New Beer Weekend #129

Welcome to the first NBW thread of 2023.

It is already afternoon (East Coast time) and nobody has started this thread yet. I suppose a bit weary from the extended NBW threads of the past few weeks?

Well, you regulars know the drill. Tell us all about the new beer you will be drinking this weekend and please share any thoughts you have about the Holiday season which is coming to a close; my wife is taking down our Christmas tree as I type this post.

Now, back to the regularly scheduled programming:

Don’t be afraid of the dark – Czech Dark Lagers that is!

I have posted a number of times in the past year (2022) that I have been seeing more US craft brewed Czech style lagers. Most have been Bohemian Pilsners (Czech Pale Lagers) but I have seen a few Czech Dark Lagers as well. The word “dark” is Tmavý (or Tmavé) in the Czech language. Today’s new beer is Von Trapp/Counter Weight Tmavé Pivo. And “Pivo” is Czech for beer.

This beer is part of the Von Trapp Stowe style series of beers and below is how this beer is detailed on the brewery’s website:

“Tmavé Pivo 4.5% ABV 30 IBU | 4-pk 16 oz Cans | | Specialty Offering

This collaboration with Counter Weight Brewing of Cheshire, Connecticut, is the next offering in the Stowe Style series: a modern tribute to the original dark beers of Bohemia. Brewed with floor-malted Pilsner and dark malts, this roasty winter lager has a subtle sweetness balanced by spicy Saaz hops and is naturally carbonated using traditional techniques.”

I have had the pleasure of drinking a number of Czech Dark Lagers during my two week beercation to the Czech Republic in 2019. One of the brands I enjoyed drinking was the beer served at the U Fleků brewpub:

“The brewery/brewpub of U Fleků was founded in 1499 and they claim to be the world’s oldest brewpub. Let’s start our pub journey with the oldest.

They only serve one type of beer at U Fleků and it is a Czech Dark Lager (Tmavý Ležák) and for some reason they serve it in 0.4 liter mugs (the typical draft glasses in the Czech Republic are 0.5 liters and 0.3 liters):



https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Czech_Beers

I had a half-dozen (or so) different brands of Czech Dark Lager during my two week visit and those beers had similarities:

· The level of roast was noticeable but quite subdued. Quite different from a Schwarzbier in that regard.

· The amount of hops used was moderate but noticeable and provided some sense of balance to the maltiness of these beers.

· The malty flavors were rather complex with a mix of some dark chocolate flavor and some toasted dark bread (e.g., pumpernickel).

· In the beers the hop flavors added some subdued spiciness and for some brands a flavor that was subtly reminiscent of Coca-Cola.

A couple of US craft brewed versions of Czech Dark Lager had maltiness that boarded on that of a Stout/Porter. Not necessarily ‘bad’ beers but not exactly to style in my opinion.

In the recent issue of BYO (Brew Your Own) magazine Dan Russo of Oakshire Brewing wrote an article about brewing Dark Lagers (e.g., Schwarzbier, Munich Dunkel, Bock/Doppelbock, Baltic Porter, Tmavé Pivo,…) and for the case of Tmavé Pivo he writes:

“Largely forgotten, until recently, Czech-style dark lager is stunning when created and brewed correctly. It’s meant to be rich and flavorful, but as easy to drink as a Czech-style Pilsner. It has low-to-moderate roast character with a slight malt sweetness….”

I agree with much of what he says there. From my personal experience/perspective I would state the level of roast character should be closer to low than moderate. I completely agree that these beers should have a drinkability aspect akin to that of a Bohemian Pilsner (Czech-style Pilsner). When you finish drinking one you very much want to drink a second (and third). They should have the quality of süffig (e.g., drinkability) as the Germans would say. According to an online translator the word süffig translates to chutný in the Czech language.

Let’s see if this beer has the quality of chutný.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Dark brown in color with a BIG khaki colored head.

Aroma:

A pleasant combination of mostly toasted dark bread but also a tiny hint of coffee (roasty) and subtle chocolate.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with flavors of toasted dark bread, a hint of coffee and some dark chocolate. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good. It would have benefitted from additional smoothness to the body which perhaps would have been present from a draft pour via a Lukr side-pull faucet.

This beer indeed has the quality of süffig/chutný.

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

It is indeed the case that the Czech Dark Lager beer style is not well understood by some (many?) US craft brewers.

As I also mentioned above: "A couple of US craft brewed versions of Czech Dark Lager had maltiness that boarded on that of a Stout/Porter. Not necessarily ‘bad’ beers but not exactly to style in my opinion."

The tricky part of properly brewing a Czech Dark Lager IMO is achieving the appropriate balance:

• You want the contributions of a variety of dark malts but not too much of any one flavor contributor (e.g., I discussed above that the level of roastiness should be on the low(er) side).
• It should not be a hoppy beer per se but ideally there should be some contributions from the hops (i.e., Saaz hops).
• The fermentation aspects should be on the clean side.
• Adequate lagering to 'smooth out' any unfavorable fermentation 'by-products'.
• And perhaps most challenging (?) creating the aspect of süffig (drinkability).

In a few days I will once again be homebrewing my annual batch of Czech Dark Lager (Tmavý Ležák) using my ‘tried and true’ recipe:

Grain Bill

• Pilsner: 30%
• Weyermann Vienna: 30%
• Weyermann Munich Light (I): 20%
• Weyermann Munich Dark (II): 10%
• Weyermann Caramunich I: 5%
• Weyermann Dehusked Carafa II: 5%

Specs

Target OG = 1.050

FG = 1.012

Yeast

The yeast strain used to ferment the Budweiser Budvar beer

But as with most lagers (or any beer for that matter) the process is just as important as the list of ingredients.

I am happy to report that I have been able of the past year(s) to find US high quality brewed Czech Dark Lagers. One example was a version brewed my a small, local brewery Von C Brewing which I discussed in a past NBW thread:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-108.668434/#post-7586561

Na Zdravi

 

Almost like we are having an online tasting of Czech Dark Lagers!

Na Zdravi

P.S. Just pretend that the color of the beers in those mugs above are dark.

P.S.S. Can we expand/update the BA emojis?

 

Jon, I am a fan of the Schwarzbier beer style as well. Von C brewing makes a tasty Schwarzbier the brand as Midnight In the Priory and to the best of my knowledge it is draft only. I ordered a mug (poured via a Lukr side-pull faucet) a week+ ago. My wife took a sip and said something like "That's mighty tasty". I ended up giving her my beer (after a few sips) and I drank her beer instead.

Na Zdravi

I wish we had mugs of dark beers as an emoji option. Maybe something for an AMA thread?

Cheers!

 

I have never tasted an Equilibrium beer. Has the quality of the beer changed when they expanded?

Cheers!

 

Does the count for irony?

Earlier today in a PM I was discussing:



Cheers!