The Bar Towel

Somewhat wary of the green bottle, I pulled one from the back of the shelf at Summerhill. Didn't even check the production/expiry date.

I lucked out. The beer is pristine in condition. After sampling it I checked the date. It states an expiry in early June, 2007. By this I take it it was made in early June of this year - not even two months old.

It has a soft mouthfeel, with perfect integration of spicy, complex Saaz character and sweet Bohemian malt. It was almost draft in quality.

Yesterday I tried a Holsten in the new can. It wasn't bad but Czechvar (and Pilsener Urquel, usually) to me is something quite apart, microbrewery-like. It sets a standard for our micros, one rarely met in my experience.

Gary

The two best available import pilsners in the LCBO IMHO are Czechvar and Staropramen...I give the edge to Czechvar for its better malting and softer carbonate mouth....but that's personal preference.

I see you have acquired the habit of checking date code and judging storage before buying these beers...it's a must as I have had light struck and oxidized samples of both these beers in the bottle when I didn't check the expirery or was careless in buying it from a store that did not move much of it and it was left in the light too long.

In prime condition there are few beers more satisfying then a chilled Czechvar.

I too enjoy Staropramen when fresh and well-protected from light. It has a characteristic "cereal" note I like. It does not have though the full, spicy character of Czechvar or Pilsener Urquel.

I like a number of Ontario micro pils and blonde lagers but they stand on their own merits in that while of good quality I don't find them reminiscent of Czech pilseners.

Gary

Depending on the weather, the mood and the food, I switch between the Czechvar, Staropramen and Kozel...

I like the Urquell as well, but when putting all 4 on a side-by-side taste test, these 3 stood out.

It's unfortunate that the LCBO doesn't try to get their other products like the Staropramen Cerny (Dark), Granat (amber) or the Kozel Cerny, etc.

Even the Krusovice Cerny would be a great addition! (a great dessert beer!)

Again, as previsouly stated, check the dates and try to get them out of the light.

The only thing I don't understand is why InBev doesn't try to market the Staropramen to one of their 'flagship' beers, like Stella...

frosken

I agree these three Czech beauties are very fine, and great value.

Czechvar (Budvar) is the one my Czech friends get most excited about - when they visit Ontario Budvar is the one I must stock for them.

old faithful wrote:I too enjoy Staropramen when fresh and well-protected from light. It has a characteristic "cereal" note I like. It does not have though the full, spicy character of Czechvar or Pilsener Urquel.

I like a number of Ontario micro pils and blonde lagers but they stand on their own merits in that while of good quality I don't find them reminiscent of Czech pilseners.

Gary

I certainly like some Ontario craft Pilsners but they ARE definately Canadianized Bohemian lagers that are not completely true to Czech west Bohemian Plzen style in flavour profile.

I Like the Brickman Pils for its deep malty quality but it is more like a malty true Canadian lager with spicey-floral Saaz hop notes to it.....Stratford Pils is fairly decent but thin bodied and the hopping creates a "soapy" after-taste after a couple ( water problem?)..

..King Pilsner is closest to the Czech style but seems to split its character between Czechvar and Urquell....King is still a fine craft pilsner in the Czech style with it's true-to-style decocted mashing process creating the requisite subtle but complex, medium bodied, soft grainy-maltiness but still it hasn't found the unique soft carbonate mouth, complex graininess in balence with a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile yet crisp finish which defines Czechvar...could have something to do with low sulfate, low carbonate water in the Plzen region which provides this characteristic....or perhaps it is the 72 day cold lagering cycle in Budvar ,which domestic craft brewers cannot afford to recreate, that gives Budvar/Czechvar its unquestioned superior taste.

Czechvar rules! Consumed fresh or even from a pasturized bottle in good condition, no lager can touch it for refreshing drinkability and subtle but complex taste profile....not even the Munich helles.

frosken wrote:Depending on the weather, the mood and the food, I switch between the Czechvar, Staropramen and Kozel...

I like the Urquell as well, but when putting all 4 on a side-by-side taste test, these 3 stood out.

It's unfortunate that the LCBO doesn't try to get their other products like the Staropramen Cerny (Dark), Granat (amber) or the Kozel Cerny, etc.

Even the Krusovice Cerny would be a great addition! (a great dessert beer!)

Again, as previsouly stated, check the dates and try to get them out of the light.

The only thing I don't understand is why InBev doesn't try to market the Staropramen to one of their 'flagship' beers, like Stella...

frosken

Agree completly Frosken....Staropramen would tank Molcoorbatt light lager sales in a heartbeat if it was promoted and people were encouraged to just try it.

As for other great brews from the import brewers the LCBO stock, I'd be happy to see Zywiec porter along side their fair lager on LCBO shelves ...Or Okocim Palone beside their lager and Mocne in the gummint dairy bar

Some wee termite in the LCBO purchasing policy woodwork has it in their head that anything "dark" from import pilsner brewers won't sell?...yet theu import Kostritzer from the bitberger company

I'm with you on the Staropramen front, although when I used to drink it day in, day out in Europe, I found it tasted much cleaner and fresher. Ah, well.

Staropramen, Kozel, Czechvar, Urquell .. all are fabulous beers. Although I like them in the bottle/can, they're really best on tap. I tried all of them in a bar in Madrid (now closed), called El Tonel de Hans. They specialized in Czecho-Slovak beers. Fresh, cold ... a real delight. In fact, the Kozel draft was the dark, and there was also one called Purkmeister (sp?), a dark beer from the Urquell folk.

Too bad we can't get them on draft here. Or, if we can, where?
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pootz wrote: I Like the Brickman Pils

Well I'm not partial to it, I found it awful.

Everything else you said, right on!

MattB wrote:Staropramen, Kozel, Czechvar, Urquell .. all are fabulous beers. Although I like them in the bottle/can, they're really best on tap.
[/u]

Absolutely!

Too bad we can't get them on draft here. Or, if we can, where?

Occasionally you see a beer that Inbev imports on tap....some are even stocked by TBS..Staropramen has been sighted on tap...so has H-P edelhell.....however this does not apply to Czechvar because it's an LCBO import ( I presume) and has no domestic sponsor/owner like Inbev dammit!

I want to be wrong on this one and if anyone has ever seen unpasturized Czechvar/Budvar on tap in ON please let me know....I'd drive major milage to taste it.

Agree completly Frosken....Staropramen would tank Molcoorbatt light lager sales in a heartbeat if it was promoted and people were encouraged to just try it.

True, but the same Inbev that owns Staropramen also owns Labatt - so it's not likely to happen. For promoting imports they seems more interested in Marca Bavaria and the like.

As for other great brews from the import brewers the LCBO stock, I'd be happy to see Zywiec porter along side their fair lager on LCBO shelves ...Or Okocim Palone beside their lager and Mocne in the gummint dairy bar

I tried the Okocim Mocne recently - nice ~ it would be good to see more variety - seems to usually be one model per brewer
The Czechvar Dark is suppoed to be pretty good. But I don't know since I've never actually tried it.

boerenkool wrote:

Agree completly Frosken....Staropramen would tank Molcoorbatt light lager sales in a heartbeat if it was promoted and people were encouraged to just try it.

True, but the same Inbev that owns Staropramen also owns Labatt - so it's not likely to happen. For promoting imports they seems more interested in Marca Bavaria and the like.

Marca Bavaria is a Molson brand, actually. Labatt/InBev's answer to it was Brahma.

And Labatt is actually quite agressive in promoting a variety of InBev imports. Aside from Brahma, they have Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Belle-Vue Kriek, Beck's...

pootz wrote: Occasionally you see a beer that Inbev imports on tap....some are even stocked by TBS..Staropramen has been sighted on tap...so has H-P edelhell.....however this does not apply to Czechvar because it's an LCBO import ( I presume) and has no domestic sponsor/owner like Inbev dammit!

I want to be wrong on this one and if anyone has ever seen unpasturized Czechvar/Budvar on tap in ON please let me know....I'd drive major milage to taste it.

The best spot is to get a plane ticket and rush to Prague!

I was there in March and was VERY pleased to drink these gems on tap (for 'next to nothing' too!)

I want to go back...

boerenkool wrote:
The Czechvar Dark is suppoed to be pretty good. But I don't know since I've never actually tried it.

I'm axious to try it as well...270 day cold lagering cycle on that baby...bet it's as smooth as a baby's cheek and well developed in flavor profile....but it is not to be if one depends upon the confused and timorous purchasing politices of the state liquor monopoly.

We need a "Bohemian pipeline"