KRONENBOURG BLANC
Scottish & Newcastle
France, 5% ABV
An imported, fruity wheat beer from France which caused quite a splash when it landed in the UK a few years ago (possibly because of the astronomical costs associated with buying the stuff), Kronenbourg Blanc is a love it or hate it job, make no mistake. It’s certainly fruity and quite refreshing, but it’s sweet to the point of sickly, and you wouldn’t want to drink more than a couple of pints of the stuff – although those couple of pints might be very enjoyable indeed. It’s easily found on the high street and in the off-licence, and in my opinion that’s no bad thing for UK drinkers who have suffered through years of nothing more than the mildest of mild ales and the blandest of bland lagers. The fact that many UK drinkers may very well turn their noses up at the acquired taste of Blanc is another matter entirely. It’s also worth mentioning Kronenbourg Premier Cru here. Cru is a straightforward lager, albeit a 6% ABV one. The luxuriant bottle may be the most notable thing about it, as, for all its promises of quality, it doesn’t really taste all that exceptional. The fact that it’s advertised as an accompaniment to ‘lobe de foie gras en consommé‘ (something I must admit to rarely having knocking around at the back of the fridge), shows exactly what type of market Kronenbourg are pitching Cru at. Good luck to the marketing team, hard luck to the consumers, and of course, their shrinking wallets. DA
This beer is no longer widely available, if anyone knows where i can now buy it from I would be very grateful. We had two local pubs that used to sell it from the barrel but they stopped summer 2009 and now it has disappeared off supermarket shelves. I have hunted the web for any supplier to no avail!! Please help!!
Ditto. Where Can I find it, it’s nowhere to be found! If I found somewhere that sold it I think I would go to the lengths of stocking up for more than a few months!
Am in Ireland and knew that it was discontinued last year in the South, so have been on the same hunt to try to find it in the North, but alas I just got this response from Kronenbourg themselves today:
“Unfortunately, we have to advise that Kronenbourg Blanc has been de-listed from our portfolio.
Heineken UK have carried out a review of the brand and its market performance and have concluded that the brand does not have an effective role to play in the highly competitive sector.”
Sob!
Just pop over to France for a day on the ferry. They still sell it in pretty much every supermarket. 6 x 250ml bottles for about 3 euros. I stock up regularly!
I wouldn’t worry, it was horrible stuff. I don’t know what additives they put in it, but two pints of the stuff guaranteed a cracking headache. Hoegaarden is much superior and less painful.
I’m currently enjoying a bottle of kronenburg blanched in Paris. In most supermarkets here. Would love to get some though when back in uk