The great lager beer test

It was the Norwegian beer blogger Lars Garshol who started it all. He did a blind test of pale lagers available in Norwegian supermarkets. The results surprised him, and they also started a very interesting thread on a Norwegian beer forum. Various posts from beer lovers and beer bloggers showed that many did not recognise certain beers they generally knew well. In other cases posts showed that people had prejudice towards certain beers or breweries, and that a beer tasted much better than they had thought in advance. The beer forum had a software update this Summer and due to no backup of data all these posts are unfortunately lost.

I have also done the blind test, and it was really interesting to see my results. Lars Garshol had used five different pale lagers in his test. I forgot to buy Grans pilsner, so I ended up with pale lagers from the Czech Bernard brewery and from the Norwegian Aass, Hansa and Ringnes breweries. All beers were served at the same temperature in the same kind of beer glasses.

The first beer out was a pale lager with some carbonation and a small head. I felt some apple in the nose. Otherwise there was nearly no aromas. In the mouth there was apple, yeast and a touch of hops in the finish. This was a boring lager that I thought was Aass.

The second beer also had a pale colour. It had some carbonation and a large head. In the nose there was some malts. In the mouth I felt malts and a touch of pears. This was an average lager that I felt was better than beer number 1. I thought that this was brewed by Ringnes.

The third beer had a nose of dried flowers and some butter. In the glass it had some carbonation and a small head, but it was a little bit darker than the other beers. This beer had a fuller body and a malty taste before a partly bitter finish. I felt this was the best beer so far, and I thought that it was the Bernard lager.

The fourth beer was paler than beer number 3. There was some carbonation, but it had a small sized head. In the nose I felt malts and some hops. In the nose the malts took the lead, but it had a boring finish that called for some hoppy bitterness. Still, this was a nice pale lager although I preferred the third beer. I believed that this beer was brewed by Hansa.

Then it was the moment of truth. I had recognized both Bernard and Aass in the test, but I had thought that Hansa was Ringnes and vice versa. The result sheet from this blind test thus looks like this:

1: Bernard. 2: Ringnes. 3: Hansa. 4: Aass

Blind tests are good tests, and I will call all beer bloggers to do more of them. Perhaps you will find out that not all pale lagers taste the same, and that one of the lagers brewed by a large brewery actually tastes better than you believed? It is also a way of checking out beer prejudices and a good challenge for the palate.

Czech hotel beers

Visiting Prague means that there are hundreds of bars, pubs and restaurants to try out various Czech beers. But there is also another important place: Your hotel room!

During my last visits to Prague, I have had a few beers in my hotel rooms. Some have been my night caps, while I have enjoyed others during afternoon or evening work. Here is a presentation of some Czech beers I have tried in the comfort of my hotel rooms.

Bernard's lager is one of my favourite beers to drink at home in Norway. It is a very good unfiltered lager beer that is easily found in Norwegian Rema 1000 supermarkets. Bernard's Sváteční ležák is not available in Norway, and as this is a bottled conditioned yeast lager beer (kvasnicove) I had great expectations for this brew.

With a bottle swing top, the Sváteční ležák opens with a bang. According to people I met (and shared some Flensburger lagers with) in Germany some years ago, that is the omen of a good party coming up! The nose is fresh with scents of grains, grapes and malts. There is a lot of carbonation, and the beer builds a large head in the glass. It has a pale, but still golden colour, and in the mouth the malt dominates with hints of apples. The finish is unfortunately full of a metallic taste that I did not enjoy. I liked this beer, but the ordinary Bernard lager is a better beer, in my opinion.

During March there were posters everywhere in Prague promoting Lobkowicz's premium lager. It looked like Lobkowicz is trying to get this beer into the same level as Pilsner Urquell and Budvar in the Czech Republic. I had tried the beer from tap at Oktoberfest in Prague last October, but it was not a favourite beer for me then. From bottle this was a golden lager with much carbonation, and it had a large head. The nose was sweet with a fruitiness, and I also felt the same from the first sip with some hops present. The finish was balanced and fruity, but I would have preferred it a little more bitter. Lobkowicz premium is not better than Pilsner Urquell or the ordinary Budvar lager, but I will not turn it down if I am offered a glass of it.

The dark lagers from the Czech Republic can be very good beers. I have enjoyed some of them, while others have been more forgettable. In October I visited Budvarka in Prague and tried Budvar's dark lager. I liked it, so it was time to try it from a bottle. In the glass this is a black beer with very little carbonation. In the nose burnt notes dominate, while the beer tastes very good with a nice combination of coffee, sweetness and burntness. I felt this was a delicious beer, but it felt a little bit watery in the aftertaste.

I have liked the Klášter 11 degree lager I have tried at places like Klášterni pivnice and U Kláštera in Prague. Of course I had to try bottled Klášter lager as well! The Klášter 12 degree lager is a pale lager with some carbonation. In the nose I feel some sweetness and hints of flowers. The taste is very good, and malts, hops and mints dance along in their meeting with my palate. This is an excellent lager beer, and I hope to try it again also as a draught beer.

From the city of Pardubice comes Pardubický Porter, which is a strong beer in the Baltic style. The beer has some carbonation and has a large head in the glass. This is a very good beer, where coffee, chocolate and hints of prunes play together in the mouth. Lovely! I can really recommend this beer!

You may remember that I brought some beer bottles back from my visit to Purkmistr. I had enjoyed the draught beers I tried at the brewpub in Plzeň, but there was not time to try other beers from Purkmistr's range.

First out at the hotel room was the dark lager. In the glass it was black with nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose a lot of coffee was present with some burnt notes. In the mouth I felt even more coffee with some hints of apples. The finish was bitter with some dark chocolate. I liked this beer, but I felt that it would probably be better with a less coffee presence in the mouth.

I am fond of wheat beers, so I also needed to try Purkmistr's Pisar. Poured into an ordinary Purkmistr glass, this was a cloudy beer with a large head and much caronation. The nose was full of yeast, banana and sweetness, and in the mouth the banana notes struggles with more yeast and bread. I liked this wheat beer, and I felt it better than some of the German wheat beers that are available here in Norway. But I feel Primator's wheat beer is a better Czech alternative than Purkmistr's Pisar.

I have had my share of Svijany's various lagers during my visits to the Czech Republic, but I have never tried Svijany's Svijanský Rytíř beer. Therefore I had to try out a bottle of the golden lager. In he glass there is little carbonation, and the aroma is sweet with some flowers and some yeast. In the mouth this is a fruity beer with some apples and pears dancing with hints of hops. Svijanský Rytíř is a really good lager beer! And of course there are more beers to be tested out on later visits to the Czech Republic!

Prague odds and ends

After several visits to Prague, there have been some places I have visited that never were worth making a blog post about. And of course there are pubs and bars that I could write about where I did not take any photos or never made tasting notes. Here is a misch-masch of photos and notes about some bars and restaurants I have been to in the Czech capital.

Budvarka is a very nice restaurant with a beer menu based on brews from the Budweiser Budvar brewery. You can find it in Dejvice not far from the Dejvicka metro. I liked visiting Budvarka. The waiters were efficient, and they were quick to serve the beers.

On tap you can find the whole range of Budvar beers. I only tried two of them while visiting Budvarka, and those two were new to me at the time.

First out was the Budvar kvasnicove, which I have written about in another post. On the menu they call this beer Budweiser Budvar kroužkovaný ležák.

I also tried Budvar's dark lager, and that was a very pleasant beer that I really want to taste again.

Not far from Budvarka you can find the Chinese restaurant Chang Jiang. Just like most Chinese restaurants in Prague, Chang Jiang serves a varied and inexpensive lunch menu.

I was there a Saturday and ended having one of their duck courses. It was quite good.

At Chang Jiang they serve Krusovice beer. It is not my favourite beer in the Czech Republic, but it is still a very decent pale lager.

Klasterny Senk is a fantastic restaurant in the Brevnov area of Prague. It is found in the Brevnov monastery and can offer great food and excellent beer, which of course is Klaster. (Klaster means monastery in Czech.) The menu is based on traditional Czech courses, but there are also other possibilities.

I had a nice duck meal at Klasterny Senk, and they were washed down with some half litres of Klaster. This is a place to be recommended!

U Vlka is absolutely not the bar where you bring your date. This 24 hour herna bar in Zizkov consists of gambling machines, some wooden tables, a jukebox and a medium sized bar. The place looks tired, and so do the visitors. According to the provokator.org website this is the place where people thrown out of other bars in the neighbourhood end up. But there is good and cheap beer here. U Vlka sells well tapped Bernard pale lager beer priced below 20 CZK for a half litre. So perhaps this is a place to visit in the early afternoon for a quick pint while waiting for one of the favourite restaurants or bars around the Seifertova street to open.

Corleone is one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Prague. It is situated next to the Andel metro station and has a nice and varied menu. Myself, I prefer their pizzas, which are very filling. The beer is Staropramen, which goes down surprisingly well although their lagers are not among my favourites.

Near the Charles bridge on the Mala Strana side you can find the Beer Shop (or Galerie Piva in Czech). It has a varied offer of beers. First of all there are many Czech brands, but you can also find some foreign offers. The shop also offers glassware, and I have bought some of my original Czech beer glasses at this shop.

Finally

Earlier this year I heard a rumour that the Czech lager beer Budweiser Budvar should be available in Norwegian shops in May. In April I found Budvar at a local bar, but until today I have not seen Budvar in Norwegian shops. At an ICA shop they had two 0.33 litre bottles of Budvar, and of course I picked them up.

I would prefer a lower price. 26.90 NOK is nearly 3 GBP or 3 EUR, and it is possible to buy 0.5 litres of other Czech beers in Norwegian supermarkets at the same price or lower. And in the Czech Republic a half litre can costs less than 30 CZK in a supermarket, which is about 10 NOK.

Today I went into a Rema 1000 supermarket, and as always they sold Pilsner Urquell, Bernard and Gambrinus lagers. Bernard is priced at 25.90 NOK for a 0.5 litre bottle, while Gambrinus costs 26.90 NOK.

Pilsner Urquell is only sold in cans at Rema 1000. The price is 28.50 NOK.

With Budvar available in Norwegian shops, it is now possible to buy many different Czech beers in Norway. As I wrote earlier this year, Starobrno pale lager, Staropramen dark lager and Velkopopovický Kozel dark lager are also available in Norway.

Czeched out at home

After several visits to Prague and the Czech Republic, I feel that Czech lager beers are among the best in the world. Sitting at home and thinking of delicious Kout na Sumave lagers or fresh Budvar or unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell brings back great memories. Some of those memories can be revived at home, as a few of the Czech beers are also available here in Norway.

Various beers at a Coop Mega supermarket in Norway. Among the international brands, you can see Czech lager beers like Starobrno and Pilsner Urquell.

The first time I tasted a Czech beer, was in England in 1990. A pub in Scarborough sold Pilsner Urquell from bottles. I liked the lager beer and had several bottles that evening. Later I found Pilsner Urquell now and then at the stately Norwegian Vinmonopolet outlet. Later Urquell also was available outside Vinmonopolet in ordinary shops, and at times I also found Budweiser Budvar here and there.

Pilsner Urquell is sold in both half litre cans and 0.33 litre bottles in Norway.

These days it is easy to get hold of some Czech lagers here in Norway. Pilsner Urquell is sold in many supermarket chains, and in my opinions this is one of the best lager beers. I really enjoy that hoppy taste. Urquell is a tasty lager beer and fortunately it lacks the sugary distinctions that I did not like with the Spanish lagers I had in Tenerife. Poured in a glass, Pilsner Urquell has a golden colour, a large head and little carbonation.

Gambrinus is only sold in half litre bottles in Norway.

Urquell's beer colleague from Plzen, Gambrinus, is sold in the Rema 1000 shops together with Bernard lager. Gambrinus lacks the bitterness and hoppyness of Pilsner Urquell, but it has nearly the same golden colour. Just like Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus has little carbonation and a large head.

Bernard lager in green bottles - but without the trademark swing tops
as found in the Czech Republic.

Bernard is the odd one out. This is a lager beer that I thought I would never find in Norway's largest supermarket chain. But it is there! This is a malty lager with as good as no visible carbonation. In the glass it is presented with a large head and a brownish character in the colour. The beer is unpasteurized, which is quite uncommon among beers sold in Norwegian supermarkets. I like Bernard, and together with Pilsner Urquell, these are the lager beers I usually buy these days.

Starobrno is called "Czech traditional lager" on the bottle label.

Here and there I can also find Starobrno in 0.33 liter bottles. In a glass the colour is somewhat pale. The Starobrno lager is sweeter than the other Czech lager beers sold in Norway, but some hops and bitterness makes it a nice alternative. My wife likes this beer better than Bernard and Pilsner Urquell, but she prefers Gambrinus to Starobrno.

Dark lager from Staropramen.

Staropramen is the big brewery from Prague. Here in Norway Staropramen's pale lager beer is not available, but I can find their dark lager in some shops. Staropramen cerny is nearly black and it tastes fresh with some caramel notes. In my opinion this is much better than Staropramen's pale lagers, but I have tasted Czech dark lagers that are better than this. Kout na Sumave comes immediately to mind.

Budweiser Budvar is returning to Norwegian shops later this year!

Unfortunately Budweiser Budvar is not available in Norwegian shops these days, but that will change. According to a friend who has contacted the importers, the Norwegian ICA supermarkets will start selling Budvar in May. Hopefully more Czech lagers will follow. I would love to be able to buy Kout na Sumave's lagers now and then, and I would also appreciate some of the Svijany beers as well. And why not some offerings from for instance Primator?

Let us have Svijany in Norway, please!

Czech beers are very nice. If you have not tasted them, my recommendation is that you do it. And remember: Czech beers taste even better in the Czech Republic!

A short beer guide to Prague - part 3: Pub crawl

If you are in Prague, you may only have a few days to get to know the city. For a beer tourist, one of the evenings should be used on a pub crawl. Of course you can take part in one of the "official" pub crawls arranged by various travel companies. For instance it is possible to take part in such a pub crawl by joining a group in the Old Town Square every evening. How Czech such a pub crawl will be, is up to you to find out, but you will probably have fun together with some other fellow tourists. My advice is to try to find the real Prague. You may find it in Zizkov, where taprooms and hospodas abound.

The Prague TV tower is a real landmark.

Take the metro to Jiriho z Podebrad, and off you go. First of all you must not miss the TV tower. It is extremely easy to find, and if you go upstairs you will have a magnificent view of Prague. Then it is time for this pub crawl, which can take you to 10 different places. Some are taprooms, some are restaurants and there is also one optional outdoor beer garden. This pub crawl will give you an opportunity to taste several Czech beers - and there will also be possibilities for some food along the way.

After seeing the TV tower, you must go to the street on the southside, Ondrickova. Turn right and walk to the first taproom. This is a Tipsport herna bar on your left hand side.

Tipsport is a real herna bar. If this is truth in advertising, I do not know.
The two times I have been there, there has
not been any topless dancing.

Herna bars are infamous in Prague, but that does not mean that you should avoid them. Tipsport seems somewhat nice (and smoky), and if you fancy playing the Czech pools or having a round on the gambling machines, you could do that now. The reason for this place to be included in this pub crawl is that they serve Gambrinus. Sure, some people do not like Gambrinus 10° pale lager, but it is better than a lot of the leading lagers in several European countries. As this is the bestselling lager in the Czech Republic, it will be a good reference beer for the whole pub crawl. The price at Tipsport is also more than affordable. 21 CZK for half a litre.


After Tipsport you continue down Ondrickova until you turn into the Slavikova street on the right. Walk down the first block, and you will find Buon Giorno pizzeria. Maybe it is time for a meal? Then this pizzeria sells OK pizzas and other Italian courses at reasonable prices. But you are not there for food. Buon Giorno sells Bernard lager from tap. This is a good beer with a lot of malty taste, and it will give you something completely different than the Gambrinus at Tipsport. Which is your favourite? Find out before you continue.

Buon Giorno sells both Bernard and Stella Artois beer. If you go to the
Czech Republic to drink Belgian beer, please try Stella. My
recommendation is that you take another
glass of Bernard.

From the pizzeria you continue walking north through Slavikova. When you reach the corner with the Chinese restaurant, you may want to enter. If you did not eat any Italian food at Buon Giorno, you have the possibility to try some great noodle or rice courses. I can recommend the duck meals. They are great, and you can combine them with some excellent Budweiser Budvar beer from tap. Afterwards you turn right down Krkonosska into the square called Skroupovo Namesti. There you will find my favourite hospoda in Prague, U Sadu.

This is U Sadu. Do not miss out on it. In Summer there are
also tables on the street, by the way.

U Sadu is a great place, and I will write more about it in a later post. It is worth while visiting. Here you can find great food, and the prices are also reasonable. On tap you can find among others beers like Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Svijany 11°, the excellent Primator wheat beer and the two Master beers from Pilsner Urquell. Take one glass of Pilsner Urquell and enjoy the unpasteurized tankova version.

Excellent Pilsner Urquell at U Sadu.

If you fancy more beer at this time, you should also try the Primator beer. This is a kvasnicove (yeast beer), and will give you a different beer experience. It is simply delicious. If time (and beer consume) allows, you can also try one (or two) of the Master beers. They are darker and stronger than the other beers on tap, so you may save them for another day.

Primator's wheat beer is a treat. Please give it a try. If you enjoy it,
you will be thankful that you did not refuse the chance to taste it.

From U Sadu you walk north down Sevcikova. Turn right down Krizkovskeho. On the left hand side you pass Palac Akropolis. There may be an interesting concert that you want to check out, but you walk down the street until you find Kralovstvi on your right.

The hole in the wall also known as the nice hospoda Kralovstvi.

Kralovstvi is a real gem. The food is Moravian, and there are many interesting courses on the menu. But more important: You will find beer from the Cerna Hora brewery here. Try first their great 12° svetly lezak. That is a great beer.

But do not stop there. Try some of the other beers from Cerna Hora. They have several on tap - and also some in bottles.My advice is that you at least should taste Kvasar. This is a great beer with honey in it. Try it!

There are many taprooms and pubs on the hill down to
Seifertova. This picture is taken at Krasova street.

From Krizkovskeho you should walk down the hill to Seifertova. Which street you walk down is up to you. You will find several taprooms on the way, and they will give you opportunities to try beers from breweries such as Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Svijany, Stella Artois, Staropramen and Bernard.

Turn left into Seifertova, and walk towards the tramstop. Near the stop you will find a little combined pizzeria and taproom selling Budweiser beer. Not the American one. Not the Budvar one. But the other one from Budweiser Bürgerbräu - often called Samson.

Budweiser Bürgerbräu straight from tap.
Please note the beautiful glass.

Budweiser Bürgerbräu tastes good, and in any other country it would be one of the leading lagers. In the Czech Republic it is in my opinion beaten by several other brands, but it is still a very good offering.

At this point in time it is time to move on. Get back onto Seifertova and walk up the hill with the soccer team Viktoria Zizkov's home ground on your right. Just up the street you will find a Chinese restaurant called Harmonie.

If you are hungry, Harmonie will stop your hunger with a good and varied Chinese menu. But you are there to try another beer brand. Harmonie serves Krusovice lager from tap. Like Budweiser Bürgerbräu this is not among the best offerings in the Czech Republic, but it is still a good beer.

Now it could be time to compare the beers you have tasted so far. Stop further up the hill at the Kure v hodinkach restaurant. They serve both Pilsner Urquell and Budweiser Budvar on tap together with Bernard. The food is also good, so this is a nice place to sit down.

Budweiser Budvar lager - a great offering
at Kure v hodinkach.

But you may be ready for something else. Instead of Kure v hodinkach on your right hand side, turn left into the Blahnikova street. On your right you will find the U Pizducha taproom.

U Pizducha is a little pub, but the prices and offerings are good. Here you can find Staropramen 10°, Svijany 11° and Breznak 10°. Try all - or just one. I recommend the Svijany. This is not the best beer from the brewery, but still it is a good one.

Svijany 11° at U Pizducha.

After this pub crawl, you may have had so much beer that it may be time to retire. If not I will recommend you to take the trip back up the hill again and enter the Riegrovy Sady park. There you will find an excellent beer garden.

Drinks (and food) can be found at two stalls. One serves Gambrinus and another stall serves Pilsner Urquell. If it is Summer this is an excellent place to stay into the night. There are always many people here, and the atmosphere is nice. It is easy to get in touch with other people at the beer garden, and you can always hear people speaking English there. Try it!

Riegrovy Sady - a great place in Summer.

This pub crawl will take some hours, but it is worth it. You get to try many Czech beers, and you will also find some pubs and taprooms outside the tourist route. Prices are very nice, and most places will serve you good Czech lagers at 30 CZK or less.