Heineken Lager Beer was first brewed by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in 1873. The beer is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H. Elion finished the development of the Heineken A-yeast, which is still used in the brewing process today.

In the early years of Heineken, the beer won four awards, which are still mentioned on the label of the beer bottles:

• Medaille d’Or (English: Gold Medal) in Paris in 1875
• Diplome d’Honneurs (English: Honorary Diploma) at the International Colonial Exposition in Amsterdam in 1883
• Grand Prix (English: Grand Prize) at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889
• Hors Concours Membre du Jury in Paris in 1900

The beer is force carbonated.  In some countries, such as Ireland, it is available in a 4.6% abv variety.

Info gleaned from Wikipedia