Beer Of The Week (Vol IV)

Volume Four in the recently expanded beer tasting series. Once again, today's post is made possible by the fine folks at Glen Lake Wine and Spirits. That establishment has generously agreed to provide beer for weekly reviews and every brew featured here is available at Glen Lake Wine and Spirits. These reviews will be an expansion of the beer rating that I've been doing for years and will be more in-depth look at particular beers using the same rating criteria. And in addition to the just the beer itself, I'll be examining the whole aesthetic package; the bottle, the label, the name.

When you think of France, you think of Paris, wine, fromage, and chain-smoking, anti-American, existentialist philosophers. But not beer. Even though its neighbors to the east are well known for their brewing process, you don't hear much about French beer. In fact, over the many years of rating beer here, I've yet to judge a French brew. El Salvador yes, France no.

That all changed last week when the proprietor of Glen Lake Wine and Spirits suggested I try Kronenbourg 1664. I was a little skeptical, especially when another Glen Lake associate asked "Is that that French beer?" when he saw what I was lugging home.

However, I'm happy to report that the skepticism was unwarranted. Kronenbourg 1664 is a French beer and a pretty darn good one at that. It's style is similar to other European lagers, but I'd say it's better than most.


The bottle is light green with "1664" engraved on it. The tricolor label (red, white, and blue naturally) is simple yet elegant.

COLOR (0-2): Light golden color. 1

AROMA (0-2): Intense maltiness. 2

HEAD (0-2): Full and rich. 2

TASTE (0-5): A nice mix of bite and smooth flavor. 3

AFTERTASTE (0-2): Fades a little too fast. 1

OVERALL (0-6): A well-rounded lager that combines taste and refreshment. 4

TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 13