Free Beer (Amstel Premium Lager)

Member Name: msteward

Product:	Amstel Premium Lager
Date:	23/01/02 (1067 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: crisp taste, comes in bottles not cans

Disadvantages: not especially cheap

Little did I know that when I invited my family around for Christmas would I end up with so much left over alcohol. Of course, I bought enough beer/rum/brandy/whisky/coke/lemonade to keep Curly (Corrie :-)) in drink for a year to start with. But it seemed to breed in my garage!

The best find amongst all this free booze was a crate of Amstel which my father brought with him. We've both been to Greece enough times to know and love the taste of Amstel (it's either that or Heineken!). But I've never actually thought of buying the stuff at my local Tescos. However, I think I might in future.

The Facts
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On June 11, 1870, two-year-old Ernest de Pester, the son of Amstel founder Baron C.A. de Pester, laid the first stone for the Amstel brewery in Amsterdam. The new brewery was the brainchild of two Amsterdam businessmen, De Pester and J.H. van Marwijk Kooy, responding to the skyrocketing popularity of Bavarian beers in Holland. And although there were already 559 breweries in Holland at that time, only two of them brewed Bavarian style 'lager' beer.

Amstel, named after the river on which Amsterdam is built, now produce 10 different kinds of beer. They are Light, 1870, Gold, Malt, Lente Bock, Oud Bruin, Bock, Herfst Bock and - the variety this op is about - Lager.

Some of these varieties are brewed worldwide including in the United States, Greece, Switzerland, Hungary and the UK.

Since 1969, the Amstel breweries have been a subsidiary of Heineken.

The Cost
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If you shop around you may be able to get better deals, but typically:

4 x 330ml bottles £3.49 (£1.51/pint)
4 x 440ml cans £4.49 (£1.45/pint)

The Lager Beer
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Amstel Lager Beer, sold in over 75 countries worldwide, is a true classic beer. Before you take a sip, first enjoy its beautiful golden color. This intense color is the result of a light-co
lored Pilsener malt with a small portion of dark malt. Amstel Lager Beer is the taste of pure nature: barley, malt, hops and fresh water. The beer is end-fermented and has a mildly bitter taste with a cheerful character.

The Verdict
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I wouldn't class Amstel as a lager or as a bitter, but it seems to straddle the two quite nicely - appealing to hardened drinkers from both camps. I would particularly recommend the bottled variety as it tastes so much better coming out of a glass bottle. Why is that?

One or two in the evening watching the match on telly is just what the doctor ordered after a hard day at work. And at 5% ABV it'll relax you nicely!

Try it, you might be surprised.

ms

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