Pivní Filosof - Beer Philosopher

I'm glad that the Czech market seems to be slowly opening to imported beers. Yes, most of them come by the hand of multinationals and, but for a few exceptions, they are as mediocre as your average Eurolager. But still you can find a gem or two if you look for them. Unfortunately, Erdinger beers are not among them. This month's event at Pivovarský Klub was the presentation of the Bavarian Brewery Erdinger. The brand is among the top best selling in Germany, which is somewhat remarkable given that the 1.5 million hl they pop out annually are all wheat beers. They are also sponsors of Bayern Munich, the most popular and successful German football team. My only experience with this brauhaus was their Dunkles Weizen, which I'd drank a few years ago and, as far as I remember, I had liked a lot. The presentation, hosted by the brewery's local distributor, was very professional and as interestinga it could be. They presented six beers from the product line: Alkoholfrei, Weissb...

As expected, I went to Český Pivní Festival Praha 2008, shortly after the doors were opened on the first day. I didn't have too much time, but I still wanted to go. I really wanted to see what I was all about. Friday was not the nicest of days. I arrived a bit after 1PM and the few people that were already there seemed mostly VIP's invited for the opening ceremony. Which was actually a bit of luck because as I was getting to the place where the first "barrel" was tapped, one of the waitresses put a pint in my hand. She saw me with my camera already around my neck, and must have thought that I was a journalist. Which, actually, isn't that far from the truth...hehe! Sipping that free pint of Budvar, I was able to witness how Prague 's mayor, Pavel Bem had a toast with some minor celebrity from the local TV, only to leave as soon as the photographers got busy with something more interesting, like drinking beer. Either he still had some work in the office, or he d...

I've said it many times and I'll never get tired of repeating it. One of the things that I like the most about blogging is the exchange. The possibility of knowing people with similar interests and, sometimes, to actually exchange physical things. Andrés from Culturilla Cervecera sent me a selection of Spanish beers, of which I knew next to noting. They had a pretty eventful journey and only five of six made to my hands. It took my time to taste them, one a day. And, just as I did with Alhambra Reserva 1925 , I tried to leave preconception behind and ignored the reviews of others, I wanted to sample these beers without other people's expectations. Here is the result. I started with the two beers from La Zaragozana. The fist one was Ambar Export . There is plenty of information on the labels, they tell us that this double fermented beer was brewed using three kinds of malts. It's got 7%ABV, so I think that the balling is around 17°. A beer to drink carefully. When pouri...

The first time I drank a beer from Platan , I don't remember which, I didn't like it, and the same happened the second and third times. Each at a different place, which I no longer remember. Not long ago, and I also can't remember when or where, I noticed something had changed. It wasn't the same beer, it had improved considerable. What before seemed something made without much care, now had become a well brewed beer. One day, at the place where I buy my case of Svijany , I realised that they also carry Platan 11%, so I decided to buy a couple of bottles to drink at home. The following day, while I was making dinner, I opened the bottle I had left in the fridge to share it with my wife and take my notes. When pouring we have a light golden color beer that topped with a generous head and with low carbonation. It doesn't tell much to the eyes, really. The beer actually starts talking the nose. What it says is intense and rather interesting for a beer of its kind, I ...

So let's see. It's not far from Prague (about an hour and a half by car), yet far from the umbrella following herds. It's located in a beautiful place, a promontory overlooking the confluence of the Vltava and Otava rivers, surrounded by thick forests and with spectacular views of the cliffs by the rivers. It's ideal for a day trip with children or partner, the place is pretty quiet and romantic. If we add to all this the brewpub located at about 500m from the entrance of Zvíkov Castle, we can say we have an almost perfect trip. Zvikovksý Hrad is full of history and legend. It's almost a fairy tale castle. There is a tall tower next to the gates, gardens, a fairly well preserved main structure and the rest in elegant ruins. The castle was established in the 13th century by none other than Otakar II and, until Karlštejn was finished, it served as royal castle and depository of the crown jewels. After that, the it went through many hands until it started to fall into...

What a great beer month April was! I tasted several completely new beers for me, some of them very, very good. Also, I found a new favourite place where to drink them in Zlý Časy , a pub I will sure visit very often. So it was hard to decide which would the beer of this month. The new ones also had to compete with some old friends like X33, in its new batch, Tmavé 14° from U Bulovky and my dear Svijanský Rytíř in its bottled version (if you like hoppy golden lagers, this one is sure to please you). So, allow me to make a round-up of the new beers. At least the ones that I liked the most. Starting with Vandorf Rauchweizen. I didn't know what to expect from this beer, but I loved that it wasn't trying to be a copy of Schenklerka Rauchweizen. It is a completely different beer, and a very recommendable one at that, though I would have liked the smoked notes a bit more intense. Pivovarský Dům presented us with, not one, but three novelties (well, two and a half). The desítka, brewed...

A bit late, but better than never. Boak and Bailey wanted to know what turned people into beers lovers , what was their moment of epiphany. I know i should have posted yesterday, but, didn't have time, sorry... I hope you don't mind.... It's pretty hard to say exactly when I became a beer lover. I've always liked beer, all my life. I remember my parents giving me a sip of theirs when I was very little, the doctor had told them it was fine. But beer in Argentina meant pretty much only one thing: Quilmes. They are the ones who made people in Argentina start drinking beer, and that was pretty much all I drunk until the early 90's. That was when the floodgates opened and all this imported beers started to show up everywhere. Most of them I have forgotten, and some of them make me feel embarrassed when I remember that I thought they were very good, Budweiser and Carlsberg come to mind. Soon they vanished and it was all back to Quilmes and, now Heineken, that had started ...