Well here we are; it's March 1st, the year seems to be flying by already and I'm officially 16% of the way to reaching my goal with the 365brews project. I still have so much beer ahead of me to drink, but at the same time I feel like I've already had quite a selection of beers in the first short months of this project. I've intentionally tried to stay away from a lot of the mega-brands out there up to this point, for the simple fact that I may need to fall back on one of them if I find myself in a pinch later in the year. However, I'm laying my principles aside tonight to have one the big boys that I've been waiting on for a while; Grolsch.
Why Grolsch, you might be asking yourself? It's very simple and has nothing really to do with the beer itself. Honestly, I'm just fascinated by Grolsch's patented swing top opening system. I'm sure most of you out there have come across a bottle of Grolsch in the past, but in case you've never seen one before, the metal monstrosity that is the swing top opener is clearly visible in these pics. To me, the swing top opener makes Grolsch look like the nerdy kid at your junior high that had to wear the head gear to school. I don't think I've ever come across another beer with a swing top in my relatively short life, but let me tell you, I've never been as satisfied in every way while opening a beer as I have with Grolsch. There's just something about prying up that metal latch and hearing the strange little pop of the top coming off that makes me smile inside. Aside from providing an easy and fulfilling way to open your beer, the swing top bottle cap of Grolsch has also been used by bassist Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine fame as a strap lock for his guitar. As ridiculous as it sounds, I'm absoultely amazed and smitten with the swing top.
However, this blog is about the beer, not the bottle. So how does Grolsch stack up against the other heavyweights of the Dutch lager game? It's pretty much a wash. The truth is that there is nothing about the beer itself to make Grolsch stand out from the rest of the pack. The swing top opener seems like a gimmick more than anything else when you taste the beer. It has the thin, almost metallic taste that is typical of Dutch lagers and can be a bit off-putting to some drinkers. Grolsch also has a massive skunk factor that you can count on with a dutch pilsner. I'm not such a fan of the skunk, but I can see why many people love a beer like this. I think the most telling thing about this beer is that I enjoyed opening this beer more than I enjoyed drinking it. If you're a fan of Grolsch, I'll be more than happy to open the bottle for you, but I might not partake in it myself.
Proost and Gezondheid,
Ian
http://www.grolsch.com/
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