Bocholt Premium Belgium Lager
Brouwerij Martens NV

If you’re a pale ale guy or gal this beer may not be for you. This is a decent mass produced pale German styles lager very similar to St. Paul’s Girl, Becks, or Bocholt. I believe it’s the best of those beers.

Served from 11.2 oz bottle into pint glass. A 1" pillowy white head falls slowly with mild lacing. Color is clear gold. Abundant streaming carbonation. Aroma of toasted malt, yeast, and grassy hops. Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a dry finish. Flavor is well balanced between sweet malt grain and grassy hops. Really enjoyable.

 

Pours a clear straw producing a 2+ fingers of somewhat lasting, frothy, white head that leaves splotches, wisps & motes of lace as it recedes to a thin surface cap. Aroma is honey heavy, biscuit, thin grain, grass, lemon & a hint of sulfur (skunk). There is a faint mineral note in the background. Taste is pilsner yeast, pale malt, cracker/biscuit, lemon, honey, grass, floral & a metallic hint. Less sulfur than in the nose but it is still evident. Honey, lemon, grain & bitterness in the aftertaste Starts sweet, finishes crisp & clean, drying in the aftertaste but not as dry as many of the Euro lagers I've tried. Noble hop flavor is prominent & bitterness is low to moderate. Mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, moderate-high carbonation, watery, prickly & slightly astringent. If someone else has said it's another of the green bottle Euro beers and while not great is damn good for the price as a session brew!

 

I don't understand all the negative reviews about this beer. Bocholt is far better than American lager beers. Very smooth, great aroma, taste and flavor.

 

Pours a clear straw color. 1 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of strong Euro yeast, pale malt, metallic, hint of candi sugar, and adjunct. Fits the style of Euro Pale Lager. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is an elevated dryness. Tastes of strong Euro yeast, pale malt, metallic, hint of candi sugar, and adjunct. Overall, good appearance and decent blend, but body and aroma lacking.

 

 

 

 

Looks halfway decent...ultra-clear, on the dark side of pilsener gold, and a big white head that doesn't want to stick around and party. The smell, on the other hand, is less pleasant. It's got that Euro-skunk that you'll recognize from any green-bottled Euro import you've ever had. Perhaps if I'm generous, it's not quite as strong as many, and there is a touch of hops on the nose to...distract? The flavor isn't awful, and there's some malty sweetness (or maybe that's just corn.) Mouthfeel is much better than most cheap beers like this (I think this was somewhere in the neighborhood of

My wife brought this one home as a surprise from Walmart when she noticed it was from Belgium.

First appearances made this one look hopeful. The head was fair with nice intricate lacing with a slightly high bit of carbonation.

Smell was quite off, almost bitter skunk when wafted.

Taste was bitter with a strong charcoal flavor. It left an odd aftertaste in my mouth that I could not quite pinpoint to any certain flavor. Very unappealing.

Mouthfeel - oily and slick with strong carbonation

Overall - For a Belgian beer this has more of a domestic adjunct taste and mouthfeel. Quite disappointing and I'll most certainly pass on this should I ever happen across it again.

Bought this at a Wal-Mart neighborhood market (Florida) and was suspicious given that it was placed right next to the "real" import beers (and also Becks). There was the typical Stella Artois, Heineken, and Becks crowd. The "green bottle beers." This case actually had Peroni, which I was eyeing lustfully. It's been a while. I was thinking about having another "session" with Peroni. But! Hold your horses. There was a new option in town from Belgium. It isn't as sophisticated or pretty as Peroni, but this date is 20% cheaper. And, there was something intriguing about this one. I knew that I was bing swindled. I knew that this was a fake Wal-Mart Brand. I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!. But, I'm cheap. I could have had a nice predictable evening with Peroni, but instead I chose Bocholt. And, you know. It's a pretty good pilsner. The hops may not be super sophisticated, but it's easy drinking. I tend to not like Heineken or Becks because the malts are a bit on the "toasty" side for me, but in a pinch at a restaurant, I drink it. I prefer something fresh but sweet when I'm in the mood for a pilsner. Bourbon more than Scotch. I know this is a contract beer, but it is from a GOOD contractor. This isn't Genesee. So, for the purposes of ranking the options before me, I'd rate this 2nd out of 4. Not as good as Peroni, but better than Becks or Heineken. That's my order. Peroni, Bocholt, Beck's, Heineken. So, have at it. A quality fake brand you can get at Wal-Mart and likely nowhere else. I'm curious to know if this is a "distributor brand" or a Wal-Mart brand. Either way, if the price is right and you are in the mood, it's not a bad option.

It is the smoothest Pilsner I have ever drank period.