Beer From Around The World - Beer of Czech Republic - Episode 4
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- čas přidán 21. 05. 2024
- Beer From Around The World - Beer of Czech Republic - Episode 4
Beer From Around The World - Intro
• Beer From Around The W...
These videos will cover beers from around the world.
In this week's episode we will cover 4 beers from The Czech Republic
Pilsner Urquell
Praga - Premium Pils
Praga - Dark Lager
Kozel Cerny (Kozel Černý) - A Czech beer brewed and bottled in Poland. - Jak na to + styl
As a Czech I see only two czech beers - Pilsner Urquell and Kozel.. the rest seems to me as a tourist trap or something
Thanks for the info as I'm not sure as I've never been lucky enough to visit but I will say a lot of people could learn what a great pilsner should taste like in my opinion by trying a Pilsner Urquell as it was one of the best Pilsners I've had in a very long time and probably the best true Pilsners without other things going on. Someone did tell me there are some beers I've gotten from other countries that are export only beers.
tak tos asi neměl řemeslný pivo z nějaký restaurace co si to vaří sama třeba.
@@MrMajsterixx takze tohle nejsou europiva? ja tak trosku pivo varim a v tomhle oboru jsem pracoval, neco o tom vim
@@MrMajsterixx
Bohužel nejsem schopen dovážet pivo od malých řemeslných sládků nebo restaurací, které vaří v České republice. - Sadly I'm not able to import beer from small craft brewers or restaurants that brew in The Czech Republic.
I guess these are export beers. Not really a tourist trap. But some pisswassers that Czech breweries do only for export, label them as Czech beer, basically pure marketing. I was once in Salt lake and went into a beer bar. People there got super hyped when I said I am Czech, since it was really a beer bar oriented on beers around the world. And they gave me this beer called Lev (Had Czech lion on the sticker) and they were proud that they consume more of this beer in Utah than us in Czech Republic. They were surprised when I told them that its probably caused by the fact that I have never seen this beer before :D And it was from Havlíčkův Brod which is like 40km from my hometown.
So, the only 2 beers which are found in the Czech Republic are Pilsner Urquell & Kozel. The others I believe are brewed and bottled for distribution outside of the Czech Republic.
With regards to the Pilsner Urquell beer, it is so named after the town that it's brewed in.....Plzen, Czech Republic. So it's for sure the original pilsner beer and in my opinion, the best beer in the world.
I'm British, but I live in Prague, so frequenting the pubs is for sure something I enjoy doing in free time.
A very close second is the Kozel beer, which I also enjoy. Behind that I would say Budweis Budvar (this is the original Budweiser by the way). There is a trading law between the USA and Czech Republic about how the Budweiser beer can be marketed and sold.
What you really need to do, is come to the Czech Republic to drink the real deal, where many pubs have tank beer (tankovna). It'll blow you away!
I seen and heard several people tell me drinking fresh Pilsner Urquell changed the way they see beer and was amazing even compared to local bottles of it.
Czech guy here. Just to give you an unsolicited armchair opinion regarding the bottles you got: Kozel is sort of a blue-collar workhorse, its very low-brow, often sipped by the working class, soccer fans or even ironically, but its a cheap staple, its an old school beer and has its place. Pilsner Urquell of course is the heavy hitter and entry-level classic (it IS the original pale lager, and Urquell means "The Source"), many times Czechs order that with lunch, in the countryside or when theres no craft beer available, its the safe option. These two are very popular around Europe, which is why you encounter Polish or even Russian licensed produce (Czechs would naturally never drink that, of course!). But "Star of Pilsen", "Česká koruna" (Czech Crown), "Zlatá Praha" (Golden Prague), "Pragaů... frankly I have never seen these around in my life and after a bit of research, they are made by Litovel, a brewery that is ironically not even well outside Prague, but not even in Czechia (it is in Moravia, which is historically another province), for export only. It is quite average. Another fun point is that the "standard european-sized bottled" are never used here, these are for export-only, its more of a Belgian style to drink small "thirds" from a wine glass (which most macho Czechs find repulsive), we only have 0,5L bottles.
The beer you got is quite conservative, as is most export beer. The explanation to consider is that Czech breweries were nationalised during the communist era (along with all private enterprise) back in 1948 and not a penny was invested into them for over 40 years, which is ironically a good thing in the long run, because while most of German, English or Dutch breweries heavily modernized, switched to automatic production lines, granulated hop pellets and so on, Czech production methods and quality essentially stayed the same way they were in, say, 1930, and this turned out to be a big benefit in the 1990s when they got back on the market.
Thanks and cheers!
Awesome and thank you for the great feedback and education on the where some of these beers are coming from. The Urquell really was amazing for a straight lager as most lagers, even many craft lagers here in the U.S. are not that good. The "Star of Pilsen" looks very gimmicky so I'm not expecting much from them but hopefully I'm wrong.
from left:
Kozel 10° - 10° means that beer contain 3,4-4,5% of alcohol, Kozel is one of most favuourite beer in Czechia, original brewery was buyed by Pilsner Urquel Brewery but recipe is still same, including the use of a nearby natural water source for beer production
Star of Pilsen 11°- brown label means dark lager, green label means pale lager, 11° means that contain 4,6-4,8% of alcohol, beer is from brewery in Nymburk, the beer is named after pilsner-type lager, but the beer is brewed for export for Bulgarian businessman who takes advantage of the popularity of czech beers abroad
Česká Koruna 10° - same as Star of Pilsen, same brewery and same case of exploiting popularity of czech beers
Zlatá Praha 11° - same as Star of Pilsen and Česká Koruna, same brewery, same exploitation of good reputaion
Praga 10° and 11° - dark lager is 10° and pale lager 11°, beer mainly for export from Litovel Brewery
Pilsne Urquell 12° - 12° means that beer contain 4,9-5,3% of alcohol, original beer from Pilsens brewery
most truly czech beers from renowed brewery using nearby natural waters sorce, like underground springs or deep wells, and this partly affects the taste as well...
beer thatcan be considered exclusively as Czech beer is:
Gambrinus
Pilsner Urquell
Krušovice
Staropramen
Chodovar
Kozel
Radegast
Braník
Starobrno
Budweiser Budvar
Ježek
and beer from from locals small or family breweries
I literally watched this video while drinking Kozel i love that beer haha. Great video and thanks for reviewing our beer!
Thank you as your country makes some great beers and in regards to your Lagers they taste a lot better than the majority I've tasted here in the U.S..
@@BitterRealityBrewing im glad to hear that. Keep up the good content
@@matejsikora9616 Thank you and thanks for the feedback.
Pilsner Urquell is my spirit animal.
I wasn't a pilsner lager fan until I tried this. It's a great beer that I usually have a bottle or two in my beer fridge year-round so when I'm craving one, I have it.
@@BitterRealityBrewing That`s great. Glad you like it too. To me it is not even that it is a "spectacular" tasting beer. It just tastes right for me always. It is never too sweet, never too bitter, it is never too strong and never too much. Pilsner Urquell became my favourite go to beer. I love it with a passion.
Very cool stuff Mike. Love the concept. Sláinte
Thank you and trying to expose maybe non-brewers to more options as that is one of the steps I took before jumping into that famous rabbit hole known as home brewing.
Good on you for covering Czech beer, it’s amongst my favourite! It’s true to say as many have that you need to go and try the beer there…..I live in Scotland and we can get quite a few of their beers in bottles or cans and it’s just not comparable. Hopefully you’ll get a chance to go someday.
I only wish I could get some samples of their local crafter beers but their mainstream brews were impressive.
@@BitterRealityBrewing we can’t even get their beer as it’s served there as most of it is unpasteurised. It’s just a different animal altogether!
You need a TAP beer in the Czech Republic, then we'll talk.
I fully agree and some day it will be easier to send things like that from one part of the world to another quickly.
As a regular Czech citizen, i recognise Kozel And Pilsner Urquell as Czech beer, the rest is unfamiliar to me.
Other notable beers that are missing are for example: Budweiser Budvar, Radegast, Svijany, Staropramen, Starobrno, Ostravar
I'm not saying they are all good😂 but they are all Czech.
I prefer Radegast draft because it is sweeter like that. Bottled it is very bitter.
Sadly we have a limited selection of Czech beers here in the U.S., and it appears that some of these beers might be made in Poland by Czech companies for export only.
Almost every beer in my old country is good. Some American beers are very bad.
Pilsner Urquell is interesting in that it's allowed a degree of Diacetyl as part of its taste. Loving the Pilsner glass!
I was seriously blown away at how nice it smelled as I really wasn't expecting that at all. It was a nice and light lager but the smell still caught me off guard.
The Kozel you get in some countries will say "from UK" "from Germany" yes it's like if I buy Budweiser, it's gonna say "from Norway" but no it's not from Norway, but some have contracts and can bottle them and sell them under a licence. The brand will still be from the country of origin. FYI in norway the Kozel says "from Czech Republic" but many foreign brands will say "from norway" or "bottled in norway"
Yeah, I think it has to do with export rules and probably profits/taxes.
@@BitterRealityBrewing and rules in norway are strict as hell when it comes to alcohol. Find it funny when an "expensive" beer in other countries is like $3 or so, when that's a cheap one here...
Names of the beers shows their origin - in german Pilsner means literally "from Pilsen" (Plzeň), Budweiser in german means "from Budweis" (Budějovice), etc.
Is Budějovice pronounced Budweis? I get what your saying but I struggle with pronouncing some words, especially Budějovice
kozel is amazing - had one and then I had 3 more
I was impressed with most of the Czech beers compared to a few of the beers from other countries. Lighter beers aren't always that good as they allow off flavors to shine through but the Czech beers seem to maintain very high quality standards.
speaking of budweisers from other countries, Czeck budweiser (Budvar) is actually awesome.
😂🍻😂🍻That is funny to think about it but I would expect countries brewing beers for as long as Czeck has been they probably work really hard to maintain their reputation and have extremely high standards for their beers! Thanks for the support! Cheers! 🍻
Like many wrote before me... I recognize Pilsner and Kozel... Have no idea about the rest... Star of Pilsen? Pilsen, Czechia is my hometown... Yet've never heard of it. Maybe they brew it in Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois...
All were supposedly brewed and bottles in the Czech Republic according to the bottles but might just be for export only. Part of their marketing, I guess.
Pilsner Urqell, Budweiser Budvar, Gambrinus or Staropramen, those are more often beer brands. But in Czech republic, there is local branded brewery in almost every bigger city or town, so there’s literally dozens and dozens of brands. Well, we are beer country after all🍺🍺🍺
I'm crossing my fingers that more of those local beers will be imported to the U.S. from time to time. It is a lot cheaper than flying their for an amazing beer.
Gambrinus 🤢
@@user-ss6pf8ld2l It’s not so bad, on the other hand, I don’t like Budweiser, got headache everytime I drank it..
god i love chech dark kozel
I was impressed and prefer a bit of dark beer from time to time.
I've been to the Kozel brewery. I believe the Kozel you get in the Czech Republic is from there and what you get outside of CR is probably brewed elsewhere...
actually nowadays a lot of these czech brands are not brwed here or its just some part of the process actually being done here :) but the best beers u can get here are craft beers from small breweries/restaurant that brew their own or have some small brewery which does beer for them. Hey from Czechia
@@MrMajsterixx Hello. I am a traditionalist. I love Pilsner from a tank, and it's my go to beer in Prague. Master, as well...
I was up in Georgia (U.S.) and saw a few craft beers from certain parts of Eastern Europe and I believe 2 were from CR but sadly they were all very expensive so I passed for now as I was low on funds but may grab some down the road next time I'm in that area. If you aren't in the U.S. we have a distribution channel for beer which means certain beers might only be available in 1 state or all 50 states but more craft beer is only available in either the state it is produced in or in a handful of other states if they make enough.
Apart from the Kozel and the Pilsener the rest are for export only. I have never seen any of them in any shop or supermarket here in Czech Republic.
Thanks for the feedback as sadly I've never been there. I did a review on Pilsner Urquell in one of these Czech videos and it was one of the best Pilsner lagers I've ever had. I will be brewing a Czech Pilsner (Pale Lager) according to the beer brewing guidelines here in the U.S. tomorrow (was supposed to be today but got up late). I remember going to Canada many years ago and they had a few beers that were labeled "Export" and were big export beers but they also sold them that way in some cities too next to the non-export versions.
Czech beer - best beer. Thats all.
Very smooth and easy drinking with a nice crispness to it. Love SAAZ as it really helps the beer shine even more.
I envy you. 😁 Enjoy
No envy needed...I'm just OCD when it comes to enjoying beer and everything related from Science to History, I find it all very fascinating and extremely interesting.
I hear you, man. We are all in the same boat.
I s'pose everyone has their own beer taste, cus for me it's Svijany, Radegast and Černá Hora that are best in terms of taste (ye kinda surprisingly, as many ppl just hate it). Also Kozel is a baseline standard, when nothing else is available.
Btw if you pour Czech beer, it's advised to pour it on the glass (avoid pouring straight into liquid) if you want to avoid excessive foaming and do it slow. That way you can pour what appears to be less foamy than ale, it has quite some taste nevertheless.
As for wheat, Czechs don't do wheat beer much traditionaly with exception for some southwest regions which are bordering Bavaria(Germany). We in majority preffer barley(malt) beer.
Thank you for the feedback and I'll keep my eyes open for the recommended beers as our imports from Czech is limited based on the brewing company and suppliers. I was never a huge fan of lagers until I started brewing them myself but there are some that are extremely well done, plus I would expect with importing them that most aren't as fresh as they would have been if consumed locally in Czech.
You like Radegast because it's a super bitter beer and of good quality, so I recommend Bernard, try it, you won't regret it.
Kozel dark is the best beer ever 😍
It was really good. I've been craving a few of these after not having them for a while now.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I drink 5,6 cans of them every day😅
I am from Moravia- Czech and I have no idea what beer is Zlata praha, praga Ceska koruna. only know beer you have is Pilsner in really funny bottle(prolly only for export- standart bottle in Zcech is 0.5L) and Kozel. pilsner is classic the best is from tank. Kozel is good known for really nice black beer. Next time try Zlatopramen 11, Krusovice Lezak, Berndard... For 0.5% alcohol try Cerny citron Litovel. With Czech beer you need to try on tap - Mliko(milk), hladinka, cochtan. The beer taste different while you pour it into a glass.
Yes, Sadly we get a very limited supply of beers from the Czech Republic. And some of the exports are a bit different in bottling although I hope the beer is the same, but you never really know. Thank you.
Maybe you should repeat the Czech republic becose only Kozel and Pilsner are those we drink from selection you had on table
if i can recommend to add : Bernard , Svijany , Staropramen , Starobrno , Gambrinus , Krušovice , Budvaiser Budvar (Budějovický budvar) , Radegast
along with Kozel and Pilsner thesee are beers we drink the most
I will look to do more. Someone told me that there were a fair amount of the beers that we get here in the U.S. from Czech are actually export only and not sold locally in the Czech Republic.
Ostravar is the best czech beer and Banik the best czech club 😁
you should try zichovec brewery ;-)
Sorry for the delay in replying. I need to visit my local shop to see if they have or can get any of the beer from that brewery. Do you know if they distribute outside of the country?
Na Zdrowie 🍻 🍻 🍻
Thank you and Cheers!
If you would try Czech beers again i can recommend atlaspiv cz, where are all the beers rated by people
Awesome and thank you as my Google Translate seems to work well on that webpage! I appreciate the info and will use it. I really wish I could score some craft beers from small brewers there but I'll keep my eyes open as occasionally small breweries sometimes do exports during major growth before looking to reduce cost over quality like many of the big breweries seem to do.
@@BitterRealityBrewing I know, is really hard to get special beers, only around 12 breweries export to US and many times rebrand he beers for better sales. Big shame is almost all breweries in Czechia got sold to big companies and quality went down, true magic of Czech beers are small breweries that many people run as a hobby and are only regionaly avaible. Fun fac; there is something called "beer hiking" bunch of friends going from brewery to brewery and try their products
Beers from Czech Republic and Germany - No1 on the world.
I love most beers from Germany and have been drinking some Doppelbocks recently including one with oak smoked grains. As for Czech beers, I never cared for Pilsners per say until I had the Urquell Pilsner only to realize I'm just picky as Urquell Pilsner was amazing!
It is a shame that we cannot get more Czech beer in the USA. I used to buy Pilsner in the cag here in California before COVID-19. Nowadays it is not available. Major American beers are undrinkable, and some are socially unelectable. It is not fair to keep us, Czech beer enthusiasts, isolated and surrounded by low-quality beer.
I'm crossing my fingers to someday be able to order beers from other countries and have them shipped here. Might be a bit expensive, but figured it would be worth the experience.
Cerveza checa,la mejor del mundo
I agree, amazing Pilsner beers!
So Kozel is one of famous Czech beers, even encoded in film movies or songs. Period, there is nothing to be discussed. Maybe the export version is made in Poland. But seriously, beers like Ceska koruna, Praga, Zlata Praha or whatever - I never seen in my life. Either it is some small craft beer brand (but I doubt it) or it is something sort of commercial project of producing some generic beer and putting a label that screams anything Czech on it. Try beers like (large) Budweiser Budvar (the original), Radegast, Staropramen, Zubr, Svijany ; (small) Policka, Krakonos, Poutnik. All the better and big companies are owned by Asahi group. Budweiser, the original, is a brewery owned by the Czech State. There are also hundreds of craft beers in CR.
Thank you for shedding some light as it might be more of a marketing scheme to produce the beer in Czech to help with the value and demand when it is exporting into other countries where we might not have any clue about what is or isn't a true Czech beer.
Trying out Ceska koruna, not impressed, but I do love the caramel Czech beer.
Thank you for the recommendation. I'm looking to bring this series back but of course for other regions of the world.
So I was just watching another video and there's supposedly 3 ways of serving/drinking Czech beer. I'm not going to try and remember the Czech names but basically:
1: all foam, 2: half foam half liquid, and 3 mostly liquid with a head. Supposedly it changes the flavors.
😂😂😂I'd say with all foam there wouldn't be much to taste but foam. I just brewed a Pseudo lager aka Czech Pilsner and it came out really, really nice.
The foam is still completely 100% beer :-D
Typical czech will always have liqiud with a foam head , i bet you have seen that at Honest guide channel , but that is like atraction for tourists
The SGPC says this is volunteer only service 😊 you bring your own honey dear
Thank you for your support.
You forgot the Budweiser beer, That’s also from Czech Republic!!
😂😀😂😀😂 So true....but scary too.
wait, it isn't. Budweiser sold in USA is not Budvar sold in czech, it's different company making the beer
@@RogueEva Czech Budweiser is sold in USA under name Czechvar.
Amreican courts have always sided with American companies and have given the Budweiser brand in the US to Anheuser-Busch, which sells a parody of beer made from corn under the Budweiser name in the US.
@@Nhkg17 i know, i tried US budweiser and it tastes like piss :) czechvar is funny name but as far as it have real beer in the can i guess it's allright :)
Kozel and Urquell are real Czech beers the rest are probably made in different countries.
It appears a lot of beers are produced in Czech for export that aren't sold locally in the Czech Republic from what I've learned from other comments.
@@BitterRealityBrewing The 4 brands in the middle are definitely exported beers because you won't find them in store shelfs in Czechia. You can see these "Czech" beers in airports.
Kozel is definitely Czech and you are indeed Pilsner Urquell from Plzen (Pilsen) is the first Pilsner and named after the city
Here is an interesting video on the Pilsner story czcams.com/video/EN5QwWCWz60/video.html
Another interesting video is on how serious we are about the foam czcams.com/video/BuU_lMAIwbQ/video.html
Greetings from Budweis in Souther Bohemia, where we brew the real stuff ☺ (hint hint)
🍻
Sorry, your comment got held by YT for the links. I will check out the links later today and I agree, you all do brew some amazing brews! I've met a few people since I did this video that absolutely love Pilsner Urquell as their #1 go to brew they keep stocked in their house. I also buy it from time to time when I want a nice pilsner (usually in the Summer months).
Gat your hands on some Matuška. Your head will explode.
Than you and I've put that beer name on my radar to see if I can score some.
@@BitterRealityBrewing Another beer that's on par with Matuška is Zlíchovec. Both are relatively small breweries of high renown.
I tryed pilsner but its too weak beer for me . I love that bitter taste to beer. I enjoy a lot argus from beer but that strong one .7.2% alcohol. But 5% is still good. Then from slovakia i love šariš 12 with is great. And radegast 12
you forgot a really nice beer Gambrinus and staropramen
Now you have me wanting to go back to my local European Grocery store to see if they have either. 😀🍻
@@BitterRealityBrewing Gambrinus, Radegast, Kozel and Pilsner Urquell all belong under the same company (also Birel - non alcoholic beers), often they are made in the same brewery. All of them are great. Btw I heard, Koreans like the Black Kozel with cinnamon.
@@TheProstig Radegast is produced in Nošovice, a completely different brewery. The fact that they were bought by Pilsen Prazdroj, which can't make good beer like Plzeňský Prazdroj , is disgusting and, above all, advertising. Big concerns buy small ones and destroy them over time. That's Radegast. once 30/40 years ago the best beer in the Czech Republic.
Bottom line, need to drink pilsner urquel in czech from the tank. After that, sample czech breweries like Rohodzec, Svijany, Krakonos, Raven.Clock, and too many more
Talk about FRESH!!! That would be an amazing experience to have. Have a great new year!
Gambrinus? Staropramen? Svijany? No? Most beers you have tested are less used in my country.
Yes, sadly it sounds like there are a lot of "Export" only beers being produced in many countries.
Try doing Swedish beer
Would love to but I don't think I've ever seen a Swedish beer here in the U.S.. Maybe they don't export at this time to the U.S.?
As a Czech, the beers apart from Kozel and Pilsner Urquell are not really recongnizable, I wouldn't consider them something every Czech drinks
Sadly in the U.S., most of us don't know and simply go by where they were brewed which doesn't appear to mean they are actually sold in the same country they are brewed in. Ever since I did this video I've been buying Pilsner Urquell from time to time as it is a great Pilsner Lager.
ONLY Pilsner Urquell And kozel Are known in czech rep. Beers zlatá koruna,praga, zlatá Praha nobody knows in czech rep.
Urquell is very popular over here in the U.S.. I've discovered some beers are made in the Czech Rep as export only, so locals never see them and I think it is mainly for marketing reasons.
You can't really know what Czech beer tastes like, unless you have had beer in CR. There's a world of difference between tank Pilsner and Pilsner Urquell made for export, or even worse, made and bottled in the US by Coors, or some other brewery. Even Czech Pilsner made for the domestic market is different than that made for export. In the Czech Republic, at a tankovna- a place which sells tank beer, beer is always poured in a wet glass and has a thick head. The head protects the beer from the air, and the beer should be finished before the head goes down... Pilsner is made only from 4 ingredients- water, barley malt, yeast and Saaz hops.
Sad to know that Urquell is made by Coors but I will still say it is probably one of the best Pilsners I've ever had. I recently saw a bunch of craft beers from parts of Eastern Europe including a couple from Czech but they were VERY expensive and not near where I live so I passed for now as I couldn't afford to buy them at this time but hopefully down the road I might score a few.
@@BitterRealityBrewing It really depends on if you get Pilsner that's imported, or made here. If you look at the back of the package, a lot of 'import' beers are actually made in the USA by other breweries, because of the cost of shipping and the fact that the beer has a good chance of going bad. They are made using the same methods and ingredients, but for Pilsner, it's all about the water, and that isn't imported. It legally has to say on the bottle or package where they are made. I know at grocery stores near me, Pilsner is made in the USA, but at places like Total Beverage- who is a large importer, it is made in Plzen.
@@BitterRealityBrewing come check out Notch in Brighton, MA. Best traditional Czech and German brewery in the northeast.
Where is STAROPRAMEN ?
No clue as it states it is brewed in Prague.