Last night I checked the cottage beer fridge for an evening IPA, an end of a scorcher of a day refresher, and grabbed a Bavarian 8.6 IPA. Sounded like just the ticket, and the extra 27ml of international bonus beer is almost all times appreciated.
But where’s Bavaria?
My Editor is constantly on my case to read the fine print, advice which I usually have neither the inclination or patience to follow. But for this brew I decided against my better judgement to throw caution to the wind and scan the can. They say this beer is brewed in Holland by Bavaria Brewery. I always thought Holland was in The Netherlands? Their website says this was brewed in The Netherlands by the Royal Swinkels Family Brewers? A confused craft crafted by those crafty Hollanders, or is it Netherlanders? No, it’s the Dutch. And I thought Bavaria was in Germany? * To add to the confusion this 8.6 is actually 7% ABV? By the time I was done trying to decipher this international beer of mystery I was in dire need of an IPA. So much for fine print reading. And that is when things really got confusing.
A golden clear lager like pour, devoid of the head their website brew pic frothed and foamed up. A minty malt aroma? Odd. The first taste is mild tropical juice intro with a malt body, mild hops and a boozy finish. This brew is as confused as I am. I did read the fine print but what I failed to read was the large print! INDIA PALE LAGER emblazoned on the front and back of this beer can. IPL? What kind of a Holland-daze of a hybrid do I have here? Time to reframe this review as I drain this brew.
It is a clean fresh mild fruit with a lager body but no lager sweet. Minimal hops and a slightly boozy aftertaste. Once I clued into this confusing craft concoction the tasting made more sense. I got reacquainted and realized it is a big swig able. Watery mouthfeel smooth until it gets to the slightly boozy finish, which didn’t make sense for a 7% IPA but seems logical for a 7% lager. It is a strong beer that wants you to know it.
The combination was interesting, refreshing, but not arresting. A contrarian Bavarian, or is it a Double Dutch?
*Editor’s Comment: Lots to unravel here. Technically the correct name for the country is The Netherlands but the name Holland is also used by many people, including the Dutch (not Hollanders or Netherlanders) who are mainly native to The Netherlands. Holland is actually a region within The Netherlands composed of two provinces, and even though the beer can identifies Holland as the brewery location, it is located in Lieshout. Lieshout is in the North Brabant province, which is in the South of The Netherlands and South of South Holland which is also South of North Holland. And although The Netherlands does border Germany, Bavaria is in the Southern part of Germany and does not share a border with The Netherlands. As for the Brewery name, the 8.6 Brand is brewed by Bavaria Brewery and owned by The Royal Swinkels Family Brewery, who in 2018 decided to rebrand their flagship Bavaria brand beers as Royal Swinkels Family, in 2024 shortened the branding to Royal Swinkels. Despite the change many products still have the Bavaria Brewery name.
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