Praga Dark Lager
První Budějovický Pivovar Samson

Praga Dark LagerPraga Dark Lager
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
První Budějovický Pivovar Samson
 
Czechia
Style:
Czech Dark Lager
Ranked #63
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
81
Ranked #25,479
Avg:
3.57 | pDev: 15.69%
Reviews:
56
Ratings:
169
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jun 23, 2023
Added:
Jun 15, 2012
Wants:
  8
Gots:
  36
WORLD BEER CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARD: GOLD MEDAL

“Dark chestnut brown colour. Interesting aromas of fried sweet and sour chicken with pineapple-red pepper sauce, mocha and chocolate chestnuts with a frothy, fruity medium-to-full body and a toasted spicy, grainy pasty, woody incense, and peppery radish sprouts accented finish. Interesting roller coaster of sweet, sour, and earth flavours”

The Praga Dark Lager is crisp, light and malty, perfect to be enjoyed on it’s own, as it has a full and slightly sweet flavour it also makes a perfect match to a meaty dinner.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by 1000lbgrizzly:
Photo of 1000lbgrizzly
Reviewed by 1000lbgrizzly from Illinois

4/5  rDev +12%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Deep dark ruby body, creamy light tan head that leaves a ring and streaks of lace. Roasty malt soothed by a bit of stone fruit sweetness on the nose. The flavor follows, with a fair amount of something like grape juice playing off the roasted, caramel-like malt. Body is wonderful; creamy, smooth, almost like a nitro beer without the flatness- there's some restrained but assertive carbonation.
Had the creamy, roasted notes I was hoping for, and then surprised me with a hearty helping of stone fruits to provide some sweetness. Thefruit was a bit much on the flavor, but still appropriate. Really impressed by this one, it's on my list of oddly satisfying brews.
Sep 29, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of LukeGude
Rated by LukeGude from Iowa

3.52/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottle from John’s poured into glass. Decent.
Jun 23, 2023
Photo of datstankadank
Reviewed by datstankadank from New Jersey

2.14/5  rDev -40.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This one was a weird one. Poured a typically good looking dark color, thick head. smell seemed off, i should note that at stateline liquors, they do NOT refrigerate eastern euro beers, even if they're not pasteurized. i picked up an uneticke 12 at the same place, 4 pack cans, and thankfully they had just came in. Makes me wonder why they don't stick all the lagers in at least a cool spot, again at the least the unpasteurized ones. Anyway, im sure the storage of this one created the off flavors im picking up. shame
Feb 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.67 by MrJones07 from Spain

Feb 13, 2023
Photo of Bouleboubier
Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey

4.27/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
(330 ml green bottle, L21060; purchased single off shelf at State Line yesterday... poured into a 14 oz mug)

L: clear, ruby-garnet liquid, tiny bit of flakey sediment swirling about; finger-high, rocky foam pad, rouge-tan in color, which gradually pulls away leaving a thin collar and only a few narrow streaks of lace

S: rustic brown bread crust, dried cherries, subtle hint of roasty espresso, all very potent aromas... the expression of toasty, grainy bread crust is amazing... one of the more powerful, non-IPA beer scents I've encountered in awhile

T: delicate port-like overtone upon a boldly-toasty, latently-roasty, dry, bready malt foundation... "hollow" in the middle, in other words, low sweetness, though the edges have subtly caramelly, dried dark fruity tones.., the finish and aftertaste have a near-smoky, roasty bitterness... I love the depth and attenuation and absence of cloying caramels; maybe craving a touch more depth to the malts

F: touch of drag and bulbous viscosity, but its roasty, bitter bite and taut, drawn-out flow kind of cleave the sludge enough to avoid taxing the palate... bit of gassy simmer in the finish... relatively dry, crazy drinkably dry, but with that bit of concentrated malt providing substance

O: boldly-flavored, robustly roasty, but because of its redolent dark fruity edges, not expressing so much as a porter/stout... overall taste sits somewhere in between a Dunkel and a Stout, but with its own unique character... this may be my first venture into Czech dark lager; I feel like I'll adjust these marks down if and when I try better brands/examples, but at any rate I'd love to have something like this around on the regular (1983)
Aug 10, 2022
Photo of MNAle
Reviewed by MNAle from Minnesota

3.99/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
The back of the label is stamped L21060 11:58 # H/PS, which leads me to assume the bottling date was March 1, 2021. 14½ months.

Clear dark ruby body, nicely carbonated. The head is about 1 inch tall from a gentle pour, thick, creamy-looking, off-white with good retention, but no lacing at first, but it forms a thick sheet of lacing down the opposite side of the glass as I drink.

Toasty malt aroma, some dark fruit and perhaps a touch of floral in the aroma as well.

Excellent initial flavor of toasted malts and dark pumpernickel bread. Caramel and brown sugar appears in the middle. Hints of the dark fruit. The beer is just toward the sweet side in the beginning, with a move toward drying balancing things by the finish. The finish and aftertaste is dry-sweet (like bittersweet, only not bitter) with pleasant malty flavors lingering.

The body is moderate-thin and smooth, light carbonation, and creamy on my tongue.

Overall, even though it has some age on it, I am enjoying drinking this beer. Malty and the balance is good.
May 29, 2022
Photo of Amendm
Reviewed by Amendm from Rhode Island

3.69/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
An easy pour from an 11.2-oz. bottle released a fat finger of creamy tan foam with long retention and blotches of lacing.
Clear chestnut brown body with reddish brown highlights.

Roasted malt greets the nose with dark bread, baked apples and figs. Faint herbal/floral hops with a hint of baking spice.

Semi-sweet with medium-low bitterness, roasted character leads the taste. The taste matches the smell except that the hops are much more noticeable. The finish is fast, but I wouldn't say crisp. The roasted malt taste lingers as hop bitterness rises to a bit above average.

Medium light bodies with soft, plentiful carbonation. Not as mass produced in flavor as I guessed, lots of malty goodness with a rich and balanced feel. Matches style guideline very well. Session-able easy drinker.
May 15, 2022
Photo of pkalix
Rated by pkalix from California

3.39/5  rDev -5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
i like it
Apr 23, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Mar 10, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by SSGCujo from Wisconsin

Nov 07, 2021
 
Rated: 4.29 by Mojopin88 from Mississippi

Jul 18, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.03/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
500 ml bottle, from Løvbjerg, Ikast. ABV is 4.5%. Dark brown to ruby colour, moderate beige head. Malty aroma with some slight sourish notes, pumpernickel bread and some caramel. Malty and medium sweet flavour, notes of caramel, hints of burnt toast. Minimal hops. Not too bad - could have been better, could have been worse.
Apr 23, 2021
Photo of wattoclone
Reviewed by wattoclone from California

4.67/5  rDev +30.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Never could find a Czech Dark Lager when living in Pennsylvania for 30 years. After moving back to California found Praga Dark at a BevMo and it was everything I had hoped for as a fan of Euro Dark Lager and Schwarzbier. Was anxious to try it so cooled for 20 minutes and poured into a frosted mug. It was good but seemed out of balance. Left several in the beer cooler for 24 hours and was amazed how good it tasted. This beer definitely needs full cooling and is best in frosted mug, allowing it to warm slowly. Sweeter than most Euro Dark Lagers, it tastes somewhere between a Baltic porter and San Miguel Dark Lager. Super easy to drink is low ABV and high in caramel and coffee richness.
Apr 10, 2021
Photo of jkblr
Reviewed by jkblr from Indiana

3.68/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
11.2oz green bottle coded L20223 16:48 # N poured into a pokal glass at just above fridge temp 4.5%. The beer pours bright medium brown with ruby highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap of tight bubbles. Good lacing. The aroma is mild with toasted malt, cocoa and dark chocolate. The taste is tangy, bittersweet malt with additional notes of cocoa, toasted whole grain bread and earthy hop notes with a moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, very good. I'm not sure that the tangy, bright note really belongs here and I suspect it's due to this bottle being about nine months old. I would love to try a fresh bottle or draft of this beer.
Apr 03, 2021
 
Rated: 3.56 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Nov 26, 2020
 
Rated: 3.98 by The_Kriek_Freak from Pennsylvania

Oct 02, 2020
 
Rated: 2.92 by Askala from Spain

May 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.58 by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

May 03, 2020
Photo of cheeseheadinMinneapolis
Reviewed by cheeseheadinMinneapolis from Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
tested from a bottle dated L19189, 8 months old???? I have also had this beer on tap and I thought it was better (tap may have been fresher). It's a good beer the bottle was still good but seems to be showing it's age a little. Nice smooth easy drinking beer. my numbers are more from what I drank from the tap, not the bottle. 3.82/5

toasted bread, brown sugar, maybe a touch of caramel. didn't taste much for hop notes from the bottle
Mar 15, 2020
 
Rated: 3 by Baviera from Belarus

Feb 10, 2020
Praga Dark Lager from První Budějovický Pivovar Samson
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 169 ratings