by Beth Benson

Created on: June 16, 2008   Last Updated: April 09, 2011

Amstel Beer comes from the beautiful Netherlands directly from Amsterdam and was first brewed in 1870. Amstel beer is part of one of the first Dutch breweries to ever export beer in cans instead of bottles. Amstel is considered to be a lager, a lager which is available in several different kinds of styles: Amstel Light, Amstel Premium 1870, Amstel Gold, Amstel Malt, Amstel Lentebock, and Amstel Oud Bruin.

Amstel Light Beer is a lager that is very light in color with a light body and a crisp taste. There are no hops which means that there is no sharp bite to the beer, it's just very light and smooth. You could almost say that it almost tastes like a malt beverage. However, the aroma of the beer literally stinks. The flavor takes on a lemon flavor, with a lot of carbonation and head.

Amstel Premium is considered a great holiday beer because of the lemon flavoring. Yellowish amber in color and has a small head, with a moderate aroma of hops and some malt. The flavor is sweet still, but there is an almost watery texture to it.

Amstel Gold has a clearer more goldish color to it, but tastes really grainy. The taste is a whole lot better than the smell. Amstel Gold has a perfect mix of hops, some vanilla, and you can even taste a hint of fruit somewhere in the mix.

Amstel Malt is a bit different then its brothers and sisters, there is a lot of head on this beer and it is very bitter. It almost tastes like you're drinking an almond flavored soda because of the odd flavoring and the carbonation. This beer is very strong.

Amstel Lentebock is a dark gold lager that isn't very sweet, but has a strong hop taste to it. It's a solid beer with a fruity, almost toasty aroma. Its almost like they took Amstel Gold and took out the vanilla and added an apple taste to it and another handful of hops.

Amstel Oud Bruin has an odd aroma with a light brown head that disappears quickly. The flavoring is overpowering and almost tastes like a strange variation of molasses. The flavor doesn't stick for very long, but when it does it's a horrible aftertaste.

All of Amstel beers range from 2% to 4% alcohol by volume. Amstel was bought out by Heineken in 1968. In 1972, the Amstel Brewery in Amsterdam was closed and production was moved to the main Heineken plant in Zoeterwoude. Heineken still offers the Amstel beers under the Amstel brand name. Amstel beer is sold in over 75 different countries, so get out there and give it a try!

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