I've had this, it's pretty good. Price is right. There are better blondes popping up in Lidl though. Bornen multipack, st feuillien multipack... Occasionally they have a van steenberg selection box (Draak, Piraat, Bornem etc...) for about 12 quid for 6 beers - that's the holy grail of Lidl Belgian ale finds.
When I first started drinking beer carbonated beers were frowned on. I’ve never really cared, judging it on taste and satisfaction. In 1989 I first encountered Bugges Tripple, it was 9% then and it was fabulous. A great weekend in Brugge, I had Brugge tripple lunch time and sat on the canal side in the warm balmy evenings, fabulous. A proper Belgium beer glass has room for an exceptional head.
Just checking in here to say I absolutely love your reviews because nothing is off the table, you review beers in bottles that are 100 years old or you review brews that you find at Lidl or Aldi. And the videos where you went around Manchester to the Marble Arch, absolutely fantastic. You just do your bit to go around finding the best beers, sampling them and giving us your opinions. Fantastic stuff, keep it coming.
Mate, there's a distinction between who labels and distributes things and who makes them. Crius is made FOR Lidl, not BY Lidl. It's from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, same as Gulden Draak, Piraat. Bornem, etc. Big supermarkets don't make anything; they get a manufacturer to give them a big price reduction for large quantities and then rebadge them; this suits them both as they get to sell it cheap and the fact that it is being sold cheap in a supermarket doesn't affect the perceived quality of the existing brand.
That's not quite correct. Lidl is part of the Schwarz Gruppe and Schwarz does have it's own production arm which makes some chocolate, baked goods, coffee and ice cream for its two retail brands Lidl and Kaufland. I think there's plans for a bottled water production plant in the UK but for now it's all in mainland Europe. No beer as yet though.
This beer is made by Brouwerij Van Steenberge. It looks like they make mostly stronger types of beer(ABV) and they say on their web page that they been around since 1784. It looks like Lidel kind of goes in the opposite direction than many others food chains. That just want to sell you cheapest beer that they can produce. Using dirty tricks like lowering the ABV but not the bottle/can design. In the wine world they have a term named plonk. “Plonk” is a derogatory term for rough wine of dubious quality. And many super marked chains sell the beer equivalent of plonk
I was in Mechelen in Belgium the other week. I was drinking Carolus, amongst others. Carolus is 8.5%. Crius contains a few of the letters of Carolus. Wonder if it’s the same stuff ? In the supermarkets the weakest lager available was 5.2%. We went into a bar called Bier Central. It had 366 different Belgian beers. You were given a catalogue when you went in. Had some wife beater while we were there. Totally different to the stuff you get here.
After looking at the beer sections of both lidl and aldi recently, I can passionately say that lidl are quite literally kicking it out of the park at the moment. Some fantastic beers at amazing prices, what more does a man need?
Hi Simon, I remember working in the pub; the first pint of lager I ever served was £1.85 And now, 27 years later, the same pint of lager will cost £6.30. In the same pub,
@@TrancetasticWilza 2006 I remember several places in Leeds on a week night doing £1 a pint nights and some places doing £10 entry and unlimited drink. Seems mental to consider that was even a thing nowadays
@@TrancetasticWilza 46p a pint when i started going to pubs early 80s in scotland,we used to say we were going to give up drinking if they raised the price to 50p lol pubs still a bit cheaper in scotland and northern england for that matter than down south
I just returned from Dublin. On Rammstein gig they sold canned 4.0% lager 0.33L for 7 euros. Not mentioning in regular pub pint of Guinness is between 6 - 8 Euros. Crius in the fridge right now😊😊
@@BoldDreadmanwent to Dublin about twenty years ago, bought a pint of Guinness and a glass of wine, cost me ten quid, I told the barman I didn’t realise I’d bought the pub a round🙄🙄🙄
£9:50 for a pint of stella at the o2 in london at the bkb 39 event i had a couple of bottles of crius at home last night its money well spent another great review simon
I'm relieved that you like this as it would've been funny (after the Jackenory storytelling) if you'd hated it. Was in Lidl today & didn't see any. Got the 4xBordem instead
Please do LIDL french chap 250ml review just for curiosity - there's two 2.5% and a 4%... you have to buy a box - but their small and cheap and I really want to see your opinion. I'm possibly a total philistine but I like getting a box from time to time.
Managed to get a four pack before they all sold out - totally agree: really nice brew with lots of character and flavour to unpack. When you think about it, a four pack of brewed-under-licence Tyskie at my local offy is £6.50, so an extra 50p for a Belgian Blonde doesn't take much brainpower to justify 😃
I find these bottles ok, in the same way I find Leffe and Duvel ok, drinkable, fairly pleasant but I'd say in the Belgian beer world they might be slightly lower priced beers. They are extremely good value, you would pay more than £6.99 for one bottle in a craft beer bar though!
It's very nice beer. In the winter, I often enjoy very strong Trappist/Abbey beers that often costs 4+ quid a bottle. This isn't St Bernadus or Westmalle quality but it's not far off.
I bought another Belgian beer from Lidl, Bornem. When I examined the ingredients I was disgusted to see sugar as one of them. Is Crius brewed with or without sugar? Lidl do seem to add sugar to most of their comestibles, sweet or savory, and I try to avoid them.
Many Belgian beers are traditionally brewed with sugar, it helps increase the alcohol content for one. It seems a little strange to me to find sugar disgusting especially considering that alcohol is a Class 1 carcinogen and not the latest “superfood”.
Recently found your channel mate, keep up the good work,like your patter. Have you reviewed Aldi Memphis Blood IPA, definitely my favourite from the store at present 😊
I picked up a pack of 4 and really liked them, so went back and got some more. Nicer than Duvel for me. Also, Duvel have lowered their abv (at least in the UK) so I don't think I'll be bothering with it anymore. I'd love to see Lidl stock these or something like the Gulden Draak/Piraat range all year round instead of just their beer festivals.
I tend to drink for effect, so I always calculate price per cc of alcohol in any drink, and there is almost no difference in price per cc of alcohol in this beer than any other that I know of. Might I go so far as to suggest that beer prices are very largely dependent on the ABV, not supposed "Quality". But for bangs per buck nothing compares to that 9-11% chemical cider (White Lightning) that was sold in Scotland for less than £2 per litre.
they used to sell big bottles of kozel in the local weatherspoons,much nicer than any of their draught beers,and about same price as a pint,but i dont see it anymore
Then you should try De Garre Tripel when you visit Belgium. 11%! In the past, it was sold only in a local pub in Bruges. Now it's brewed by Van Steenberge and available on the market.
I need to confess here.. Ibe been tanking budwieser for weeks now😮 unthinkable for me a few months ago, but that's what the taste buds are calling for. If we can call them taste buds😕🤣
You should see the resale Taylor Swift tickets prices in North America. People fly to Europe or Asia to see her because the cost of the trip plus tickets is comparable if not cheaper to buying resale
McEWAN'S CHAMPION 7.3 Beer I will say no more.....serve very cold give it 3 or 4 sips then enjoy and a great price...........great vid give this beer a go........on your channel.
@@mindematt not me no headaches from UK beers,why specifically UK beers?,what's your logic proof of that statement?,any beers from anywhere can give you a headache if you drink excessively and high strength abv,so therefore drink in moderation and eat food before you drink ,drink plenty water in the morning ,sensibly responsible behaviour..🙄nothing to do with UK beers or ales ..🤣
Anyone else think Simon had a few 🍺 before reviewing this one? Home Bargains do a cheap can of cider at 8.5% for £1.25 please review it even if you don't drink cider! Would love your thoughts about it 😂
But isnt this a typucal bottle conditioned beer? It was clear until all the sediment was mixed around in the dregs and poured into the glass. Im just back from Belgium and they didn't do that.
It's a Lidl own brand created by Bluemango design. Is it brewed in Belgium? You never know these days. I'd like to know who brews it and I'd like single bottles rather than four=packs.
A brandy glass, particularly an oversized brandy glass is great for a special higher proof beer Beligian IMHO. Sometimes it`s nice to get 2 bottles in the one glass
Went to O2 the other week, £9 for a pint pf shitty lager. Its beyind a joke now, ticket prices are insane, upwards of £100+ for a shitty seat up in the clouds. By the time you get train, buy ticket, have a few beers its a £250 day out. This country has gone to absolute ratshit. Ticketmaster are just legal touts now.
My grandfather ran the Youngs tap in Wandsworth in the 60's. It was called the Ram and still is although it is now obviously not the brewery tap. A ram is also the old business' logo. Wells ruined Youngs btw. The strong bottled beer brewed by Youngs you are thinking of is Ramrod. I believe Ramtam was the name that Timmy Taylors applied to the beer now known as landlord black.
Perfect analogy Simon. Drinking a four pack of Crius now in the garden sun shining.
God bless the Middle of Lidl 😊
I've had this, it's pretty good.
Price is right.
There are better blondes popping up in Lidl though.
Bornen multipack, st feuillien multipack... Occasionally they have a van steenberg selection box (Draak, Piraat, Bornem etc...) for about 12 quid for 6 beers - that's the holy grail of Lidl Belgian ale finds.
My favourite is the ‘offers’ they have at these O2 music venues. “2 flat pints of Madri in a 1L plastic cup for only £14!”
To be honest, the first place I go is the beer isle when I go shopping and worry about the grocery budget later.
Ditto
Same here...let them eat cake 🎂
That's what everyone does, isn't it?
When I first started drinking beer carbonated beers were frowned on. I’ve never really cared, judging it on taste and satisfaction. In 1989 I first encountered Bugges Tripple, it was 9% then and it was fabulous. A great weekend in Brugge, I had Brugge tripple lunch time and sat on the canal side in the warm balmy evenings, fabulous. A proper Belgium beer glass has room for an exceptional head.
Just checking in here to say I absolutely love your reviews because nothing is off the table, you review beers in bottles that are 100 years old or you review brews that you find at Lidl or Aldi. And the videos where you went around Manchester to the Marble Arch, absolutely fantastic. You just do your bit to go around finding the best beers, sampling them and giving us your opinions. Fantastic stuff, keep it coming.
I concur
Sorry to hear your wife is a Taylor Swift fan. Is that why you drink?
🤣🤣🤣
😂😂
😂😂😂
Considering Taylor Swift is to music as what Strongbow is to cider. Your Mrs ain’t half a glutton for punishment.
Mate, there's a distinction between who labels and distributes things and who makes them. Crius is made FOR Lidl, not BY Lidl. It's from Brouwerij Van Steenberge, same as Gulden Draak, Piraat. Bornem, etc. Big supermarkets don't make anything; they get a manufacturer to give them a big price reduction for large quantities and then rebadge them; this suits them both as they get to sell it cheap and the fact that it is being sold cheap in a supermarket doesn't affect the perceived quality of the existing brand.
Yep
That's not quite correct. Lidl is part of the Schwarz Gruppe and Schwarz does have it's own production arm which makes some chocolate, baked goods, coffee and ice cream for its two retail brands Lidl and Kaufland. I think there's plans for a bottled water production plant in the UK but for now it's all in mainland Europe. No beer as yet though.
Definitely getting some given that knowledge
Tried these last night. Lovely Belgian blonde beer. Great review Si 👍🍻
This beer is made by Brouwerij Van Steenberge. It looks like they make mostly stronger types of beer(ABV) and they say on their web page that they been around since 1784. It looks like Lidel kind of goes in the opposite direction than many others food chains. That just want to sell you cheapest beer that they can produce. Using dirty tricks like lowering the ABV but not the bottle/can design. In the wine world they have a term named plonk. “Plonk” is a derogatory term for rough wine of dubious quality. And many super marked chains sell the beer equivalent of plonk
I went to an American football game in the states and they charged me $20 for a can of bud light so £7.50 isn’t too bad
I was in Mechelen in Belgium the other week. I was drinking Carolus, amongst others. Carolus is 8.5%. Crius contains a few of the letters of Carolus. Wonder if it’s the same stuff ? In the supermarkets the weakest lager available was 5.2%. We went into a bar called Bier Central. It had 366 different Belgian beers. You were given a catalogue when you went in. Had some wife beater while we were there. Totally different to the stuff you get here.
My fav beer ever was 2006;Gouden Carolus Christmas , next two years nothing as good though . Should be selling now .
I wouldn't drink a can of Strongbow dark fruits if you _paid_ me 7 & a half quid 🤣
Agreed. Strongbow is an apology for cider. It should be sold as alcopop.
It’s quite nice tbh
dark fruits is more of a blackcurrant apple alcopop, not the worst with a pile of ice on a hot day. not the best either thou.
You can cook pork chops in the slow cooker with it though.
After looking at the beer sections of both lidl and aldi recently, I can passionately say that lidl are quite literally kicking it out of the park at the moment. Some fantastic beers at amazing prices, what more does a man need?
Hi Simon, I remember working in the pub; the first pint of lager I ever served was £1.85 And now, 27 years later, the same pint of lager will cost £6.30. In the same pub,
85p in 2004? I worked in a pub in 1999/2000 and a pint was around £2.
@@TrancetasticWilza 2006 I remember several places in Leeds on a week night doing £1 a pint nights and some places doing £10 entry and unlimited drink. Seems mental to consider that was even a thing nowadays
@@TrancetasticWilza You're right, mate. I've left £1 off. Sorry for my mistake.
@@TrancetasticWilza Thank you. You made me realise it was 27 years ago instead of 20 years ago.
@@TrancetasticWilza 46p a pint when i started going to pubs early 80s in scotland,we used to say we were going to give up drinking if they raised the price to 50p lol pubs still a bit cheaper in scotland and northern england for that matter than down south
Great price considering west malle is £3.50 a 330ml bottle. Belgium strong ales arnt cheep but god they are worth it.
It's amazing how sporting events and concerts rip people off on beers.😢
I just returned from Dublin. On Rammstein gig they sold canned 4.0% lager 0.33L for 7 euros. Not mentioning in regular pub pint of Guinness is between 6 - 8 Euros. Crius in the fridge right now😊😊
@@BoldDreadman Rammstein in Dublin...Sound like a dream.
@@BoldDreadmanwent to Dublin about twenty years ago, bought a pint of Guinness and a glass of wine, cost me ten quid, I told the barman I didn’t realise I’d bought the pub a round🙄🙄🙄
I have tried this several times and really like it….
Tried the Chech made Staroprammen tother day. 👍
I'm no reviewer but the difference I noticed was it smelled better and the finish on it was 👌
Same 👌 really getting into my barcodes lately lol
Hi do you still use perfect draft machine and buying the Kegs
£9:50 for a pint of stella at the o2 in london at the bkb 39 event i had a couple of bottles of crius at home last night its money well spent another great review simon
I'm relieved that you like this as it would've been funny (after the Jackenory storytelling) if you'd hated it. Was in Lidl today & didn't see any. Got the 4xBordem instead
Please do LIDL french chap 250ml review just for curiosity - there's two 2.5% and a 4%... you have to buy a box - but their small and cheap and I really want to see your opinion. I'm possibly a total philistine but I like getting a box from time to time.
Managed to get a four pack before they all sold out - totally agree: really nice brew with lots of character and flavour to unpack. When you think about it, a four pack of brewed-under-licence Tyskie at my local offy is £6.50, so an extra 50p for a Belgian Blonde doesn't take much brainpower to justify 😃
Simon is that a Bang and Olufsen stereo on the counter top ?
Great beer. I purchased all of the beers from Lidl during the beer fest week and this was the stand out. Great taste ❤
Waitrose has a cherry Chouffe at 8% & £2.50, better that than Strongbow dark fruits.
I saw these a couple of weeks ago. Bought a pack. Very nice.
The glass you stole from the pub 😂😂
Hunted for this stuff for weeks.Finally found the last 4 pack in a local Lidl.Can say worth the wait fantastic beer😅
Hissing and fizzing like a broken fire extinguisher in your mouth.....i love this bloke ...👍💯💥
I find these bottles ok, in the same way I find Leffe and Duvel ok, drinkable, fairly pleasant but I'd say in the Belgian beer world they might be slightly lower priced beers.
They are extremely good value, you would pay more than £6.99 for one bottle in a craft beer bar though!
it is van steenberge brewery gulden drak or pirat
It's very nice beer. In the winter, I often enjoy very strong Trappist/Abbey beers that often costs 4+ quid a bottle. This isn't St Bernadus or Westmalle quality but it's not far off.
Lidl Luminous Nights. The best beer in Lidl, the best value NEIPA in the UK. An astounding beer!
I was in there today and picked up a bottle of Spaten, and thought sod it and bought 4 pack of Bornem Blonde. Which is very nice 😁
And I'm drinking it from a tulip glass I stole from the pub 😂😂😂
8.5% right up my street absolutely love a strong beer
Me too, but they are exceedingly rare at a half decent price
Great channel buddy. Ive stopped going to Music festivals because the rip-off.Charges for food and drinks
Great review.
Good deal £1.75 / bottle . Some Imperial stouts 10.5 % sell for £7 half pint +.
Next time in Lidl’s and I will be definitely looking for that!!!
Strongbow was reasonably good once, in the 1970’s but thats long gone.
I'm not sure but I think ram Tam.
What's the timothy taylor drink
I bought another Belgian beer from Lidl, Bornem. When I examined the ingredients I was disgusted to see sugar as one of them. Is Crius brewed with or without sugar?
Lidl do seem to add sugar to most of their comestibles, sweet or savory, and I try to avoid them.
Many Belgian beers are traditionally brewed with sugar, it helps increase the alcohol content for one. It seems a little strange to me to find sugar disgusting especially considering that alcohol is a Class 1 carcinogen and not the latest “superfood”.
suger is a natural sweetener...from mother earth herself....your, that used to ASPARTAME (made in a lab from larvae droppings)...look it up!...
Would love to see him do a blind tasting experience. Official brand vs aldi lidl mocks would be good.
Sounds like you got 4 out of your five a day fruit in there Simon 😂Caroline Ireland 🇮🇪
Recently found your channel mate, keep up the good work,like your patter. Have you reviewed Aldi Memphis Blood IPA, definitely my favourite from the store at present 😊
Sorry that’s Memphis Blud, grapefruit infused IPA brewed in Scotland in a 440 mil tin
I picked up a pack of 4 and really liked them, so went back and got some more. Nicer than Duvel for me. Also, Duvel have lowered their abv (at least in the UK) so I don't think I'll be bothering with it anymore. I'd love to see Lidl stock these or something like the Gulden Draak/Piraat range all year round instead of just their beer festivals.
In the Belgian Lidls they have for some years a standard assortment of different Belgian strong beers.
Its like a broken fire extinguisher in your mouth 😂😂😂
Love your new take on the old Carlsberg slogan...
I tend to drink for effect, so I always calculate price per cc of alcohol in any drink, and there is almost no difference in price per cc of alcohol in this beer than any other that I know of. Might I go so far as to suggest that beer prices are very largely dependent on the ABV, not supposed "Quality". But for bangs per buck nothing compares to that 9-11% chemical cider (White Lightning) that was sold in Scotland for less than £2 per litre.
they used to sell big bottles of kozel in the local weatherspoons,much nicer than any of their draught beers,and about same price as a pint,but i dont see it anymore
Duval copy?
Never expected for blonde beer to be this strong
Then you should try De Garre Tripel when you visit Belgium. 11%! In the past, it was sold only in a local pub in Bruges. Now it's brewed by Van Steenberge and available on the market.
I got a similar pack a few weeks ago but was triple 10.5 too strong 💪
I need to confess here.. Ibe been tanking budwieser for weeks now😮 unthinkable for me a few months ago, but that's what the taste buds are calling for. If we can call them taste buds😕🤣
You should see the resale Taylor Swift tickets prices in North America. People fly to Europe or Asia to see her because the cost of the trip plus tickets is comparable if not cheaper to buying resale
It's indeed a nice beer, even for a spoiled Belgian... ;-) All the best from Flanders, Belgium!
Dooh should have picked 4 up today
Its from belgium
Can u do 10 of them simon? The 10 crius challenge?
McEWAN'S CHAMPION 7.3 Beer I will say no more.....serve very cold give it 3 or 4 sips then enjoy and a great price...........great vid give this beer a go........on your channel.
Hell yeah my kinda great tasting quality ale 4 for £7 Tesco 7.3%
@@FighterPilot1945 and a headache next morning from UK beers, didn't have any from Belgium, even from 10.5% ones
@@mindematt not me no headaches from UK beers,why specifically UK beers?,what's your logic proof of that statement?,any beers from anywhere can give you a headache if you drink excessively and high strength abv,so therefore drink in moderation and eat food before you drink ,drink plenty water in the morning ,sensibly responsible behaviour..🙄nothing to do with UK beers or ales ..🤣
@@FighterPilot1945uk brewed beers are the devil, apparently
@@nivzb18 rubbish..
Anyone else think Simon had a few 🍺 before reviewing this one? Home Bargains do a cheap can of cider at 8.5% for £1.25 please review it even if you don't drink cider! Would love your thoughts about it 😂
He's on the beers at 9 am
But isnt this a typucal bottle conditioned beer? It was clear until all the sediment was mixed around in the dregs and poured into the glass. Im just back from Belgium and they didn't do that.
Like a duvel and they’re 4 for 3 in Tesco
It's a Lidl own brand created by Bluemango design. Is it brewed in Belgium? You never know these days. I'd like to know who brews it and I'd like single bottles rather than four=packs.
No it’s not
A brandy glass, particularly an oversized brandy glass is great for a special higher proof beer Beligian IMHO. Sometimes it`s nice to get 2 bottles in the one glass
You don't know how much drink is till you hand over a high note or look at ya bank notification
Can we start taking bets on when Simon gets his ponytail back 🤣
£50 Some time July
@@craigb2644 I was thinking late August, early September 😂
@essexlad8151 Due to the nutritional benefits of beer Simon's Barnet will grow fast, Ponytail back end of July.
My niece and my sister seen Talylor swift
Hi very good reviews
👍
What non-alcoholic lager would you recommend?
Water?
They probably think that if you are game enough to pay the outrageous ticket prices to see TS, then you will be willing to pay £7.50 for Strongbow 🤣🤣
mate i went to see the darts live and they charged £9 for a tin of thatchers.
I only have pub stolen glasses
I would put my money on Duvel, looking at those bottles.
No, it isn't. Crius is brewed by Van Steenberge. Duvel by Duvel Moortgat.
Timothy taylor ram tam, now claled landlord dark
Lidl is the beer Boss
Come on Simon. It is the Principality stadium, not the Millennium. It has been the PRINCIPALITY since 2016.
Or a gin glass will do
To be honest i dont even look at the price I see belgian beer that ive never had before I take it
Went to O2 the other week, £9 for a pint pf shitty lager. Its beyind a joke now, ticket prices are insane, upwards of £100+ for a shitty seat up in the clouds. By the time you get train, buy ticket, have a few beers its a £250 day out. This country has gone to absolute ratshit. Ticketmaster are just legal touts now.
It tastes like Duvel to me.
Duvel is less spicy.
It’s brewed for lidl
Yes, by the Belgian brewery Van Steenberge, but it isn't mentioned on the label.
£10 for a can of Budweiser in Wembley Stadium......absolutely disgusting....
This is basically a Duvel clone. Not worse, not better. I'm surprised a comparison with Duvel was never mentioned in the review.
I don't take that view, since Crius is a lot more spicier than a Duvel.
Because it is expensive and Belgian it is wonderful but if it was British it would be tramp juice?
No, even for a Belgian like me, it's a very nice beer.
My grandfather ran the Youngs tap in Wandsworth in the 60's. It was called the Ram and still is although it is now obviously not the brewery tap. A ram is also the old business' logo. Wells ruined Youngs btw. The strong bottled beer brewed by Youngs you are thinking of is Ramrod. I believe Ramtam was the name that Timmy Taylors applied to the beer now known as landlord black.
Duvel has some competition...when that is £2.50 a bottle. Methinks I shall be trying these sooner rather than later
'Smells Okay' 5:32, have you downsized your boxer shorts as well?
😂