Any Heineken drinkers out there?

[lago]

I used to drink Heineken on a regular basis but switched several years ago when I found other imported beers at a better price. Anyhow, I picked up some a week or so ago and noticed seveal things. First, the paper label is gone, now it is printed on the glass bottle. My biggest concern is the taste and smell. If I didn't have Heineken for some time, the first think I noticed was the 'skunky' smell. After I got used to it, didn't bother me at all. Also, it doesn't taste like it used to. Just wondering if they are trying to make it more like American beer?

Ken

[crokett]

Every time I've tried Heinekin I've noticed that smell. I figured it was from beer sitting for a while. I've always thought that I shouldn't need to get 'used to' a bad smell when drinking my beer.

[Knottscott]

That smell is possibly caused by sunlight penetrating the green bottle...

It always took several sips to get used to, but it was sure better than the run of the mill swill that makes up most of the American market. I drink alot less often now, but when I do I prefer Sam Adam's, Negra Modelo, Upper Canada Dark ale, and a slew of great microbrews that are now available.

[bigsteel15]

I don't know about the US, but up here, Heinekin is brewed by Labatt's using the original recipe and Heinekin has quality control inspection reports sent to them weekly.
For some foreign beers, they send their own hops and/or malt over here, not sure about Heinekin.

[Cain]

I went to the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam a few years ago. It was explained that the skunky smell/taste in America is because the beer is skunky. It's brewed cold and shipped in ships across the Atlantic unrefridgerated. This cold/hot/cold combination causes it to be skunky.

I can honestly say the beer smells and tastes much better in Europe than in the states.

I wasn't aware that Heinekin is actually brewed in N. America though.

Some other interesting things about Heinekin is that the brewery that I toured closed in 1988. It's capacity was 80,000 bottles/day. The new brewery outside of town can produce 750,000 bottles/day. Of course this also includes the Amstel family of beers.

[lago]

I will have to take a look at the next bottle and see if it was brewed in the US. I had been drinking Bavaria, Bitburger, and Hollandia the past year or so and the lack of the smell was the one thing I noticed. I was in Germany a number of years ago and not knowing the brands, just asked for beer. Never had a bad beer in Germany.

I thought since I got the beer at Sam's Club, I thought they maybe dictated to Heineken to get rid of the smell.

Ken

[Jeffrey Schronce]

The distinct Heinekin flavor and aroma is associated with the hops used in the brewing process. Typically those of us in North American are very infrequently exposed to the Saaz family of hops. Combine that with the incrediably netural grains (pale malt barley) that are used in Heineken and the unusual hop flavor burst through. There are much better Dutch beers on the market that also happen to be cheaper.
Skunky flavor is not caused by heating/cooling/heating cycles. Rather it is somewhat caused by light creating a break down of the hop compounds left in the beer. I say somewhat as there are those hops that have a skunky aroma and taste from the beginning and there are those hops that are pretty much immune to the light modifying the hop compound in the beer. My guess is that the Saaz hops in Heinekin are not reacting favorably to the minimal light that passes through the green bottle, however I think it is primarily the natural flavor and aroma of the Saaz hop that folks are not used to. Let's face it bottled beer is inside of a case through all of shipping. If you live here in PA you pretty much have to go to a beer distributor that sells only by the case to get any decent price. Those bottles have never saw daylight except for the short trip from bottling to packaging.
Cain, I would say that your experience was based upon the fact that you were drinking draft Heinekin which had never been exposed to sunlight thus the preceived difference. I would add that the setting, environment and your personal disposition may have added slightly to the experience as well.
Having said all that, Heinekin in the keg or their cute little keg cans should be identical to Euro Heinekin.
I wonder what the US fate of Amstel will be? It is pretty much the same thing as the new Heinekin Light.

[Cain]

Jeffrey,

You are probably right. I can't remember who told me that regarding why the beer seemed 'more' skunky in the U.S. - someone giving the tour or someone on the tour that may have just come from one of the "coffee" houses.

Anyway, if you ever get a chance to visit Amsterdam, it's great. Aside from everything you hear about the place (i.e., red light district, coffee houses, etc.), there's some really great things to see and do. I happened to be there in May when they were harvesting the tulips. The tulips would come into downtown on boats in the canals and were sold at street-side markets. I also went to the van Gogh museum and saw a place where Rembrant lived and the Anne Frank house.

[LYU370]

I can honestly say the beer smells and tastes much better in Europe than in the states.

I'll agree with you there. The Heineken in Amsterdam is MUCH better than the stuff over here. I've never cared for Heineken here and was hesitant to try it over there, but I'm glad I did! That was some mighty tasty beer!

Over here, I'm partial to a Micro-Brew from the Ram restaurant chain, Buttface Amber, or I'll have some Blue Moon or Stella.

As an FYI for those who don't know.... You can't buy coffee at a coffee house :-) You have to go to a cafe for that.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

someone on the tour that may have just come from one of the "coffee" houses.

That's funny.

I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam and came very close when US Air had some great international rates a few years ago but I couldn't get my passport in time. Back when I was in college we tried to organize a trip mainly for the coffehouses and red light district, despite the other things you hear about Amsterdam (i.e., tulip harvest, Van Gogh, Anne Frank). LOL.
Today I would not be very interested in the coffee houses and certainly not the red light district.

[91FE]

I went to the Heineken brewery in Amsterdam a few years ago...

Me too. The free beer at the end of the tour was some of the best tasting beer that has ever crossed my lips...and I don't even like Heineken.