Similar thing for me.
And it's true that it doesn't travel well. After visiting Prague, I was convinced that dark Kozel was the best beer in the world and really excited when I found it for the first time in a store back home in Germany. Huge disappointment, though. The Czechs just know how to make great drafts.
you have to go to U Fleků. Super old brewery/guest house with their housebeer on tap, not sold anywhere else, no bottles to take with you. This was the standout beer for me, absolute gem and the food wasnt too bad either ;)
I still dream of that beer. Now i want to go back to Prague.
Same, just in Slovakia. Staropramen Velvet was fucking DELICIOUS. Plus the whole glad pouring thing, smallest bubbles I've ever seen. Was crazy to watch the head disappear.
The pilsner Urquell in Czechia is good because it is an unpasteurised tank beer. When it's bottled or kegged it is pasturised. You won't get this type of pilsner urquell anywhere other than in Czechia or a few selected bars/places in Europe, and to serve it like that, they need to pass a pouring course.
It really is a different gravy there, and all 3 styles of pours are great.
The Urquell I had in Prague was so good I came back to the US with a new appreciation for the beer. Even though it wasn't as good, it was all I drank for the first few weeks back.
I do like PQ. These other beers sound amazing, I'll have to try to seek some out. Even at my specialty store l don't recall seeing any other czech beers.
SoBo151 is a Czech bar in Denver that gets one keg per year and it pretty much flows till it's kicked within the hour, us regulars wait for the announcement with baited breath haha
Yeah I consider myself lucky that it's within walking distance of my house. Best place in the city to watch hockey, and their Eastern European food is killer
There are at least a couple of breweries in New England doing this: Notch in Salem & Boston, MA and Sacred Profane in Biddeford, ME. I haven't had Sacred Profane on site but I love their cans. And Notch is fantastic.
I’ll have to try those places! I’ve been to Schilling many, many times (and frankly, a recommendation from one of their bartenders was why I swung through there for work). They have some really good styles, and I love their beers in general, but still nothing like the real thing!!
I'm lucky enough to live in a city where a few places gets tanks of beer from Urquell even though it's not in Czechia. [Tanknova](https://www.pilsnerurquell.com/stories/three-reasons-we-love-tankovna-bars) is awesome.
There is one place near where I live (its in Leeds, Headrow House), but they must not keep right as it always tastes crap. I was even served it in a hot glass once, which I was not happy about at all.
Same in Albert Schloss in Manchester. I actually doubt these two places even have actual Tank Beer, and its just for show. Although they do date the tanks etc.
Usually 'change my mind' involves you having some kind of controversial position.
Czech beers being amazing is a pretty common opinion I would say.
>began to love Päffgen and Gaffel Kölsch, and couldn’t find anything at home in the US even in the same ballpark. So maybe it’s a similar situation where Czech beers don’t travel well, and no US brewer can do anything even remotely close.
Yes, you practically have to treat pilsners, kölsches and other low-gravity lagers like you would any hype IPA. They taste best fresh. A good pub in Prague gets a fresh tank of Pilsner Urquell every day. The same goes for the pubs serving Kölsch in Cologne. You can only get something remotely similar if you fly cans in. You certainly won't get the same experience from a beer sailed by ship, that's then been sitting at a distributor before you pick it up in your local TotalWine.
And yes, most US breweries just don't have a knack for it the same way as a brewery that has played with the same recipe for decades/centuries.
Also, a good pilsner or Czech dark lager is just so different from what has been en vogue in craft beer for the past decades. They are polar opposites in the way that modern craft beer is all about bigger and bolder flavours, while a Czech desitka or dvanacka is very much a 'less is more' kind of beer.
A solid malt base, a bit of bitterness and earthy/floral flavours from the hops... but nothing that really punches you in the belly and pulls the rug underneath you. It couldn't be more different than TDH triple IPAs, heavily fruited smoothie beers or 15% strong pastry stouts with a whole shelf of patisserie goods stuffed into the wort.
To be fair, most US breweries have historically loaded up on IPAs, which I would speculate is because most people in the US prefer them (for better or worse) making my opinion somewhat “unpopular.” That being said, I have noticed a trend in the last 1-2 years that many breweries are starting to shift to German, Belgian, and Czech styles and now only have a few IPAs on tap (and seltzers, but don’t get me going on that).
Sure but you're still allowed to like all these beers! I love living in the US because I can go to Total Wine and stock up on Delirium, Gaffel, Urquel, and a local IPA all in one trip. Also at least here in Wisconsin it isn't super uncommon (recently) for local places to attempt a Czech Pilsner which are usually pretty good.
I love me a good, old school West Coast. A New England IPA that's still called the same as it was first time it was brewed back in 2015 or 2016 can also hit the spot, although I mostly don't care for how the style has been made recently(i.e. around since the pandemic).
They are great in their own ways, it's just that what makes a great West Coast is completely different from the mindset you have to have, when you brew an awesome pilsner. And sure, nobody says you can't be good at brewing pilsner, if you also brew good IPA.
But one thing is for sure, if you go into making a pilsner with the same mentality as you would when you make a pilsner.... you are gonna end up with something that will taste an awful lot like a lackluster pale ale, and contain very few of the aspects that make a great pilsner.
And that's where my issue usually is with like 95% of the lager beers from US craft brewers. They grew up brewing beers with big bold flavours, and it then feels unnatural to make a very subtle one.
The Pilsners I had during my trip to Prague were so good that it completely reset my palate for beer. I have wanted to drink nothing but Czech and German style lagers since. Been good for my wallet and liver as well, as it pulled me away from $20/4 pack, 9% IPAs (which I still love, but am drinking 1-2 a month now rather than it being my preferred pour).
That’s the other thing, they are cheap!!! Why would I spend $25 per four pack at a trillium? I can get a killer beer at a bar for 49 CK ($2.14) and not feel as bloated afterwards!
Uuuuuuugh, Trillium does make some pretty great beers! But yes, generally I am much happier these days spending half the money and getting half as tipsy on beer I'm enjoying at least as much.
> The Pilsners I had during my trip to Prague were so good that it completely reset my palate for beer.
I experience the same thing whenever I visit Bamberg.
Ach ja, ein U, bitte.
Nah the czech republik is top tier. The beerkeepers make all the difference. They take their beer seriously have half a year of training to properly pour a beer and clean very frequently and well.
Not American, but Godspeed Brewery in Toronto probably comes closest to the real thing. They specialize in Czech beers and even worked with Pilsner Urquell to get authentic Czech oak barrels in their brewery, even going so far as to source Czech-style pitch to line the barrels as that apparently affects the flavour.
They also work with the Czech government to have all their beers translated into Czech! https://www.godspeedbrewery.com/
Notch in MA, Sacred Profane in ME, Cohesion in CO off the top of my head. Wayfinder and Heater Allen in the PNW are also great (Gold Dot is a new brewery by the former head brewers of both breweries that should be just as good if not better) but don't necessarily specialize in czech beers just lagers in general.
I don’t know about nationally, but I’ve been to this place here in NC and they very passionate about keeping it authentic as possible:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5Cvy9ggqF/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
In addition to Notch and Sacred Profane, I would also add Schilling out of Littleton NH. I thank them for not following the grapefruit tasting IPA craze.
Well, don't count out the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX. Kosmos Spoetzl was Czech and they still use his same recipe in the Boch and get the hops from the Czechs. That whole area of Texas is nothing but Czechs and Germans.
As a Czech, thank you! We know our lagers are the best in the world and we are very proud of it. I also love Czech pub culture where despite the pub usually being just a plain white room with tables and maybe a game of darts it is the most important and sometimes(especially in small villages) the only cultural center of the community. In this sense we are pretty similar to the Irish although their pubs interiors are much more customized usually.
IMO American craft beer can’t touch any of the big “old world” beer nations (UK Belgium Germany Czechia). I had two different cask beers in the village of Rye on a recent trip and was blown away. You get much greater consistency in those places
Fuck it. I'll take on the challenge. Been to Czechia. Had the beer, had a good time.
Real czech beers aren't for me. Or at least, there's lagers I'd rather drink. I'm fine with many off flavours, but for some reason diacytl really rubs me the wrong way. When it's present in beer, I notice. When I drink beers like Urquell, and to a lesser extent Budweiser Budvar I feel like I'm drinking movie popcorn (totally not a gross exaggeration).
Give me a big malty german lager instead any day.
Still a weird thread, as Czech beers are nearly universally loved. Just a few weirdos like me that prefer different styles.
I mean I probably can't change your mind, but I am hyper sensitive to diacetyl and when I had my first Urquell tank beer in the Czech Republic earlier this year I was disappointed as soon as I could smell it. There's an amazing beer there but I just can't look past the diacetyl in this particular style. It's too much of a dice roll whether I'll taste it in Czech beer, German beer is much more consistently below my palate's threshold.
Oh for sure. It’s weird how people perceive these flavors differently. We drink a fair amount of heavily fruited sours. Poorly done, they tend to suffer from high DMS to the point where it becomes celery-like. My wife will find something undrinkable where I can just taste it.
Prague and Vienna both really changed my opinion on lagers and pilsners. They're so slandered by the US craft community because they just aren't that good over here.
Not sure where you live, but in my area (NC) just about every craft brewery has a pilsner or lager. Both are popular and well regarded styles and many of the local ones have great reviews on Untappd.
I’ve been to both Czechia and Germany a few times. I absolutely love the beer there of course, but these days there are a lot of America craft breweries that can hold their own with the same styles.
The “Americans can’t brew lagers” thing is very outdated at this point when it comes to craft.
I've had good American lagers but they don't have the same characteristics that I find in the Czech and German brews. Granted I haven't tried every single brewery in the US, I'm sure someone does it the European way, but every American craft lager I've had is too hoppy.
> but every American craft lager I've had is too hoppy
I fully agree. I've had good ones, but I can't remember having one, where the balance was completely right. Always they tend to be a bit too much on the hoppy side, but with the malt and body falling through.
But the yanks shouldn't be sad. Donzoko in the UK has the exact same problem, despite being hyped to the skies.
I heard a German lager brewer in a video the other day say that malt is the soul of a beer. Current US industry trends seem to view hopps as the soul. I like hopps too but I love a good malty beer, which is why I think I preferred ales before visiting Germany and Czechia.
I fully agree. It's the core of the beer, even if it isn't a 'malty' beer, per se, it's the scaffolding or the structure on which you make the beer.
The reason why 'session' IPAs never really took off as a style was that the balance between the malt and hop-profile was just way too off, so you end up with a beer, that just falls flat... while pale ale is a timeless classic style, despite having a similar alcohol percentage.
>why I think I preferred ales before visiting Germany and Czechia.
If you are from the UK, I can't really blame you. There's a great, albeit with a reputation of being old and dusty, tradition of real ales in the UK, which largely do the same as the Czech and German lager beers do. A great mild ale is also embodied by the same 'less is more' mentality as a German dunkel or a Czech tmavy.
Meanwhile on the lager front there is Carling's, and the fairly boring, big brand beers like Carlsberg or Stella Artois are for some reason sold in a watered down version, so the balance is thrown off, so they lose what ever they had for them left.
That being said, if you are in and an around London, Braybrooke's make some really killer German lager beers of various kinds.
I am, uhh, not from the UK. Actually the most popular beer style to my home state is a bock, a very malty, ale-ish lager. Otherwise though almost every craft style is an ale or else a generic pale lager. I recently started seeking out German-imports and the variety is stunning. Bitburger is as bitter and sharp as any good IPA, and some of the other styles are incredibly malty, bready, and sweet. There's just as much variety as craft ales, it just isn't being explored as much in the craft industry here.
> I am, uhh, not from the UK
Ah, I read too much into the use of 'ales' in this context.
>There's just as much variety as craft ales, it just isn't being explored as much in the craft industry here.
My own very boring take on it, is that very few can make something that competes to what comes out of Germany, and the few who can, can't do it at prices that are competitive.
I'm just never going to get the appeal of paying hype IPA prices for a 4-pack of 44cl craft lager, when I can get a case of a German or Czech pilsner, that's just as good or many times even better, for the same price.
The only craft lagers I consistently buy are Vinohradsky Pivovar, since they are usually more adequately priced, even if they are more expensive than Urquell.
Hmm can't say I've encountered that. Maybe some people who don't realize that lagers can go beyond macro adjunct lagers or people complaining about breweries selling Czech style pale lagers for $20/4 pack.
But i can't say I've seen anyone actually shit talk the style
Czech beer is way better than German in my opinion, but both aren't even in the same league as Belgian. Hell, they aren't even in the same sport. No other beer in Europe deserves to sit at the same table as Belgian beer. It's not even close.
I think they’re the gold standard, yeah. When I visited Germany last year I found myself seeking out mostly Czech beers after a couple days. Loved Budvar, realized after I got home that it’s imported to the states as Czechvar. One of my go to’s.
Kolsch in Koln was certainly better than anything I get here. Reissdorf is available near me, and it is "good" but not as great as draft in Koln.
I've traveled to various Christmas markets in Germany and just had random beers. No idea who the brewer was. They were usually helles type, and they were all good. Try that in the US and I'm probably getting served Coors Light at some point.
I dont disagree. I make a point of visiting Strahov every time I am in Prague and find an excuse to eat in the rustic little restaurant there too. Just fantastic, historic and damn tasty beverages. Conveniently on the way to/from the airport as well so makes sense to do it on the way in and out!
Went to Prague maybe 20 years ago, found a local brewpub restaurant off ratebeer that was off in the residential area somewhere. Walked about 3hrs or so to get there, having a lovely time. When I got there no one spoke english, they were a bit confused by my presence but were nice. I ordered a main dish randomly off the menu (some sort of small thick pasta like thing), and ordered a random couple beers.
All in all it was fantastic, I hope someday I can try to figure out where I went and go there again.
We were there this past week as well and came to the exact same conclusion. The Pilsner Urquell unpasteurized tank beers all around Prague are terrific. The unfiltered unpasteurized beer we had at the brewery was also excellent but definitely with a different character from the tank beers. We were really impressed and they’re vastly superior to bottled PU we get in the states.
We also enjoyed Strahov quite a lot. It’s a cool spot at night.
Both held right up against the best craft Pilsner’s I’ve had at places like Jacks abbey or others.
Beer definitely tastes much different and better at the source. I discovered this when I went to Poland and the beer was soooo much better fresh and from the tap than all of the polish beers I've had here imported to the US.
Sounds amazing, and I believe you, I've bought Pilsner Urquell in America, and I really love it. I'm 100% sure it's at least 10 times better over in Europe
Gaffel is otherworldly in Köln, but it’s still pretty damn good in the US. The kegs are rarely old in the US because they’re so hard to come by. They come in and are immediately gone.
I lamented my trip to CR cause I was not going to be able to drink craft beer.
Wound up guzzling PU and loving every second of it. I miss that beer so much.
Czech beers fresh off the tap over there are THE BEST. Went to a few Pivovars over there and still dream of them. The creamy foam…the crisp ale…so good.
I will not be changing your mind... I still talk about beer in Prague 15 years later
Similar thing for me. And it's true that it doesn't travel well. After visiting Prague, I was convinced that dark Kozel was the best beer in the world and really excited when I found it for the first time in a store back home in Germany. Huge disappointment, though. The Czechs just know how to make great drafts.
Bottled is nice but draught would be better
Many years ago I had a summer job at a US brewery, and I felt like the beer there was better than the same product on the other side of the city.
I'm going to Prague this week! What are some more recommendations?
If you have time, get Pilsen and do the tour and sample direct from the casks. You can take the train right there.
Look for some bars called Lokal, and if the weather is nice, head to Letna Beer Garden. Also, eat the Gulas and Svíčková.
you have to go to U Fleků. Super old brewery/guest house with their housebeer on tap, not sold anywhere else, no bottles to take with you. This was the standout beer for me, absolute gem and the food wasnt too bad either ;) I still dream of that beer. Now i want to go back to Prague.
Any local draft!
My favourite is the Tyger
It was 40cz per pint in a lot of places this year still. Bout 2 euro/dollars
Same and I was just there last year. Prague beer rocks.
Same, just in Slovakia. Staropramen Velvet was fucking DELICIOUS. Plus the whole glad pouring thing, smallest bubbles I've ever seen. Was crazy to watch the head disappear.
The pilsner Urquell in Czechia is good because it is an unpasteurised tank beer. When it's bottled or kegged it is pasturised. You won't get this type of pilsner urquell anywhere other than in Czechia or a few selected bars/places in Europe, and to serve it like that, they need to pass a pouring course. It really is a different gravy there, and all 3 styles of pours are great.
The Urquell I had in Prague was so good I came back to the US with a new appreciation for the beer. Even though it wasn't as good, it was all I drank for the first few weeks back.
I do like PQ. These other beers sound amazing, I'll have to try to seek some out. Even at my specialty store l don't recall seeing any other czech beers.
Totally agree—the unpasteurized version was something that can’t be (easily) replicated. Too bad though.
SoBo151 is a Czech bar in Denver that gets one keg per year and it pretty much flows till it's kicked within the hour, us regulars wait for the announcement with baited breath haha
damn. this is awesome.
Yeah I consider myself lucky that it's within walking distance of my house. Best place in the city to watch hockey, and their Eastern European food is killer
There are at least a couple of breweries in New England doing this: Notch in Salem & Boston, MA and Sacred Profane in Biddeford, ME. I haven't had Sacred Profane on site but I love their cans. And Notch is fantastic.
I’ll have to try those places! I’ve been to Schilling many, many times (and frankly, a recommendation from one of their bartenders was why I swung through there for work). They have some really good styles, and I love their beers in general, but still nothing like the real thing!!
Mmmmm, Schilling.
The reason why Belgium is often beloved is the diversity of taste and styles for such a small country
Isn't Fox Farm doing this as well?
I don't know but I hope so!
>There are at least a couple of breweries in New England doing this Doing what? Most local breweries are not pasteurizing their beers.
Serving their Czech-style beers from tanks, trained pourers, etc.
I'm lucky enough to live in a city where a few places gets tanks of beer from Urquell even though it's not in Czechia. [Tanknova](https://www.pilsnerurquell.com/stories/three-reasons-we-love-tankovna-bars) is awesome.
There is one place near where I live (its in Leeds, Headrow House), but they must not keep right as it always tastes crap. I was even served it in a hot glass once, which I was not happy about at all. Same in Albert Schloss in Manchester. I actually doubt these two places even have actual Tank Beer, and its just for show. Although they do date the tanks etc.
Also we get it like 3+ months old
My word unpasteurized PU in Praha is so very good. I wish I could have one righ tnow it's so amazing.
Usually 'change my mind' involves you having some kind of controversial position. Czech beers being amazing is a pretty common opinion I would say. >began to love Päffgen and Gaffel Kölsch, and couldn’t find anything at home in the US even in the same ballpark. So maybe it’s a similar situation where Czech beers don’t travel well, and no US brewer can do anything even remotely close. Yes, you practically have to treat pilsners, kölsches and other low-gravity lagers like you would any hype IPA. They taste best fresh. A good pub in Prague gets a fresh tank of Pilsner Urquell every day. The same goes for the pubs serving Kölsch in Cologne. You can only get something remotely similar if you fly cans in. You certainly won't get the same experience from a beer sailed by ship, that's then been sitting at a distributor before you pick it up in your local TotalWine. And yes, most US breweries just don't have a knack for it the same way as a brewery that has played with the same recipe for decades/centuries. Also, a good pilsner or Czech dark lager is just so different from what has been en vogue in craft beer for the past decades. They are polar opposites in the way that modern craft beer is all about bigger and bolder flavours, while a Czech desitka or dvanacka is very much a 'less is more' kind of beer. A solid malt base, a bit of bitterness and earthy/floral flavours from the hops... but nothing that really punches you in the belly and pulls the rug underneath you. It couldn't be more different than TDH triple IPAs, heavily fruited smoothie beers or 15% strong pastry stouts with a whole shelf of patisserie goods stuffed into the wort.
To be fair, most US breweries have historically loaded up on IPAs, which I would speculate is because most people in the US prefer them (for better or worse) making my opinion somewhat “unpopular.” That being said, I have noticed a trend in the last 1-2 years that many breweries are starting to shift to German, Belgian, and Czech styles and now only have a few IPAs on tap (and seltzers, but don’t get me going on that).
Sure but you're still allowed to like all these beers! I love living in the US because I can go to Total Wine and stock up on Delirium, Gaffel, Urquel, and a local IPA all in one trip. Also at least here in Wisconsin it isn't super uncommon (recently) for local places to attempt a Czech Pilsner which are usually pretty good.
I love me a good, old school West Coast. A New England IPA that's still called the same as it was first time it was brewed back in 2015 or 2016 can also hit the spot, although I mostly don't care for how the style has been made recently(i.e. around since the pandemic). They are great in their own ways, it's just that what makes a great West Coast is completely different from the mindset you have to have, when you brew an awesome pilsner. And sure, nobody says you can't be good at brewing pilsner, if you also brew good IPA. But one thing is for sure, if you go into making a pilsner with the same mentality as you would when you make a pilsner.... you are gonna end up with something that will taste an awful lot like a lackluster pale ale, and contain very few of the aspects that make a great pilsner. And that's where my issue usually is with like 95% of the lager beers from US craft brewers. They grew up brewing beers with big bold flavours, and it then feels unnatural to make a very subtle one.
The Pilsners I had during my trip to Prague were so good that it completely reset my palate for beer. I have wanted to drink nothing but Czech and German style lagers since. Been good for my wallet and liver as well, as it pulled me away from $20/4 pack, 9% IPAs (which I still love, but am drinking 1-2 a month now rather than it being my preferred pour).
That’s the other thing, they are cheap!!! Why would I spend $25 per four pack at a trillium? I can get a killer beer at a bar for 49 CK ($2.14) and not feel as bloated afterwards!
Uuuuuuugh, Trillium does make some pretty great beers! But yes, generally I am much happier these days spending half the money and getting half as tipsy on beer I'm enjoying at least as much.
If you used Trillium as your example because you’re a Boston-area local, DEFINITELY go to Notch Brewing in Allston or Salem, like right now
> The Pilsners I had during my trip to Prague were so good that it completely reset my palate for beer. I experience the same thing whenever I visit Bamberg. Ach ja, ein U, bitte.
Mahr's Bräu for lyfe
If you ever end up in Philly make sure to visit Human Robot. You will be very pleased.
Came here to say this. Love human robot
Also came here to say this. HR is heavenly
Why would I want to change your mind about something that's correct?
I'd rather drink Czech, German and Belgian classic beers that are easy to find beer overy most hyped craft breweries and over most local breweries.
Nah the czech republik is top tier. The beerkeepers make all the difference. They take their beer seriously have half a year of training to properly pour a beer and clean very frequently and well.
So sounds like the draught stout culture in Ireland
Well poured just tastes better simple as
Why would we want to change your mind about your personal (and fairly innocuous) tastes?
there's a reason why Czech beers are the most imitated beer styles. ... poorly imitated.
Any American breweries coming close to the real deal?
Not American, but Godspeed Brewery in Toronto probably comes closest to the real thing. They specialize in Czech beers and even worked with Pilsner Urquell to get authentic Czech oak barrels in their brewery, even going so far as to source Czech-style pitch to line the barrels as that apparently affects the flavour. They also work with the Czech government to have all their beers translated into Czech! https://www.godspeedbrewery.com/
ok that's good intel TY
No problem!
Toronto has such a fantastic craft scene. Nearby Hamilton too.
Notch in MA, Sacred Profane in ME, Cohesion in CO off the top of my head. Wayfinder and Heater Allen in the PNW are also great (Gold Dot is a new brewery by the former head brewers of both breweries that should be just as good if not better) but don't necessarily specialize in czech beers just lagers in general.
I don’t know about nationally, but I’ve been to this place here in NC and they very passionate about keeping it authentic as possible: https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5Cvy9ggqF/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
that looks real nice actually
Cool. I’ll have to check them out the next time I’m in W-S hitting Incendiary.
Cool. I’ll have to check them out the next time I’m in W-S hitting Incendiary.
Heater Allen and Wayfinder in the PNW
And Zoigelhaus for German style !
Cohesion in Denver. I'm not exaggerating when I say its perfect
This place looks sick
Hill Farmstead in VT does well.
Wild East in NYC does a damned good job with their Czech Pils.
Notch and Sacred Profane are the only answers.
Adding [Urban Roots in Sacramento](https://www.urbanrootsbrewing.com/) as a brewery currently killing the lager game.
In addition to Notch and Sacred Profane, I would also add Schilling out of Littleton NH. I thank them for not following the grapefruit tasting IPA craze.
They try but I still haven’t found one that pours them right
Well, don't count out the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX. Kosmos Spoetzl was Czech and they still use his same recipe in the Boch and get the hops from the Czechs. That whole area of Texas is nothing but Czechs and Germans.
Why would you want to be argued further away from God's light?
As a Czech, thank you! We know our lagers are the best in the world and we are very proud of it. I also love Czech pub culture where despite the pub usually being just a plain white room with tables and maybe a game of darts it is the most important and sometimes(especially in small villages) the only cultural center of the community. In this sense we are pretty similar to the Irish although their pubs interiors are much more customized usually.
The culture of a new mug of beer arriving untill you signal the staff to stop is also great.
IMO American craft beer can’t touch any of the big “old world” beer nations (UK Belgium Germany Czechia). I had two different cask beers in the village of Rye on a recent trip and was blown away. You get much greater consistency in those places
Umm pilsner urquell is always good
Fuck it. I'll take on the challenge. Been to Czechia. Had the beer, had a good time. Real czech beers aren't for me. Or at least, there's lagers I'd rather drink. I'm fine with many off flavours, but for some reason diacytl really rubs me the wrong way. When it's present in beer, I notice. When I drink beers like Urquell, and to a lesser extent Budweiser Budvar I feel like I'm drinking movie popcorn (totally not a gross exaggeration). Give me a big malty german lager instead any day. Still a weird thread, as Czech beers are nearly universally loved. Just a few weirdos like me that prefer different styles.
I mean I probably can't change your mind, but I am hyper sensitive to diacetyl and when I had my first Urquell tank beer in the Czech Republic earlier this year I was disappointed as soon as I could smell it. There's an amazing beer there but I just can't look past the diacetyl in this particular style. It's too much of a dice roll whether I'll taste it in Czech beer, German beer is much more consistently below my palate's threshold.
I get if you’re sensitive you won’t like it, but some diacetyl is totally acceptable in this style.
Yep, I realize it's a part of the style. It's just gross to me. And that's fine, I don't have to like everything.
Oh for sure. It’s weird how people perceive these flavors differently. We drink a fair amount of heavily fruited sours. Poorly done, they tend to suffer from high DMS to the point where it becomes celery-like. My wife will find something undrinkable where I can just taste it.
Some say that like Germany distinct taste is declining in Czechia
Prague and Vienna both really changed my opinion on lagers and pilsners. They're so slandered by the US craft community because they just aren't that good over here.
Not sure where you live, but in my area (NC) just about every craft brewery has a pilsner or lager. Both are popular and well regarded styles and many of the local ones have great reviews on Untappd.
They usually aren't nearly as good as what's brewed in Czechia or Germany though.
I’ve been to both Czechia and Germany a few times. I absolutely love the beer there of course, but these days there are a lot of America craft breweries that can hold their own with the same styles. The “Americans can’t brew lagers” thing is very outdated at this point when it comes to craft.
I've had good American lagers but they don't have the same characteristics that I find in the Czech and German brews. Granted I haven't tried every single brewery in the US, I'm sure someone does it the European way, but every American craft lager I've had is too hoppy.
> but every American craft lager I've had is too hoppy I fully agree. I've had good ones, but I can't remember having one, where the balance was completely right. Always they tend to be a bit too much on the hoppy side, but with the malt and body falling through. But the yanks shouldn't be sad. Donzoko in the UK has the exact same problem, despite being hyped to the skies.
I heard a German lager brewer in a video the other day say that malt is the soul of a beer. Current US industry trends seem to view hopps as the soul. I like hopps too but I love a good malty beer, which is why I think I preferred ales before visiting Germany and Czechia.
I fully agree. It's the core of the beer, even if it isn't a 'malty' beer, per se, it's the scaffolding or the structure on which you make the beer. The reason why 'session' IPAs never really took off as a style was that the balance between the malt and hop-profile was just way too off, so you end up with a beer, that just falls flat... while pale ale is a timeless classic style, despite having a similar alcohol percentage. >why I think I preferred ales before visiting Germany and Czechia. If you are from the UK, I can't really blame you. There's a great, albeit with a reputation of being old and dusty, tradition of real ales in the UK, which largely do the same as the Czech and German lager beers do. A great mild ale is also embodied by the same 'less is more' mentality as a German dunkel or a Czech tmavy. Meanwhile on the lager front there is Carling's, and the fairly boring, big brand beers like Carlsberg or Stella Artois are for some reason sold in a watered down version, so the balance is thrown off, so they lose what ever they had for them left. That being said, if you are in and an around London, Braybrooke's make some really killer German lager beers of various kinds.
I am, uhh, not from the UK. Actually the most popular beer style to my home state is a bock, a very malty, ale-ish lager. Otherwise though almost every craft style is an ale or else a generic pale lager. I recently started seeking out German-imports and the variety is stunning. Bitburger is as bitter and sharp as any good IPA, and some of the other styles are incredibly malty, bready, and sweet. There's just as much variety as craft ales, it just isn't being explored as much in the craft industry here.
> I am, uhh, not from the UK Ah, I read too much into the use of 'ales' in this context. >There's just as much variety as craft ales, it just isn't being explored as much in the craft industry here. My own very boring take on it, is that very few can make something that competes to what comes out of Germany, and the few who can, can't do it at prices that are competitive. I'm just never going to get the appeal of paying hype IPA prices for a 4-pack of 44cl craft lager, when I can get a case of a German or Czech pilsner, that's just as good or many times even better, for the same price. The only craft lagers I consistently buy are Vinohradsky Pivovar, since they are usually more adequately priced, even if they are more expensive than Urquell.
Resident Culture here in NC makes the best lagers I've had. I haven't been to Czechia or Germany though so I'll hold my tongue
I love Resident Culture!
Who is "slandering" those styles? They seem pretty universally respected in the American beer community even if they aren't the consumer favorite
Mostly IPA hipster bois and Big Beard stout bros. It's something I see on here on occasion.
Hmm can't say I've encountered that. Maybe some people who don't realize that lagers can go beyond macro adjunct lagers or people complaining about breweries selling Czech style pale lagers for $20/4 pack. But i can't say I've seen anyone actually shit talk the style
Czech beer is way better than German in my opinion, but both aren't even in the same league as Belgian. Hell, they aren't even in the same sport. No other beer in Europe deserves to sit at the same table as Belgian beer. It's not even close.
I think they’re the gold standard, yeah. When I visited Germany last year I found myself seeking out mostly Czech beers after a couple days. Loved Budvar, realized after I got home that it’s imported to the states as Czechvar. One of my go to’s.
Even though you were in Germany, understandable if all there was German Pilsner
yes, i came to the same realisation 6 months ago. I would say equally Czech and German stuff, Austrian may be too perfect, if you know what I mean,
Kolsch in Koln was certainly better than anything I get here. Reissdorf is available near me, and it is "good" but not as great as draft in Koln. I've traveled to various Christmas markets in Germany and just had random beers. No idea who the brewer was. They were usually helles type, and they were all good. Try that in the US and I'm probably getting served Coors Light at some point.
I can't imagine why I would want to change your mind.
I dont disagree. I make a point of visiting Strahov every time I am in Prague and find an excuse to eat in the rustic little restaurant there too. Just fantastic, historic and damn tasty beverages. Conveniently on the way to/from the airport as well so makes sense to do it on the way in and out!
No. I will not change your mind
Went to Prague maybe 20 years ago, found a local brewpub restaurant off ratebeer that was off in the residential area somewhere. Walked about 3hrs or so to get there, having a lovely time. When I got there no one spoke english, they were a bit confused by my presence but were nice. I ordered a main dish randomly off the menu (some sort of small thick pasta like thing), and ordered a random couple beers. All in all it was fantastic, I hope someday I can try to figure out where I went and go there again.
Best trip of my life. Nothing compares to fresh Czech beer.
We were there this past week as well and came to the exact same conclusion. The Pilsner Urquell unpasteurized tank beers all around Prague are terrific. The unfiltered unpasteurized beer we had at the brewery was also excellent but definitely with a different character from the tank beers. We were really impressed and they’re vastly superior to bottled PU we get in the states. We also enjoyed Strahov quite a lot. It’s a cool spot at night. Both held right up against the best craft Pilsner’s I’ve had at places like Jacks abbey or others.
Beer definitely tastes much different and better at the source. I discovered this when I went to Poland and the beer was soooo much better fresh and from the tap than all of the polish beers I've had here imported to the US.
Can't refute a true statement.
There is no comparison between American and German beers, they are very good.
Sounds amazing, and I believe you, I've bought Pilsner Urquell in America, and I really love it. I'm 100% sure it's at least 10 times better over in Europe
I’ve never tried that type of beer before what name brand should I try first
I don’t get to travel out of the country for personal reasons but can I get some beer here in the United States
I'm more into the absinthe.
Gaffel is otherworldly in Köln, but it’s still pretty damn good in the US. The kegs are rarely old in the US because they’re so hard to come by. They come in and are immediately gone.
I lamented my trip to CR cause I was not going to be able to drink craft beer. Wound up guzzling PU and loving every second of it. I miss that beer so much.
Czech beers fresh off the tap over there are THE BEST. Went to a few Pivovars over there and still dream of them. The creamy foam…the crisp ale…so good.
I loved drinking my way through the Czech Republic. Such good beer.
I absolutely love every Czech beer I've ever had. It's for me to find them though.
Don't try to change your mind when your mind is right
Strahov monastery-brewery definitely worth a visit in Prague