Are you around this weekend?

Fancy doing something really cool? My friends at Černokostelecký Pivovar are holding the second edition of Vysmolení.

Last year, I had a great time and I'm really looking forward to going again this Saturday.

The excuse for this event is to pay homage to a once very important trade in the Czech beer industry, the cooper, presenting perhaps one of the important jobs these artisans had, pitching.

Like last year, there will also be four beers specially brewed for the occasion, a desítka, a dvanáctka and two smoked beers, one made with beech smoked malts, the other peat smoked. The beers will be poured from wooden barrels with two dispensing methods, top pressure with air compressor and old Bavarian style, by gravity.

Personally, I'm looking forward to see how much the restoration works at the brewery proper have advanced. What these people are doing is really commendable. Instead of setting up a brewpub, they decided to put back into work the original brewhouse, that is fired with wood or coal and has a 160hl capacity, and that was last used a quarter of a century ago.

Of course, that is only the cherry on the pie of something that will certainly be a day full of good friends, good fun and good beer.

So you know where to find me.

Na Zdraví!