’ such the Belgian Jupiler. Like Jupiler, Grolsch is one of the more popular beers in its home country, but unlike Jupiler the beer is far more prominent outside of the Netherlands. Grolsch is far more widely available, particularly within the UK where it can be found on draught in many pubs and is widely available in most supermarkets.

Whilst Grolsch is a very typical pilsner that does little to stand out amongst others, that is not to the beer’s detriment. Grolsch is very crisp and incredibly refreshing when chilled, making it arguably the quintessential pilsner. Whilst not particularly game-changing in anyway from a modern perspective, Peter Kruijper’s strive for perfection in 1650 has led to Grolsch being a faultless pilsner that will be satisfying for fans of pilsners and beers in general. If Grolsch perhaps doesn’t stand out from the crowd it is perhaps because they were one of the first to arrive.

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