Sampling the Czech Beers on US Shelves
Pilsners
It’s a narrow aroma, appearance and flavor band for Czech pilsners. All those tasted were golden, varying only slightly in hue. Several had pronounced floral hop aromas; others were softer in that area. A few were more malty and sweet; some were more spicy from hops and more bitter. Each had a light to medium body and mouthfeel and all were clean and crisp. After tasting 13 in a row, the differences were slight, but evident, nonetheless. The tasting notes are a distillation of the tasting panel members’ comments.
Krušovice Imperial, 5%, Královský Pivovar, 1517, Krušovice www.pivo-krusovice.cz
A sweet, malty aroma with a faint trace of hops; a malty, sweet flavor with some hops, but less so than others; a mineral character with a dry finish
B.B. Bürgerbräu, 4.7%, Budějovický Měštanský Pivovar, 1795, České Budějovice,
A floral hop aroma, balanced with malty sweetness; a firm spicy hop flavor, as well as malty sweetness; the finish is less dry than others
Czechvar Premium, 5%, Budějovický Pivovar, 1895, České Budějovice
www.czechvar.com
The aroma is more malty sweet than hoppy; malt sweetness is stronger than hoppiness; a dry finish
Radegast Premium Original Lager, 5%, Pivovar Radegast, 1970, Plzeňský Prazdroj – Radegast, 1970, Nošovice, www.radegast.cz
A malty, sweet aroma with a faint trace of hops; the flavor is of malt sweetness with a mild hop bitterness; a dry finish
Crystal Lager, 4.7%, Budějovický Měštanský Pivovar, 1795, České Budějovice
www.samson.cz
The aroma is one of rich malt sweetness; a flavor that is all malt sweetness with the faintest trace of hops; a sweet finish
Staropramen, 4.6%, Pivovary Staropramen, 1869, Smichov-Prahawww.staropramen.com
The aroma is strong on malt and softer on hops; the flavor mimics the aroma – lots of malty sweetness and less hop spiciness; somewhat thinner-bodied than the others; a dry finish
Rebel, 4.8%, Měštanský Pivovar, 1834, Havlíčkův Brod, www.hbrebel.cz
A near equal balance between malt sweetness and floral hops in the aroma; the flavor is malty sweet and soft on hops; the finish is sweet, much less dry than others
Primator Premium Lager, 5%, Pivovar Náchod, 1872, Náchod
www.primatorusa.com
a strongly malty, sweet aroma with hops faintly in the background; the flavor is also malty sweet with low hop flavor up front, but the hop bitterness and flavor comes in towards the middle and the finish; the highest CO2 level of all those tasted
Herald Premium Bohemian Lager, 5%, Pivovar Herold Březnice, 1506
Březnice u Příbrami, www.heroldbeer.com
A malty sweet aroma, lower on hops than others; the flavor is also malty sweet with more hops than expected from the aroma, a dry finish; this was the darkest of the pils, but that just means a deeper golden
Bernard Premium, 4.7%, Rodinný Pivovar Bernard, 1991 (re-opened from a 1500s brewery), Humpolec, www.bernard.cz
A lovely balance of malty sweetness and floral hops; the flavor is stronger on malty sweetness, with spicy hops making their way through towards the dry finish; a soft mouthfeel
BrouCzech Lager 5.2%, Pivovar Nova Paka, 1872, Nova Paka, www.brouczech.com
The aroma is predominately malty and sweet; the flavor is also strong on malty sweetness and low on hops, although in a dry finish and hop bitterness is perceived
Klášter Premium Lager, 5.6%, Pivovar Klášter, 1570, Klášter Hradištěwww.klaster.com/
A strong floral hop aroma, along with malty sweetness; the flavor leans more towards strong malt sweetness, with a touch of hops flavor and bitterness; the finish is sweet
Pilsner Urquell, 4.4%, Plzeňský Prazdroj, 1295, Plzeň, www.prazdroj.cz
Certainly the hoppiest of all the Czech pils tasted in both aroma and flavor; along with a firm, malty, sweet taste, the hops are spicy, strong and full of bitterness; the finish is dry and hoppy
Herald Bohemian Wheat Lager, 5.1%, Pivovar Herold Březnice, 1506, Březnice u Příbrami, www.heroldbeer.com
The one Czech wheat beer tasted has a powerful clove-like aroma; the orangey-gold color is hazy from the yeast in the bottle; the flavor is fruity, citrus-like and sweet; as with the aroma, cloves are perceived; a bit understated from bolder Bavarian hefeweizens, but quite enjoyable
Dark Lagers
The five dark lagers tasted were all dark red in color and on the sweet side, with no hop aromas or flavors apparent, as is true to this style of beer. Malt sweetness and some mildly-roasted grain flavors were the hallmarks of these beers.
Krušovice Černé, 3.8%, Královský Pivovar, 1517, Krušovice, www.pivo-krusovice.cz
A sweet, grainy aroma; the flavor is also slightly grainy and one of dense malty sweetness
Klášter Dark, 4%, Pivovar Klášter, 1570, Klášter Hradiště, www.klaster.com/
In both the aroma and flavor, there is a chocolate-like sweetness that is the dominant characteristic of this beer
Herald Bohemian Black Lager, 5.2%, Pivovar Herold Březnice, 1506, Březnice u Příbrami, www.heroldbeer.com
An aroma of molasses and some chocolate; the flavor is chocolate-like, grainy, roasty and sweet
BrouCzech Dark, 5.2%, Pivovar Nova Paka, 1872, Nova Paka, www.brouczech.com
A sweet aroma and a rich, sticky-sweet flavor
Crystal Diplomat Dark, 3.6%, Budějovický Měštanský Pivovar, 1795, České Budějovice, www.samson.cz
A sweet, roasty, chocolate aroma; a touch lighter in color that the other dark lagers; the flavor is of rich, malty sweetness with a sweet finish
Bocks
BrouCzech Bock, 7% – 16 degrees, Pivovar Nova Paka, 1872, Nova Pakawww.brouczech.com
The aroma of this amber-colored lager is one of sticky sweetness and alcohol; the flavor is sweet, rich and malty – all in perfect balance; a full body and a dry finish
Primator Blonde Bock, 7% – 16 degrees, Pivovar Náchod, 1871, Náchod
www.primatorusa.com
The aroma of this blonde lager is heavy with malt sweetness; the flavor is also huge with malt sugars, plus a lovely balance of hops; alcohol is more than evident and the body is full
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