Brasseries Kronenbourg (Strasbourg)
68 Route d'Oberhausbergen, 67200 Strasbourg. Tel: 03 88 27 44 88
Beer List -
Any tasting notes that appear against the beers are the personal opinions of the authors. If the authors disagree on
any aspect then their initials appear before their individual opinion.
1664 - 6.3% alc/vol View Label
8 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1952. The name is in recognition of the start of the brewery in
1664.
Tasting Notes - Immensely hoppy beer with a strongly husky and bitter hop. So strong that it hides almost
completely the fairly full pale malt base.
1664 Brune - 6.9% alc/vol
View Label 8 Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1990.
Tasting Notes - Impressively dark and fruity sweet brown beer that is definitely more dark lager than brown ale.
A bit one-dimensional but it is easy to drink. KR: Very one-dimensional and that dimension is not strong enough to carry
1664 Premier Cru - 6% alc/vol
Comments - First brewed 2002.
Tasting Notes - Full bodied, quite thick, strong pale malt with a taste similar to a beer de garde. Richness and
thickness of palate makes this one for slower drinking rather than quaffing and reduces the refreshing element of a normal
French lager. That said it is still moderately refreshing.
1664 Single Malt - 6.1% alc/vol
Bière de la Braderie - 5% alc/vol
Comments - Supposedly a special brew of an amber beer just for the Grand Braderie in
Bière de l'Eté - 4.7% alc/vol
Bière de Mars - 4.7% alc/vol
Comments - The beer is flash-pasteurised (shorter than normal).
Tasting Notes - Pretty false. Gives the impression of being very much a forced character that fails to
impress.
Bière de Mars de Maître Kanter - 4.7% alc/vol
Bière de Noël - 5% alc/vol
Tasting Notes - Very sweet and very caramelly with little else apart from a touch of hop.
Blanc - 5% alc/vol
Comments - Cloudy white beer set to compete with Hoegaarden though this ones
doesn't contain any wheat.
Chicada - 4.7% alc/vol
Comments - First brewed 1994.
Ducasse - 4.7% alc/vol
Fleur de Houblon
Gold de Kanterbräu - 6.4% alc/vol View Label 6 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1979.
Tasting Notes - Full, malty, lager with a good hop character and a surprising level of alcohol warmth. A bit clean
and mass-market in character but it is a full, long-lasting, well balanced, tasty lager.
K - 4.7% alc/vol View Label 8
Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1995. There is a temperature indicator on the back
Tasting Notes - JW: Very easy to drink light beer with an excellent soft texture and a good balance. KR: Very
original taste. It seems they were trying for a lager with more flavour and they succeeded. It will make a good hot summers
day thirst quencher for ale drinkers.
Kanterbräu - 4.7% alc/vol View
Label 9 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1971. 1.7 million hectolitres is produced annually, 63% of in
Tasting Notes - JW: Has that Strasbourg nose - sort of biscuity, buttery, husky malty and very hoppy. Once
through the nose it is almost all hop. Unfortunately also a little metallic. KR: Excellent quality ingredients make it full, well
balanced and nicely hopped. More akin to a Czech pilsner than a French.
Kanterbräu Bière de Mars
Tasting Notes - A very good Bière de Mars with a full quota of hops to give it a nice kick and avoid being
overpowered by the sweetness.
Kanterbräu Bière de Noël - 5% alc/vol View Label 10 Kb
Tasting Notes - Has signs of promise but does not measure up in the end. Typically French "Big Brewery" fodder
with a weak character, but a step in the right direction.
Kronenbourg - 4.7% alc/vol
View Label 7 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1947. A staggering 4.5 million hectolitres is produced
annually, 83% of it on draught.
Tasting Notes - Fairly nondescript lager though it has a pleasant hop character and fairly full taste. It is
noticeably bitter and resiny and gets more so. JW: Personally I do not like the resiny bitterness in the palate and finish.
Kronenbourg 2.6 - 2.6% alc/vol
Kronenbourg Ice - 5.5% alc/vol
Kronenpils - 4.7% alc/vol View
Label 7 Kb
Tasting Notes - JW: Fairly well balanced malt and hop but the hop comes out on top in the end to produce a
fairly hoppy, bitter finish. Hardly a classic Pils but okay as a basic lager. KR: Oversweet with an unpleasant husky hop. A bit
wishy-washy which just emphasises the sweetness more.
Maître Kanter Bière de Noël - 5% alc/vol View Label 9 Kb
Tasting Notes - JW: A pleasant nose and full taste make the watery element in the palate a bit of a surprise. The
various parts of this beers character don't gel quite as much as they should but it is a pleasant enough Alsace Christmas
beer. KR: Dull and uninspiring. Over-sweet and tangily rich character forced onto an ordinary lager base.
Obernai - 4.5% alc/vol View
Label 8 Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1978.
Tasting Notes - A light, fairly bland beer with just a hoppy bitter Czech pilsener character. KR: Shame about the
sweetness throughout.
La Resérve Maître Kanter - 6.1% alc/vol View Label 9 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1996. Named after Dr. Hans Kanter.
Tasting Notes - A remarkably full tasting beer with a reasonable depth and a full body. Pilsener malt and hops
are well balanced adding to an interesting alternating sweet and dry character.
Tradition Allemande - 4.7% alc/vol View Label 7 Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1993.
Tasting Notes - Quite an impressive full mouth of taste if a little one-sided on the hop front.
Tradition Anglaise - 4.7% alc/vol View Label 7 Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1993. Label says - top fermented, lightly torrified malt,
notes of honey, licorice and caramel !!
Tasting Notes - Kronenbourg obviously have an interesting idea of what an English beer should be ! This seems
to have a forced interest which does not suit it.
Valstar - 3.7% alc/vol View
Label 10 Kb
Tasting Notes - JW: Easy drinking light beer, well suited to quaffing in the bar on a hot day. The level of malt
and hops keeps you interested. KR: Horrible sweetness is particularly artificial.
Wel Scotch - 6.2% alc/vol
View Label 7 Kb
Comments - First brewed 1993.
Tasting Notes - Ridiculously thick and sweet. The light smokey whisky character and gently fruity malt is ruined
by the excessive sweetness.
Wilfort - 6.9% alc/vol View Label
8 Kb
Comments - First brewed in 1949. When tried on draught it had none of the depth of
character noted below, being much sweeter with a gently roasted malt and an excess of burnt sugar.
Tasting Notes - Excellent aroma and superb soft creamy texture lead you into a porter style beer that is full of
flavour and overtly fruity. Possibly the pear drops are overdone a little. KR: An unfortunate chemical note goes through the
whole taste and spoils it somewhat.
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© 2001 J.Woods & K.Rigley
This page last updated Friday 14th
May 2004