Christoffel Robertus

Brewed by Sint Christoffel Bier
Style: Vienna
Roermond, Netherlands

Poured a lightly hazy, auburn color with a medium sized, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel malts, toffee, and some nuts. Taste was very malty; caramel malts, toasted dough, nutty, with brown sugar, light citrus fruits, and a low bitterness as well.

I find many Viennas sweet and cloying, but I enjoyed this fruity, untypical example. It poured the colour of cherry cola with a slight haze and a 1cm head that receded quickly. Couldn’t be arsed waiting for it to warm from the fridge (second beer of the night, what the hell) , so it’s no great surprise that the aroma was initially subdued. I picked faint chocolate, cola and melon, but none of the caramel malt that I associate with the style. In a blind tasting, I certainly wouldn’t pick this as a Vienna from the aroma alone. Perhaps that’s not surprising since the brewer’s pilsener is also untypical. Ah... first sip and it tastes closer to style than it smells. Quite light and fruity but with a solid backbone of caramel malt. Bread, chocolate, caramel, cola, melon. Well balanced, this. Just enough hops in the finish to take the edge off the sweetness. Quite a flat mouthfeel but it suits this beer. (33cl bottle, IBS Perth, bb Aug 2006)

hazy amber liquid, contained in a 330 mL swingtop. malty and fruity (but clean fruity) lager-esque aroma - what i envision killian’s OUGHT to smell like. first taste is spice (clove, ginger....something edgy and herbal), and less malt than apparent in the aroma. more malt eventually shows up as the spice floats away, and the relatively light finish has a hint of bitterness so that it doesn’t leave you with the impression that it’s a sweet beer. good, but not spectacular - needs to be drunk warmer. and in larger quantities.

A Mes rate: 33cl bottle from Lowlander. Bland aroma. Appearance only just scraped a 3. Flavour is bland and uninspiring. Like a dark lager to me. Surprised at some of the rates it has had.

Flip-top bottle. Poured a gorgous red with very little head. Lite fruity aroma. Flavor was light and clean with some fruity sweetness and then a ncie touch of hops. A nice little beer. This could be the perfect session beer. I’f Only I could find a cheap krate.

Bottle. Beautiful red-brown with a large pillowy head. Sweet caramel-malt aroma, a little plummy fruit. Mostly caramel in this approachably sweet palate, maybe some stewed prunes. Nothing cloying-- very well-balanced. Excellent.

Bottle. Of-white quickly diminishing head. Red unclear body. Aroma of berries. Rounded caramel malt flavor with low bitterness and carobnation.

1 Oct 05 - Big malt hop and some vinuos/spicy clove aromas. Light brown-red colour, good yellow-brown head. Slight spiritous flavour, vinuos and malty flavour. Dry hop finish and a lingering light maltiness, but the mouthfeel could be a bit thicker.