Gouden Haven
Swinkels Family Brewers

Gouden HavenGouden Haven
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From:
Swinkels Family Brewers
 
Netherlands
Style:
European Pale Lager
ABV:
4.8%
Score:
72
Avg:
2.84 | pDev: 25.35%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
29
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 17, 2017
Added:
Oct 01, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by deltatauhobbit:
Photo of deltatauhobbit
Reviewed by deltatauhobbit from Maine

3.14/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
An odd find at Tim's Little Big Store, they always have the random-est beers no other store has.

Pours a plain clear yellow color, very little head and what there is disappears fast, no lacing.

Smell is all malt, kinda grassy, overall the aroma is very faint, not as "skunky" as most euro lagers though.

Taste is crisp and light in the mouth, clean malt taste on the sides with a subtle sweetness.

Not my most favorite style and not the first I'd reach for, but for the style is fairly decent.
Mar 28, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of poisoneddwarf
Reviewed by poisoneddwarf from Idaho

2.95/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.25
2009 backlog. 12 oz bottle. Aroma is not like Heineken, which I was expecting. I was expecting a skunk beer and ended up with a decent smelling Euro lager. This is just the aroma, mind you. Appearnce is as a standard Euro lager--pale gold, little head, average lacing. Tastes like straw, cheap adjuncts; no skunk, surpsringly, given the green bottle. Better than I was expecting, but definitely not great.
Jun 17, 2017
 
Rated: 2.59 by 5EKF from Illinois

Mar 16, 2015
 
Rated: 2 by bcsbeer from Florida

Dec 07, 2012
Photo of Andrew644
Reviewed by Andrew644 from Idaho

2.91/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A- light to medium gold with an overabundant head

S- not the best smell, I get the malt smell but little of the hops.

T- to say the least its average, ok malt and hop flavor but nothing jumps out to me.

M- good carbonation but not the best.

D- easy to drink but leaves me wanting more flavor.
Nov 04, 2010
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

1.1/5  rDev -61.3%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Beer review from BA Mag Oct 2007.

Seems we have come across one of those label beers. We did a little research and there is no evidence of a brewery in Maarsen, Holland. The PO Box for an address generally tells you that it is a contract-brewed beer. Very little info about the importer name, perhaps all D.B.A.s. Is this the invasion of the faux-foreign supermarket beer?

Quick to foam up, almost spilling out of the glass with a normal pour. Head retention is very good with some rings of lace left on the glass. Clarity is fine with a pale dull yellow glow. The aroma is pungent with gritty cooked corn, slightly skunky over boiled hops which are probably just a hop extract of some sort and a mildly astringent grain to boot. Very smooth and crisp with a light refreshing quality, all of this gets kicked in the teeth with a hard astringent grain and hop-bitter harshness. Cooked corn runs rampant--perhaps some cooked cabbage as well. Dry astringent aftertaste does nothing to help in the end.

Wow, we did not think beer could taste this processed and tooled to the point of not being drinkable at all. Extremely difficult to finish the bottle let alone what was left in the glass--we finally gave up on this one. Simply avoid this beer.
Jul 07, 2010
Photo of steveh
Reviewed by steveh from Illinois

3.77/5  rDev +32.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Whoa -- not sure how old Jason's bottle was, but I didn't get any of the off characters he did.

A -- Bright, clear golden with a thick, off-white head that holds up *okay,* but could be better (this beer is darker gold than any US macro).

B -- Some nice grainy to sweet malts and lightly spicy hops coming through.

T -- Lightly sweet, bready malts up front, turns mildly grainy toward the end, with a mild hop bitterness in balance.

M -- Smooth and soft mouthfeel with a medium light body.

D -- Actually very easy to down a couple and enjoy without being "wowed" or repulsed.

Okay, it's not a well played micro Pils, or one of the better imports, but for the going price and a nice quaffer to have on hand, you could do *much* worse.

I think many of the reviewers are being prejudiced by the Euro Light Lager spector on this beer. Like to see someone sample it in a blind tasting.
Jun 28, 2010
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

2.24/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
11.2oz green bottle with no freshness date.

Pale yellow straw, decent clarity with a tight white bubbly lace. Apple skin, dried grass and lemon oil in the nose. Grainy with a astringent bite, some of that comes from the hop bitterness. Cooked veggies with a thin malt body, apples and animal feed grain flavors in the dry finish.

Cheap lager flavor, a bit bland with flaws. If forced to drink ... make sure it is ice cold to dull the flavors here.
May 15, 2010
Photo of matjack85
Reviewed by matjack85 from Illinois

2.96/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
A friend of mine gave me this beer so I have no idea what store carries it or what it costs. It comes in a 12oz green glass bottle with no freshness date.

The beer pours a clear pale gold color that made a 1½ finger bubbly white head that lasted about a minute and left a decent amount of spotty lacing on the glass.

There's not much to smell here - just a slight grainy/malty sweetness mixed in with a little bit of funk.

The taste is mainly grainy sweetness with a bit of hop bitterness kicking in halfway through. Not enough quality malt flavor for me and what hop flavor there was didn't really taste all that good. Nothing memorable here - just a so so tasting Euro pale lager.

The mouthfeel was the best part and totally unexpected. Instead of being weak and watery, this beer is actually smooth and creamy with only moderate carbonation. The aftertaste was a bit bitter and also a little metallic.

At just 4.8% abv there isn't much alcoholic taste and they are pretty easy to drink, but I don't think I would want more than one at a sitting if I had something else in the fridge.
Dec 11, 2009
Photo of Brad007
Reviewed by Brad007 from Vermont

1.66/5  rDev -41.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Pours a nice golden color with a thin one-finger head into my pint glass.

Aroma is full of sweet malt and bitterness. Pretty average for the style.

Taste is very thin and sweet with bitterness that stands out on the tongue. Very unpleasant with a bit of apple juice feel to it.

Mouthfeel is full of that lingering sweet malt and apple juice at the back of the throat. Hard to tolerate.

A very, very average euro pale lager. I've had much better but I would totally steer clear of this if I were you.
Mar 14, 2009
Photo of ocelot2500
Reviewed by ocelot2500 from Maryland

2.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a clear golden yellow. A good amount of head with a fair amount of lacing.

Smells of a little maltiness and a little hoppiness.

Taste is very light. Mostly watered down maltiness. A very small amount of bitterness at the end.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Maybe too light.

This is not undrinkable.

This reminds me of a Heineken/Becks without the skunky/funky flavor. Would much rather have this than the previous ones mentioned.
Feb 26, 2009
Photo of likethetaste
Reviewed by likethetaste from Virginia

2.38/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
This poured like your typical euro pale lager. Taste like your average Macro. In fact, to me this tasted worse then your typical american lager.

Has a strange aftertaste that is not pleasant. It does have a nice appearance compared to other general lagers but after that this beer is nothing special. I will not buy it again.
Jan 09, 2009
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.5/5  rDev +23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I had a bottle of this one while visiting the folks. My dad is constantly trying new beers. Good for him!

Poured into a mug, the beer is light yellow, with a fairly impressive head.

None of the sulfur aromas I expected from a green bottle from the Netherlands. There is malts, crackers and a hint of floral hops.

The taste is slightly sweet with a touch of bitterness in the finish. There are no off or bad tastes. While mild, it is heads above a typical BMC and also better than the standard green bottle brew from its native land.

The mouth is crisp, yet the beer has a creamy texture. Easy enough drinker that I would not seek out but would not turn down either.
Dec 26, 2008
Photo of msolar
Reviewed by msolar from Massachusetts

3/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
There are plenty of technical reviews on this beer, so I'll simply describe it as "m'eh".

This has a similar taste to Heineken, which I can only think of as metallic. As always, I'm glad to try another beer but certainly don't have much desire to purchase this - and certainly wouldn't go out of my way to find it.

M'eh, indeed..
Dec 11, 2008
Photo of trackstar1043
Reviewed by trackstar1043 from California

2.25/5  rDev -20.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
A - Pours a perfectly unclouded golden yellow, fizzing off white head with no trace of lacing about on part with an American Marco-Brew, not impressed at all.

S - Scents of wheat, a bit of malt, and a metalic afternote. Has a bitter smell.

T - Just like the nose, bitter, with no one flavor jumping out, again a metalic aftertaste.

M - Light and fizzy, no body and no aftertaste worth mentioning.

D - Easily forgetable, not worth it.
Jun 06, 2008
Photo of atuite
Reviewed by atuite from Illinois

3.43/5  rDev +20.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Definitely reminds me of a Heineken. Appearance is golden yelow with light head and pungent smell. Taste is of a pungent lager, actually not as robust as Heineken and hence easier to drink. Very easy to drink, finished 3-4 beers in one sitting on the phone with a friend. Price was fair. Good easy drink.
Mar 10, 2008
Photo of Bookseeb
Reviewed by Bookseeb from Washington

3.21/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance is light golden in color with very little head. Smell is crisp and clean with that Euro lager scent. Taste, nothing stands out too much, a little grainy, bitterness seems a little more pronounced than most lagers cloying in the end. has a good mouthfeel and carbonation, don't think I'll be buying it again anytime soon, but might be worth a try to some peeps.
Feb 16, 2008
Photo of sudz42
Reviewed by sudz42 from Maine

3.85/5  rDev +35.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
a surprise in the beer aisle, had to try it. previously mentioned heineken comparison is pretty accurate.

however this is better than heineken. refreshing, less skunk, less bitter than becks but comparable in style and price.

first bottle tasted the best, outside, after being thirsty and eating a lot of salted nuts. of course, a bud would have tasted good then too.

wouldn't it be cool if there were an american macro all malt pils? high falls, seize the moment!
Jan 16, 2008
Photo of elricorico
Reviewed by elricorico from Canada (AB)

2.99/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5
Good looking for the style, quite clear pale gold with an ability to generate and hold a decent sized, very white head. Lots of visible carbonation rushing to support it.

The smell is a bit grassy and sweet. Nothing skunky to it. Tough to place much hops in there.

Sweet malt dominates the flavour. Very faint hop finish that reminds me of a tangy orange. Not much to talk about, but it isn't bad. Certainly clean tasting.

Mouthfeel is thin but not watery and slightly fizzy. Could be worse, but certainly isn't a strong point.

A guy could easily put down several of these, but I imagine boredom setting in pretty fast. Not bad though, especially considering the style.
Jan 06, 2008
Photo of Shadman
Reviewed by Shadman from Canada (AB)

3/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Gouden haven could be the definition of an average euro pale lager. Decent looking with a decent head and lacing. Classic nose with the sweet floral/hay like hop. Not at all skunky despite the green bottle. Maybe a touch sweeter than say Heineken and a tad less bitter than Grolsh. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy and decently smooth. Drinkable, but seeing as it was in a beer traveler pack of ten, I'll probably never see another.
Jan 05, 2008
Gouden Haven from Swinkels Family Brewers
Beer rating: 72 out of 100 with 29 ratings