Derer Schwarzbier
První Budějovický Pivovar Samson

International Green Week, Berlin 2012: our second day and we find ourselves in hall 17 where food and drink from Italy, Switzerland and The Czech Republic were on offer (as well as a few other countries) I notice a spare table and a couple of barstools, so plop the wife down and peruse the taps around me: I get the wife a Budweiser Budvar and myself this lovely looking ‘Schwarz aus Bohmen’ beer.

0.3 litres in a vase shaped, badged glass. A beige head sat on top of the ruby red body and all was well with the world. The smell was of dark fruits and malts; raisins, plums and dates being the fruits, caramel and toffee being the malt aromas.

The taste was very similar to the smells, but with some chocolate arriving mid-mouthful: might sound sweet but it wasn’t, smooth and almost creamy, but not overly sweet by any means.