Degrees of Czech beer from the brewer. Czech beer
Czech beer has a long history and rich traditions - it is known that already in 993, the Benedictine monks of the Brzenov Monastery brewed this drink. It was in the Czech Republic, in the city of Pilsen, in 1842 that they first mastered the technology of bottom fermentation and brewed light beer of the pilsner category. By the middle of the 19th century, it was possible to buy industrially produced Czech beer in almost all cities of the country.
Czech beer styles
The most common style of Czech beer is a pale lager with a clear golden color, light flavor and high headiness. This category includes all well-known brands of Czech beer: Staropramen, Krusovice, Prazacka, Budveiser Budvar, Bakalar, etc.
The strength of Czech beer ranges from 3-9%, and the color may vary:
Top-fermented beer (ale) is a small part of the total volume. This type, for example, includes the Trappist ale Chimay and the Bohemian ale Bernard.
Czech brewing centers
- Svetle- light, pale yellow beer;
- Polotmave- amber, rich yellow color;
- Tmave- medium dark, deep brown;
- Černe- the darkest, blackest beer.
Assortment of Czech beers
Today, Czech beer is widely represented in the CIS countries. In WineStyle stores you can buy popular brands of Czech beer on favorable terms.
- České Budějovice. The history of brewing in this city dates back to the 13th century. Modern plant began its existence in 1795. Today, the famous Budweiser Budvar beer, which is a product with a protected geographical indication, is produced here.
- Pilsen. Birthplace of the first pilsner (1842). Today, the Plzeňský Prazdroj factory produces beer brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Primus.
- Prague. The history of brewing in the Czech capital is inextricably linked with the monasteries, within whose walls the monks brewed beer more than 1000 years ago. Today, Staropramen is the dominant brand in Stlitsa, although there are many small breweries attached to the bars. The oldest of them, U Fleků, has been in operation since 1499.
- Brno and South Moravia. Monks began to brew Moravian beer around the 11th century. Today, Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, produces such well-known beer brands as Starobrno and Černá Hora.
Czech beer - prices at Winestyle
In Winestyle stores in Moscow, you can buy Czech beer at a price of 102 rubles.
You can find out how much Czech beer costs in bottles of various sizes in our catalog.
Czech cuisine, national and local: what to cook and where to eat. Recipes, cooking methods, snacks, desserts, hot dishes and drinks from the Czech Republic.
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It is absolutely impossible to calculate exactly how many types of beer there are in the Czech Republic: in every corner of this country they brew their own varieties according to unique recipes. "Pivovar" is always spoken with respect here, because beer is a matter of national pride in the Czech Republic and universal envy of the world. In a word, it is a matter of national importance.
Characteristics of beer
You need to choose a quality beer according to three indicators. The first is its density (however, what it is is known for certain only to the brewers themselves: the consumer can determine the density only by the label, where it is indicated as a percentage). Information for an inquisitive beer lover: the density limit of beer is from 8 to 14%, the most popular is 12%. The second indicator is the color of the beer. Everything is simple here: light or dark. And the third criterion is the content of alcohol in it. Very strong Czech beer (over 5%) is produced a little, there is a weak one, up to 3%, there is even non-alcoholic beer. Basically, Czech beer is somewhere around 4.5-4.7% alcohol.
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The best varieties
And now, dear beer lovers, we will tell you in detail about the four most popular Czech varieties: Plzensky Prazdroj, Staropramen, Velkopopovitsky Kozel and Krusovice.
The city of Pilsen is the beer capital of Western Bohemia. There, back in the middle of the twentieth century, the Pilsen beer brand was registered, and in 1998 - Pilsner Urquell (aka Pilsen Prazdroy).
Staropramen, on the other hand, is a light beer of the highest quality, brewed directly in the capital of the Czech Republic - Prague. For centuries, skilled brewers have been working on creating their own Prague varieties, distinguished by their clean and smooth taste. Today, Staropramen ranks third in popularity in the Czech Republic and has repeatedly won prestigious brewing competitions.
Beer "Velkopopovitsky Kozel" has been brewed since 1727, its citrus aroma is considered to be its feature. Every year in the Czech Republic, Goat Day is held, when every self-respecting lover of intoxicating drinks is obliged to get drunk to the appropriate state in order to resemble as closely as possible the picture from the label of his favorite beer "Velkopopovicky Goat".
Finally, Krušovice is one of the oldest brands of Czech beer, founded back in 1583. The water for this beer is delivered from water wells in the Křivoklátsk forests, which is the key to the excellent taste bouquet of Krušovice. Gourmets, attention: on the basis of "Krushovice" you can prepare the so-called "cut" beer, when a light variety is first poured into a glass, and then a dark one is carefully applied to it with a second layer. Drink to your health and remember the Czech proverb - "Where beer is brewed, it's good there"!
Note:After the end of the temperature pause * at 62°C (or during it), it is necessary to separate part of the mash into the filter tank. Calculate the volume so that after combining the parts, the whole mash falls into the mesh-out temperature = 78°C. In my case, this is 250 liters (remain in the boiler).
* At first glance, it may seem that the pause lasts only 15 minutes, but it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the separated part remains on its own in the filter tank for about 45 minutes, until the decoction is added to it again. As a result, the pause is 60 minutes.
Boil the mash remaining in the boiler for 30 minutes. After we combine with the part in the filter vat. I leave for 10-15 minutes to allow the grains to settle and start filtering.
Main fermentation 5-7 days at a temperature of 10°C to an extract of 4.5°P. We remove from the yeast and send for fermentation - 30 days at a temperature of 2 ° C
Sheet pile apparatus at 0.8 bar. Estimated CO2 content 5.4 g/l
Ingredients
Cereals:
Hop:
Yeast:
For fermentation, 10500 billion yeast cells are recommended: 105 fresh packages or vials of liquid yeast or 525 grams of dry yeast.
Mash options
Mashing method:
Cereal (with decoctions)
Temperature breaks:
Water requirement:
Mash water: 349.2 l(hydraulic module 3.6 l/kg) | Wash water: 377.5 l(grain absorption 1.1 l/kg) | Total water: 726.7 l
Cooking parameters
Cooking efficiency: 95.4 %
Boiling time: 90 min| Whirlpool / sludge after boiling: 20 minutes| Cooling: 20 minutes
Batch size after boiling: 560 l.| Evaporation: 9.7 %
| Batch size before boiling: 620 l.
Carbonization parameters
Batch volume after fermentation: 504 l.| Carbonization temperature: 2 °C
Primer:
Extra options
The energy value:
Czech beer is one of the world's standards of foamy drink, national pride and a real history with culture. For its production, the well-known Zatec hops and pure water from artesian wells are used.
Peculiarities
It is not known for certain what specific date can be considered the beginning of the preparation of intoxicating drinks in the Czech Republic. Some sources point to the end of the 5th century, when the tradition of brewing from Germany passed to the Czech Republic, others - to the year 993, since it is known that this drink was already made in one of the monasteries of the state. But all the data converge on one documented fact - the correspondence of King Vratislav II with the novices of the monastery, which describes the instruction to the monks to make beer from several bags of hops transferred to them. This event dates back to 1088.
Later, at the beginning of the 12th century, breweries began to appear in cities such as Brno, Ceske Budějovice, Pilsen. But only three centuries later, such local family brewing acquired an industrial character.
The fame of Czech beer has spread far beyond the borders of the country and today is its hallmark.
The Czechs carefully honor the canons of brewing that have developed over the centuries and are very strict and attentive to the observance of production technology. use the purest water from artesian sources. The malt for the "correct" Czech beer is prepared separately in special facilities called malthouses. Depending on whether they want to get light beer or dark, they use raw or roasted malt. Hops are harvested during its flowering period in July-August. Only female flowers are used, since they contain a large number of aromatic compounds.
First, "green beer" is obtained, for which the wort is brewed for 10 hours in copper vats. This transitional product is poured into containers where they roam, gaining the desired strength from 3 weeks to six months, depending on the variety and type of foamy drink. Then the beer is filtered and it is ready to drink.
Varieties produced in the Czech Republic may differ both in density (8-14%) and in strength (3-9%). Dense beer is usually consumed in winter, light beer is in demand in warm time of the year.
As for the fortress, the most popular among Czechs are drinks that have 4.5-4.7 revolutions. This strength is usually found in traditional Czech beer.
Even the Czechs have their own approach to drinking beer. In their opinion, you really understand the taste of beer only on the 3rd mug, and therefore, they rarely limit themselves to one pair of glasses. It is also necessary to drain the mug in a certain way - in three sips: first, half is drunk in one gulp, and the remaining drink is drunk in another 2 “sips”.
Varieties of Czech beer
The variety of Czech beers can be classified as follows.
According to the type of malt used, it happens:
- light;
- dark;
- semi-dark (red);
- chopped (blend of different types of beer).
From barley malt, depending on the density, there are:
- table (less than 6%);
- vicepni (7-10%);
- sunbeds (11-12%);
- special varieties (above 13%);
- porters (more than 18%);
According to the type of fermentation, varieties of top and bottom fermentation are distinguished. Let's take a closer look at these varieties.
El
This is one of the varieties of the species, in the manufacture of which top yeast is used. It has a moderate or strong bitterness, a wide palette of shades, sometimes there may be a fruity aftertaste. Made in the Czech Republic at small breweries.
Wheat
Brewed with wheat malt. It is distinguished by medium strength, slightly pronounced bitterness, high content of carbon dioxide, tangible fruity notes in its aroma. More often it is light, both filtered and unfiltered.
Porter
A dark beer with a high gravity and alcohol content. Traditionally produced in the Pardubice brewery using barley. Along with high density, it also has a rich flavor palette.
Lager
Lager is a type of foamy drink obtained by bottom fermentation by subsequent fermentation at low temperatures. It should be noted that this is the most common type of beer in the world, also in the Czech Republic it accounts for the main share of foam production.
Pilsner
The most popular type of lager in the Czech Republic is Pils or Pilsner, which is named after the town of Pizen, where it originated. This is a light lager with a bright golden hue, rich aroma and well-defined bitterness.
Side
A sort of light or dark beer that has a bittersweet aftertaste. Its distinctive feature is the must content, reaching 18% or more.
Bavarian type beer
In its manufacture, Munich malt of different shades is used. It turns out a drink with thick foam, strong hop bitterness, rich malt flavor.
Czech beer brands
The TOP-5 includes the following brands of Czech beer, which are widely distributed in the world and can be found in Russia:
- Pilsner Urquell- the world-famous representative of Pilsner, produced in his homeland under the name Plzensky Prazdroj at the brewery in the town of Pilsen. It was created by the Bavarian brewer Joseff Groll in 1842 using high quality ingredients by triple digestion.
- Velkopopovicky Kozel- lager, which is made according to a traditional recipe in the village of the same name in the suburbs of Prague, where every year the "Day of the Goat" is celebrated. Presented in 4 varieties: light, dark, medium, light premium. Light has a pleasant golden color, bright taste of hops. The dark version is particularly popular, distinguished by the presence of a characteristic taste of chocolate and a fruity aftertaste.
- Staropramen- the second largest brewing company in the country, located in the capital. The line has more than 10 drink options, each of which has its own characteristics. Light varieties have an expressive malt flavor on the palate. And the non-alcoholic version of this beer is considered the best in this category.
- Budweiser Budvar is a bottom-fermented beer brewed in České Budějovice from selected Žatec hops, Moravian malt and deep artesian water. It has a characteristic smell, aroma, low carbohydrate content.
- Krusovice- the foamy drink is brewed at the Royal Brewery, founded in 1583. Manufacturers are very careful about the ingredients. The company has a wide range of different types of beer. But perhaps the most popular is dark beer, delighting beer lovers with its caramel flavor.
Other brands of beer that deserve attention:
- Velvet from the Staropramen brand is known for its avalanche-effect bottling method. The foam quickly fills the glass, the liquid is poured over the foam, and then ends up at the bottom of the glass. Beer has a chestnut hue, tastes of chocolate and roasted barley.
- Benešov - Sedm kulí (sedum coolie) - is a semi-dark beer, to which herbs are added;
- Brno - Pegas - wheat lager, in the manufacture of which I use additives such as: eucalyptus, vanilla, fennel, honey, mint, ginger;
- Tmavý Porter Brno - Starobrno is a dark porter with a high body.
- Červený drak (Cherveny Drak) is brewed with the addition of herbal extract.
- Březnice (Brzheznice) - wheat beer made by top fermentation.
- Černá Hora - Kvasar (Kvasar) - contains in its composition a small amount of honey (no more than 0.6%).
- Hradec Králové - Rambousek (Rambousek) - Hradecké bílé (Hradecke Bile) - a wheat variety of a foamy drink;
- Humpolec - Sváteční ležák (Sváteční ležák) - champagne-type barley beer,
- Chýně (Hyne) - sunbed with the addition of corn;
- Litovel - Maestro - another beer with an avalanche effect;
- Náchod - Weizenbier - top-fermented wheat variety;
- Nová Paka - Valdštejn - a special beer with a strength of 7%;
- Hemp BrouCzech is an unusual beer infused with hemp extract.
- Nymburk - Bogan 12% - herbal variety;
- Pardubice - 19% abv porter
- Pivovarský dům - wheat, banana, coffee, nettle, cherry, chocolate, vanilla;
- U Fleků - Flekovské 13% - dark sunbed, belonging to the Bavarian type of foam;
- Rýmař (Rymarch) - semi-dark lounger with raspberry flavor
- Strakonice - Žen-Šen Nektar (Jen-Shen nectar) - a light beer containing Ginseng;
- Vrchlabí - light drink with cherry or honey flavor;
- Radler is a beer blend brewed by the Krušovice brewers. It is obtained by mixing beer with a low alcohol content (from 2 to 2.5%) and lemonade.
It is impossible to unequivocally call some kind of Czech beer the best and recommend it to everyone. Czech beer is an age-old tradition, the heritage of the nation, national pride and just a popular product. You want to study its varieties and species again and again.
What can you buy in Russia
In the Russian Federation, you can also buy bottled Czech beer famous brands, but taste qualities of such beer is lower and the reason for this is more rough pasteurization, which is required by Russian GOST to increase the shelf life. There are also Czech factories that produce special beers specifically for Russia, for example, the little-known Samson brewery from Budejovice in the Czech Republic supplies the Prazhachka brand.
Live Czech beer in Russia is preparing to be brewed on the territory of the Crimea, where a large plant is being built. Czech businessmen decided to attract new consumers, while strengthening economic ties with our country. The attractiveness of the region, increased interest from tourists and a long beach season create favorable conditions for the construction of an industrial complex.
Favorite brands of Czech beer will be produced in the Crimean south, which will undoubtedly please both local residents and people from other regions who flock to the sea in summer.
The opening of the plant is planned for 2018. This will give not only a new impetus to strengthening ties with the Czech Republic, but also to the creation of new jobs, which is no less important for many parts of the Crimean peninsula. And lovers of a quality drink will get even more opportunities to taste the "fresh".
Beer for the Czech people is a kind of national treasure and pride. Czechs carefully honor their brewing traditions. Today, large brands from the Czech Republic have gained their popularity around the world and are produced in many countries. However, if you want to taste some of the exotic beers brewed in small local breweries, this country is well worth a visit.
Deeper into the topic
I decided to understand the topic of Czech beer, and more specifically, what is a lounger, People's Taster. I asked one of the few experts in our country who can talk about beer in such a detailed and interesting way to conduct a digression into the topic. So, what is a lounger, says beer expert, sommelier, head of the Kyiv Beer League Yuri Semenov.
The Czechs are lucky. They have beautiful soft water flowing right from the ground, which is well suited for lagers, or, as they are called in the Czech Republic, sunbeds. Therefore, all traditional Czech beers are bottom-fermented. Many people think that lager is a very simple beer, the production of which is quite simple. But it's not. To achieve a clean aromatic profile, clear consistency and beautiful colour you have to make an effort. And in this Czech brewers are among the best.
They use a decoction method of mashing, and the most popular beer is a chalked lager (a lager with an initial gravity of 7-10%) is aged in cellars for at least 30 days at a low temperature. Thanks to this, the beer is sufficiently well saturated with carbon dioxide and acquires the property that the Czechs call rys. It is a prickling sensation on the tip of the tongue that is like a fizzy candy. You can conduct an experiment and take a traditional Czech beer and a traditional German beer that is similar in its parameters and compare.
By the way, the phrase "Czech beer" is protected by origin. In the Czech Republic, there is a special authority that issues this security mark. In order to get it, you need to produce beer in the Czech Republic according to classical technology using Czech malt and Saaz hops. Interestingly, these hops have little bitterness, so you need to use a fair amount of hops to achieve a consistent bitter taste. Hops are known to have preservative properties. Because of this, in particular, Czech beer can be stored in an unpasteurized state for up to three months, or even more.
What is Czech beer?
In 1997, according to the requirements of the European Union, a classification of Czech beer was adopted, according to which beer is divided into groups according to the types of malt used in it and into subgroups according to initial density, as well as alcohol content. Consider the most typical styles. A beer is called pale if it is made primarily from light malt. Semi-dark - a beer made using pale malt blended with colored malts. Dark - beer that is made using dark and caramel malts.
The most popular sub-group in the Czech Republic is vychepne beer - a beer with an initial gravity of 7 to 10 percent. The alcohol content in it, respectively, can be 3.5-4% ABV. This beer will be brought to you in a Czech establishment if you simply order a beer. And they will most likely bring you light. The most famous beer outside the Czech Republic - the so-called "premium sunbed" has an initial gravity of 11-12 percent and an alcohol content of about 5-5.2% ABV. The representative of this style is the well-known Plzensky Prazdroi (Pilsener Urquell). This beer essentially became the ancestor of such a sub-style as Pils, which is usually more bitter than a standard lager. In 1842, the Bavarian brewer Josef Groll brewed this beer according to original recipe using more hops. In addition, I used light malt, which at that time had already become the way we know it now. In fact, we can say that the stable production of light beer began with it.
Czechs also brew wheat beer, which, unlike German beer, where it is mandatory to use at least 50% wheat malt, can contain at least 30%. Plus, it's more likely to be a lager than a German wheat ale.
Some numbers: one of the first written records of brewing was made in the Czech Republic and dates back to 993. We are talking about the Břevnov Monastery in Prague, where the monks were already brewing beer at that time. It is also worth knowing that in 1585, the Czech scientist Tadeusz Hajek wrote one of the earliest textbooks on brewing.
The profession of a brewer, or as the Czechs call it - sweet, is very respected and, as a rule, passes from the older generation to the younger, along with experience and secrets.
Beer is part of the Czech national culture and, in particular, therefore, about 150 liters per person are drunk per year in this country. Following Germany and Austria are 40-45 liters behind. And Ukraine is in 30th place in the world with an indicator of about 60 liters of beer per person per year.
What about craft beer in the Czech Republic?
Do the Czechs still cook their very tasty, but fairly identical sunbeds? Of course, the craft revolution has reached them too. And over the past 5-6 years, small breweries have appeared that experiment with styles and brew bitter popular ales in particular. In Prague, there are even several breweries with Czech craft. According to my observations at one of the major festivals Zlata Pivny Pecet, which we have been attending for the last 6 years, three or four years ago, almost all Czech breweries presented their IPA or stout, but last year and this year their number has decreased. Yet tradition prevailed.
And in conclusion, I want to say: to really enjoy real Czech beer, you need to go to the Czech Republic and drink it there. Because nothing compares to the traditions of Czech establishments - gentlemen, where the beer taps do not close and you are served four beers to the table within 21 seconds after ordering, where time flows slowly and everyone around you has a glass of magnificent Czech sunbed on the table.
