Zlatopramen Half N' Half
Pivovar Zlatopramen

 

 

Pours a clear ruby with fine head.

Smell is malty and a bit sweet. Notes brown bread, leather and citrus with some yeasty hints.

Taste is malty and sweet with notes of brown bread, golden syrup, leather, citrus and knäckebröd with a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

Overall, a very nice dark lager.

 

Fairly good Czech lager. better then the average one I guess

Format: a light brown 500mL bottle with a standard Euro label.

Appearance: quite dark brown with light brown highlights around the edges. A fluffy head that drops away quickly. Disappointing.

Aroma: some caramel and toffee malts with some heavy breads. I'm not getting much from the 'tan' end of the scale.

Taste: those caramels and breads come through, but not very strongly. I guess it is okay as a dark lager, but I'm not getting the black and tan aspect.

Aftertaste: follows through okay, but again as a dark lager or a very light Euro dark ale.

Mouth feel: a bit flat in feel, but it brings the flavours through well enough.

Overall: I am a very big fan of 'black and tans' though I have never heard them called that before. 50/50, or bruiser or whatever, yes. But my favourites are Tooheys Old / Tooheys New or Coopers Best Extra Stout and <insert decent lager>. I'm not so sure Zlatopramen hit the mark with their version. it seems a bit flaccid without much head. not much flavour either - the idea behind the black and tan is to have plenty of flavour, which this one does not. Oh well, back to the Tooheys.

 

 

 

 

 

This beer comes in a 50 cl rather long-necked brown bottle. The label looks pretty neat and clean, in brown, yellow and white with Zlatopramen in writing across the label. They are making a big deal about their age; "Anno 1642".

A: It pours dark brown with an amber glow with a really sad-looking white head that dies directly - really uneven. Almost no lacings.

S: Light roasted caramell malt, surprisingly little hop, for being a Czech beer. Smells a bit like a hard piece of soap.

T: Lots of light roasted malts, but a bit rough. Some sweetness. Not much hops in the taste.

M: Medium creamy body with medium carbonation. The aftertaste is medium long and holds a big bitterness. A bit rough/unbalanced.

D: A beer that's all over the place - it tries to have a little of everything. It lacks hops - if you buy a Czech beer you should be able to expect more hops than this. However, it goes down really smoothly.

The colour is deep brown-amber. The two finger head is compact and off-white. Some lacing.

The smell is sour-bitter with some chemical hints. Hints of lightly roasted malts, soap and leather.

The taste is quite strong. At first, notes of sour milk and mushrooms. Then, some sticky sweet notes of malt, some malt vinegar and gravy. The aftertaste is chemical with medium bitterness and notes of wet leather, cardboard and butter.

The carbonation is medium strong; small soft bubbles. The liquid is a little sticky.

An odd beer with an odd slight taste. Will not buy again!

A: Dark amber with a copper tone. Offwhite/tan head that goes away rahter quickly.
S: Rye bread, esters, caramel.
T: Caramel, some hops bitterness, ash, dried fruits, sweet overtone. Hint of smoke in the aftertaste.
M: Very moderate carboration, tiny bubbles. Below medium body. Surprisingly thin although some flavors would suggest different. Feels watered down.

Not so exciting. Could be a good everyday beer were it not for the thin mouthfeel and unbalanced mix of flavors. Pity.

I'm not sure if this new half n' half is a good idea by Zlatopramen. But then this is a a weird style. My bottle poured with about two centimeters of foam and with a very dark amber color. The aroma was first dominated by a sugarcane sweet smell gradually taken over by flowery hops. The taste was a strange mix of roasted malts and red berries. To it's advantage I must say that it has a pronounced character and a taste that doesn't leave any empty spaces. Not for my palate, though.