Chateau Neubourg Pilsner

Bloody hell it’s hot. With temperatures set to hit levels that would cook sausages on a car bonnet*, there is only one course of action; break out the beer. Now I am the first to admit that I'm fickle when it comes to alcohol consumption, I've not got a go-to brand that I prefer and I don’t even drink ale/lager/stout/cider to the exclusion of all others. I am an alcoholic kerb crawler who will give my money to anything that looks like it might make me happier for a short time. So if it’s a cold cider or perry, an iced lager or even a frozen margarita so long as it’s cold: I'm a happy man. In fact, there is only one thing better than a frosted snifter on a hot day, and that is a free frosted snifter on a hot day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to Chateau Neubourg Pilsner:

Let me take this opportunity to say clearly that on a day so hot that even camels need to retreat to the pool, I fully endorse and categorically recommend without hesitation a free bottle of Chateau Neubourg. Let me also say that technically, I may have stolen this beer. You see, there was a sign saying ‘Beer is great, come this way for beer’**, and at the bottom of the sign there was a crate of beer. So I took one. I apologise unreservedly for this action but in my defence, if they weren't for the taking then perhaps another choice of ballast may be more sensible.

So on the assumption that I did not steal anything and that my conscience is clear of any bad karma, a quick discussion on the merits of this pilsner is perfectly acceptable, right? Once you have acknowledged the fact that drinking a free Arcticly cold beer on a day like today is like filling your world with joy from the inside out, you can start to appreciate the subtleties of the golden and smooth glass of social beverage before you. I hope I've made it quite clear that I am not a beer connoisseur but I found CN to be unique, in a good way. It is light but with a clear and definitively clean taste unlike any of the UK based lagers or even the current crop of Belgian pilsners that are invading our supermarket shelves. The taps of the All Bar One’s across the land are groaning with continental pilsners which, in their own way are very tasty but CN is, without question a different proposition with noticeably less gas which in my opinion can only be a positive. The tasting ‘notes’ on the website refer to a fruity finish and while I can’t lay claim to that particular taste sensation, I can tell you that there is something floral about it, perhaps it’s the ‘low fermentation’ or the ‘organic hops’, to be honest I don’t know and I don’t care. What I do know is that if you see it on offer, it’s well worth your time and money. So much so that if The Blue Bottle Company see this post and want their £2.08p, just let me know and I’ll happily cough up.

This post was fully funded by a bottle of beer from The Blue Bottle Company who were (possibly) giving away free bottles of happiness at the Waddesdon Manor Feast Festival.

http://www.thebluebeercompany.com/

http://neubourgpilsner.com/

*don’t do this, you’ll make yourself ill. Take it from a man who knows; believing something is a good idea at the time, won’t protect you from the tsunami of chunder that will inevitably ensue.

**I may be paraphrasing.