I recently made the mistake of purchasing a 6-pack of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, a new product from the makers of the original Kronenbourg 1664, which I quite enjoy. Born in Strasbourg, France, weighing in at 5% and sold in terribly unattractive blue 330mL bottles, the beer proved to be a big disappointment.
The first signs of trouble came as soon as I poured it. The beer was a cloudy, milky colour that was not particularly appealing. However, as a witbier, I was willing to overlook the colour. The aroma was where things really started to go downhill. It was incredibly sweet-smelling. Peachy, but somehow artificial. Not surprisingly, the taste was also extremely sweet. Again, peach notes were prevalent, but also elements of citrus. There was very little aftertaste to speak of.
The label reads "fresh and fruity" so I knew what I was getting myself into, but I was hoping for a refreshing beer. What I got was, to my mind, barely beer at all. There are lots of fruit flavoured or fruit infused beers that I have enjoyed very much. The biggest problem that I had with the 1664 Blanc is that it was fruit first and beer only a distant second. Additionally, the fruit flavour tasted artificial. It might be possible that in the right conditions, this beer would prove more palatable. Perhaps on a sunny afternoon, with the mercury climbing. Certainly there is a market for this kind of beverage. But, this beer is definitely not for me. Now I have several left in my fridge and they may be there for a while.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10.
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