Overview: A Premium lager style beer, so expectations are already set; not sure whether this is a fair expectation to set prior to sampling a beer for the first time given it's title, although the whole expectation of the Premium is that this is the best the brewer has to offer for this style. So far I have not found a beer from Primator that I like (I know others rave about it).

The Beer: 5%; golden light in color, solid enough head even from the bottle, plenty of gas rising; A strong, rich aroma, somewhat a blend of malt and hops in equal amounts, but tending towards to distinctly grainy malt aroma; the malty element is carried into the taste, but tends towards to the bitter side which lasts, slightly water; the palate is full-on and solid, but is too gassy for my taste; the bitterness stays in the mouth for quite a while.

After Words: It is a good beer, but the one thing that seems to let it down is a slight acidity and too gassy for my tastes. I can see why people like this, it has a good all round taste and if this was on tap then it would be an excellent beer; from the bottle it is probably wasted and not what it should be. Of all the beers from Nachod this has to be one of the better examples, at least so far, there are at least another eight to try. A slight update, at least in the sense that now I have finished it it got better; my guess is that this is one of those beers that you need to drink more of for it to taste better.

Website: Primator

Overview: Another one of the beers from the beer seminar. This is the Vienna Lager from the fine brewers at Strakonice. As was previously mentioned, this style of beer all but disappeared from the world, at least according to Western beer minds. During the communist era a few examples of this style of beer were still to be found and still in the 'traditional' brewing areas that Vienna lager was brewed when it was created. This beer is named after the writer Karel Klostermann, it even has his photo on the label.

The Beer: 5.1%; Fabulously malty aroma, gives off a strong message that it is there; darker, brown-amber; full bodied, nutty, malty; somewhat gassy, but subtly so; slightly sweeter aftertaste, but certainly bitter, exceptionally rich

After Words: The only down side to this beer is the fact you don't get much in the bottle. What you do get is a delicious combination of nutty-slightly caramel malt-bitter taste that really does sit well in the mouth. What is more, this is a new beer for 2008 (it also states it on the label) so get one while their 'hot'; certainly worth a go because it is a not so available style of beer and this seems to be a good example.

Website: Pivovar Strakonice

Overview: One of the beers from the recent beer seminar and one that I suggested might take me beyond the label. Let us start by saying that this beer is a dry-hopped pale lager. This means that during the brewing process, when the wort has cooled, brewers add fresh hops to the mixture which injects a fresh hops presence into the mixture. Hence the name of the beer is 'Extra Chmelene" which translated means extra hopped (if my very bad Czech is correct). This beer comes from the good folks at Pivovar Broumov.

The Beer: 11°, 4.0%; Pale, gold in colour with a fair amount of gas rising; wonderfully fresh aroma, ligh hoppy with elements of grass; the head disappeared as quick as it came, but it was still a fluffy white one when it was there; Quite bitter, somewhat harsh but still has elements of freshness in there; medium texture, somewhat medium body, plenty of fizz.

After Words: Now the reason why this beer might get me to look beyond the label is that fact that this is a cracking beer - it does exactly what it says on the label, its bitter and has plenty of fresh hoppiness to it - and it also has a dreaded 'E' number as part of its ingredients. So, I am willing to concede the fact that an 'E' number on the label does not mean the beer is bad, certainly in this case it is excellent. Needless to say that I like it because it combines the incredible bitterness with a grassy freshness.

Website: Pivovar Broumov

Overview: Based purely on aesthetics I might well have ignored this beer; the combination of bottle and label isn't exactly eye-catching. It is not until you go past the terrible design that you read "15%" and then Svijany. Now I rather liked Svijany Rytir, in fact I suggested it was rather enjoyable. Being the subscribed cynic I am, surely they can't brew another good beer.

The Beer: 15%, which equates to 6.5% Alc. vol; tan in colour, edging towards the golden-amber (it was a sunny day); has a strong, hoppy, roasted smell that tells you that something full-bodied is coming your way; the taste does not disappoint, this is indeed a special beer, it's full-bodiedness envelops the tastes buds and takes them hostage, you know it is there; has the strong bitterness you'd expect to linger but it goes down well.

After Words: In other words I liked it; in fact I liked it a lot. Having been writing about my beer explorations for the past year I am certainly finding the tendency is towards the fuller bodied beers, or at least those beers with a definite presence; certainly not the washed-up, watery, chemical experiences that take the marketing spot-light. This is a good beer, not one that I could drink lots of but certainly one that you could sit and ponder with. Bottom line - do not get put off by the label!

Website: Svijany Baron

Overview: Zlatopram 11° Svetly (golden lager) is one of my favourite bottled beers in Czech Republic. To accompany the lighter (in colour) lager there is also a darker - Tmave - sibling; the question is what rivalry will there be.

The Beer: 11°, 4.9% vol.; It has a dark roasted, hoppy scent; dark, malted brown in colour; It has the distinctive sweet, darker roasted floavour to it, some bitterness which is masked by the sweetness; the bitterness and sweet taste does not mask the chemical aftertaste.

Afterwords: Saccharine - the one thing that lets it down. I'd love to know whether or not I would be able to taste a beer with an artificial sweetener without reading the label. I'd also love to know why, when there is a perfectly good 'natural' alternative - real sugar - do brewers insist on adding an artificial sweetener, do they want to market it as 'diet beer'. Chances are that your average drinker will not notice, and I will say again I do wonder if I would notice if this was a blind test without the bottle; I would hope so :)

Website: Zlatopramen

Overview: I tried this beer some time ago but never got round to writing about it. Its one of those rare types of dark Czech beers in that it does not contain (or at least declare) that it uses artificial sweeteners - it uses real ingredients! This fact alone already is a step in the right direction in that most Tmave style beers I have found in CZ use saccharine to boost the sweetness. Since this style of beer is meant to be one of those typical dark lagers it is good to see an independent brewer sticking to that tradition. So far so good.

The Beer: 4.4%; Dark molasses in colour, its like a thick treacle; Rich sweetness and a dark roasted smell rises out as soon as you pour; It has all that darkness in taste too, you get the roasting in there and the bitterness is tempered by the subtle sweetness; you get a slightly bitter aftertaste but it almost heads in to that chocolate flavour.

After words: I would like to think that the labels don't lie, this is an excellent example of the dark lagers coming from this region. It does not have that chemical aftertaste that a lot of this type of beer has, and on the basis that I steer well clear of any artificial sweeteners it usually hits my in the taste buds if there are any chemical sweetness. If you are looking for a good example of dark lager from CZ then this is a good place to start.

Website: Pivovar Regent

The Beer: Stammwürze 12.5%, 5.5% Vol.; An unfiltered (i.e. misty) amber that you really can't see through, some gas rising; hoppy smell, nothing too strong; has a full flavour that is certainly complete in body and a somewhat 'bready' taste, you certainly get grains and roastings in there, but leads into a pleasant, full tasting beer; not too bitter after taste, I am still getting bread.

After words: You also get a mouth full of gas; It is not unpleasant and it does provide a certain softness of the taste, with some added complexities - it isn't a simple beer and could get washed out a bit if the potato chip flavour is too strong. A translation using my terrible German (and a little help from Google) tells me that this beer is "...much as it was consumed in the 19th before the introduction of filtration. Thus, it contains all the yeast-protein substances, minerals, fibre and the many healthy ingredients in beer". Here we go with another beer-is-good-for-you argument again. Another one of those beers I would have in the fridge, if I could buy it locally.

Website: Hacker-Pschorr (in German)

The Beer: 12.5% wort, 5.2% vol; dark brown, almost comparable to muddy waters, and certainly a foggy beer; plenty of good odours, roasted malty with some fruity essence; fabulously strong, rich, roasted taste just evelops the mouth, not overly bitter but has a strong roasting flavour.

After words: The website is annoying if you don't expect the drummer. The beer, on the other hand, is simply fabulous. This is not a usual style of beer, from the perspective of the outside world, it has so much going for it and not just in the fact that it is full of taste: It is rich, smooth and leaves you mouth loving you, wanting more.

Website: Fuerst Wallerstein

**Updated (09 June 2008): Just when I am lauding the beer and brewery it goes missing. Since I wrote this post and visited the website its done a runner, missing, taken offline. If anyone knows the fate of the brewery then please let me know. I was going to write another post singing the praises of their Kellerbier.

The beer: 12.5°, 5.5% vol.; dark, amber cloudy beer that even has a good head of froth on top from the bottle (even more so if you serve it the way the German do by shaking up the last few centimeters during pouring which does help get some of the fizz out of it); you really get the wheatiness about it, almost a golden sweetness about it; quite a light bitterness at first that gives way to an all enveloping classic wheat-beer taste, plenty of fizz at just the right amounts, generous amounts of bitterness whilst you drink the rest, full-bodied; pleasant enough aftertaste to at least leave the mouth feeling refreshed.

After words: Well at least I remember the style. It seems to be bordering on the darker side of wheat beers, certainly in colour, and one of the staples of brewing that you'd expect from Munich. It seems to have essence of clove stuck in there - somehow. But then again I seem to be able to find strange things in beer that are not meant to be there. Someday I will start adding photos of the beer itself instead of just the bottles, but for now if you get the chance I would recommend finding a bottle, pouring it into a glass and seeing for yourself what it looks like. Don't stare to too long because that would just be a waste.

Website: Hacker-Pschorr

The Beer: 12.5°, 5.4%; It smells of apples, almost as if it is stored in cider kegs, you get the hops in there too; clear, golden-amber with traces of bubbles rising; has a fabulously roasted-bitter taste, but not too much, rounded fizz but perhaps a little too much gas, I am still getting a apple essence in there but the bitterness has, it does have an excellent finish to it; pleasant enough after taste slight bitterness but not too over powering.

After words: You would like to think they have spent some time getting this beer right. If this is what they do with the the helles then I would love to try out their other beers (especially the doppelbock). Certainly not tried this beer before or even heard of it whilst I lived in Germany (considering the number of breweries this is unsurprising), but it was certainly worth giving a go. It does have something about it; the initial impression was one of a strong taste and rounded flavour; however, as the rest of the glass emptied it was getting more and more bitter and just a little too on the acidic side. Like the beer glasses they show on the website.

Website: Klosterbrauerei Scheyern

I judged for the twice-yearly Tesco Beer Awards quite a few times, but this week's was the Sainsbury's Beer Competition, and although Sainsbury's has brought in the same PR team to organise the entries and judging as previously ran its rival's event, the Morrice Partnership, there are several significant differences between the two contests.

For a start, the beers in the Tesco judging were drunk "blind": nobody except the organisers knew which brewery produced which numbered beer. But Sainsbury's deliberately has "shelf appeal" as one or its judging criteria, alongside flavour, aroma, appearance and aftertaste, believing, correctly, that no shopper will pick up a beer and take it home to find out how good it is without initially being attracted by the packaging. So all the bottles bore their labels.

Second, while the Tesco competition had only two winners at a time, Sainsbury's was looking for the best 15 beers out of the more than 90 being judged, The brewers of those 15 beers will each then get an order for 40,000 bottles, equivalent (for 500ml bottles) to 170 or so barrels, and worth, at wholesale prices to the brewer, maybe £30,000. Those 15 beers will be on sale in Sainsbury's supermarkets from August 14 for a month as part of the chain's "drinks festival". The two best-sellers out of those 15 will them get 26 guaranteed weeks on Sainsbury's shelves, which could be worth £150,000 or more.

For a microbrewer, even getting through round one is a real prize: if your entire turnover is less than £300,000 a year, then a 10 per cent boost is great news. Sainsbury's and the Morrice Partnership offered help and advice to small brewers keen to enter but worried they did not have the skills and experience in such areas as label design and marketing, with the supermarket even supplying names and addresses of bottling firms and label printers.

This is all part of Sainsbury's plan to increase the amount of shelf space it gives to premium bottled beers by 50 per cent in October. The off-licence bottled ales and stouts sector is now worth just under £400 million a year, makes up more than one sixth of all supermarket beer and cider sales, and has grown, according to Sainsbury's, "1.5 per cent in the past 12 months". I don't know if they mean per cent or percentage points (I hate people who don't make that distinction clear, I really do) but if it's percentage points, that's good growth in an otherwise static or declining market

Thus a rugby squad of experienced beer tasters, including Roger Protz, Michael Hardman (co-founder of Camra and currently PR man for Siba, the small brewers' association), Paul Bayley, ex-head brewer at Marston's, and my fellow beer blogger Melissa Cole, met at Sainsbury's headquarters, the former Mirror building at the foot of Holborn in central London, to taste the entries. (Question: is it significant that the HQ of Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, is a dull industrial building in a dreary quarter of Cheshunt, in the drab Herts/Essex borderlands north-east of London, while Sainsbury's occupies a prime central London site with massive atrium, expensive interiors and the rest? Discuss …)

After a welcome from Sainsbury's beer and cider buyer, the tall and enviably skinny Chris Craig, and a short briefing from RP, we picked up our bottle openers, 200ml tasting glasses (all branded with the logo of Fuller's, oddly, though Fuller's wasn't one of the brewers in the contest) and scoresheets and tackled the first crown corks of the morning. On the tables in front of us were beers from 56 different brewers, ranging from tinies I'd never heard of through well-known regionals such as Brains, Adnams, Hydes and Hall & Woodhouse to the semi(?) national Greene King, and even one American, High & Mighty from Massachusetts. The only criterion for entry was that the beers had never been on sale in a supermarket before: they could be old beers, or new ones.

Each judge had 20 beers to try, meaning each one would be drunk by three different people. Methodology: start at the low end of the abv ladder, pick up bottle, study front and back labels, pour about two or three fluid ounces of beer into the glass, hold glass to light to check clarity and colour, swirl glass, shove nose into glass and sniff. Take mouthful of beer, slurp, swallow. Follow with another mouthful or two if not immediately convinced of beer's worth. or worthlessness. Throw remainder of beer away, rinse glass with bottled water, write up score, move on to next beer.

Is it really possible to "speed date" a beer like this? Is it fair on a brewer who has put a massive amount of effort into his product, in the hope and dream that he will win a substantial commercial prize which could give his brewery a considerable financial boost if he wins? Well, yes, actually, it's surprisingly easy to form an accurate opinion of a beer very quickly, and it's about as fair as any judging can be If you don't like a beer on first tasting, it's really not very likely to grow on you if you drank another pint or two.

Only one beer almost tripped me up at Sainsbury's, Amarillo from the St Peter's brewery (not a tribute to Tony Christie but made with Amarillo hops), which did need several tastings before its worth came through. Though that may be because I'm not an automatic fan of citrussy American hops, which many British brewers seem to fling into pale golden ales without any thought about achieving balance and in the apparent believe that the mere presence of lemon/grapefruit flavours in their beer makes them cutting-edge brew dudes.

There were, in fact, far too many pale golden ales entered into the Sainsbury's competition: can we move on from this category, now, British brewers? There are more interesting places to go if you want to make an impact. I did find some appealing darker beers, though: I was disappointed my fellow judges didn't like Brain's Milkwood, which I though was very attractive, and which Dylan Thomas himself might have approved of (according to one source the poet's favourite tipple was mild-and-bitter, and not the whisky that legend incorrectly claims killed him). They did, however, agree with me about Bath Ales's Barnstormer, a lovely dark ale (and not the "dark bitter" it claims to be on the bottle label).

Talking of, the labels were almost all visually attractive, though too many fell into the pit of printing too much information in tiny type: many of us older ale drinkers can't read six-point any more, particularly when it's printed in a colour that doesn't contrast sufficiently with the background. And please – no more "brewed with the finest hops and malt …" Who'd have thought? Today many drinkers are interested in what sorts of malts, and what varieties of hops.

Few of the beers, for me, really stood out – I only gave five of my 20 higher marks than 40 out of 60, and the highest was 44, or 73 per cent. I'd have hoped for at least one 80 per cent score. There were very few real duds, though I didn't like the one whisky beer: tasted just like someone had topped an own-label scotch into a glass of flat beer, with no integration of flavours at all. But I think the selection that came out at the end as the top 15 will almost certainly contain at least one, if not two, real stars.

The names of the winners were meant to be embargoed until Monday, to give the competition organisers time to tell the brewers they'd got through to round two, but since one of the judges, who works for a grocery trade website, put the names out on the net yesterday (that means you, Mike Dennis) I feel I can list them myself:

• Old Tom Ginger from Robinson's – despite my doubts about Old Tom, I thought the addition of ginger worked very well. A chocolate version, however, didn't succeed with the judges
• Crazy Dog Stout from Red Rat brewery near Bury St Edmunds – great to see a new minnow get success
• Sundance, from Red Rat's neighbour, Greene King: the "pinch" of the name from the beer Marston's brewed exclusively for Wetherspoon's caused Paul Bayley to raise his eyebrows …
• Amarillo from St Peter's brewery; fine beer, horrible label, with the letters of "Amarillo" printed in different colours. Hope they change it before it gets on the Sainsbury's shelves …
• Barnstormer "dark bitter" from Bath Ales: excellent beer, but it's not a bloody bitter!
• Beer of the Gods from High & Mighty: a genuine, and much-rated American brewer apparently named after the outsize menswear chain. (Late-breaking news – apparently not …)
• Good Times from Williams Bros, the innovative Alloa brewer
• Harvest Sun, also from Williams Bros, the only brewer to get two beers into the top 15 (though they entered at least five, as far as I could see
• Scotts 1816 from Copper Dragon of Skipton, a brewery I confess I am entirely unfamiliar with
• Golden Glow from Holden's, the Black Country brewery – several judges rated this very highly, although it did little for me - sorry
• Arthur Pendragon from the Hampshire brewery
• Dr O'Kells IPA from Okells on the Isle of Man
• Prize Fighter from the Arundel Brewery
• Highgate Old Ale, one of my favourite draught old ales from a wonderful, historic brewery – I hope very much this does well, I shall certainly be buying lots of it
• Honey Spice Wheat Beer from Sharp's of Cornwall

Cheers to Sainsbury's, and Richard Morrice and his crew, for a very well organised and enjoyable morning, thanks to all the brewers, and can I come back again next year please?

The Beer: Original Munchner Hell, alc 4.9% vol.; Amber, light-gold, traces of bubbles rising; has a clear, crisp odour to it, you get the hops there from the beginning but not an over powering scent; certainly a full hoppy taste, medium bitter from the start to the end, pleasant without taking over the mouth; bitter after taste followed by some sweetness.

After words: From from "hell", this is a lager style. The Paulaner website says it has a spicy taste to it, I must have missed that part, but it has a distinctive taste non the less. I know this goes very well with Germanic style foods, but on its own (without food) it isn't something I would necessarily choose to drink. Having said that I am a fan of this beer, it is good from the bottle and you are getting spoilt if it from the tap. A great beer.
It is worth noting that the website information actually shows the wort value, this is good to see. For this beer it is given as 11.5%.

Website: Paulaner Brauerei (the site is information but the design is overly Flash-y)

Tasting: 5% vol.; gives off a distinctive odour, almost a heavy set hops smell; cloudy in appearance, the odd trace of gas can be seen rising from the depths of the glass, otherwise it is quite cloudy; taste is somewhat interesting, it goes from an initial lightness, slight bitterness, then almost watery, then as you swallow you get the subtle bitterness. Interesting.

Overall: I would have said this is too watery, but after a few mouthfulls you get some interesting tastes coming from it. The bitterness is there but subtle, it has a rounded fizz to it that is gentle, the overall taste is not something that clogs the mouth or hints at it's alcohol content. There is almost a complex taste sensation there, not something that I have ever had before. In the end I would say it is quite refreshing, more of a summer beer or one that you could have many of without getting too clogged out with bitterness. Interesting.

Website: Zech Stuben

Tasting: Exquisit, 5.3% vol; pale, light golden with a slight haze; has a fruity scent of hops, malt; has an initial bitter taste that gives way to rounded hops taste, slight bitter taste afterwards

Overall: It falls into the Helles category of beers (a pale, malty lager) and is far too easy to drink, slightly chilled for drinking purposes, it does manage to mask its alcohol content. This is very much a summer beer, it isn't too heavy, not too bitter just right. If you're anywhere near Augsburg then there will be far too many choices and other beers for me to say try this one over anything else; however, if you do try it then you should not find yourself disappointed.

Website: Schwarzbrau

The Beer: Corgon, Svetly Leziak, 12%, 4.8%obj.; Strong hops, almost fruity; light gold, amber, strong traces of bubbles; Bitter to taste, plenty of gas, bitter after taste.

After Words: It is quite bitter and the bitterness stays with you. It certainly has a presence from the moment you get the glass to when you finish it. Its fine to drink but I couldn't have this all the time, maybe something every now and then or if there are no other offerings available (i.e. never) - unless you like bitter lagers. Its just a pity that they closed down the old brewery.

Website: Corgon (with age check)

Tasting: Topvar Premium - Svetly Leziak 12%, 5.0%obj.; Fine hops flavour, you can get the malt and barley there too, clean smell; light gold, amber in colour, slight whisps of fizz rising; solid, full-on taste to it, you get the hops and roastings in there, rounded fizz, heavier on the bitter side but not too much so; distinct bitter after taste.

Overall: Reminds me of Saris Premium or even Gambrinus Premium, which is not as odd as it sounds since they all belong to the same brewery group, but then this is only going to be coincidence (probably). It is still a great beer and lives up to it's Premium title. It has a great taste and does not disappoint. It is one of those beers that, if I could get it all the time, would be sitting in the fridge. So when in Slovakia try this out.

(It would be interesting to find a Premium beer that does disappoint)

Website: Topvar (in Slovak, with age check)

Tasting: 5.1% obj; has a fabulous aroma to it, I am getting apricots somehow, and a definite roasted scent, the smell is quite fabulous; golden brown in colour, once it settles there is hardly any hint if bubbles rising; first taste is rather a full on blow, I get the apricots again, that roasted flavour comes at you and then the bitterness kicks in, not over powering but you can ecrtainly tell it has a great flavour, quite a pressence; after taste isn't too bad, you still get the bitterness but not too much.

Overall: By the merits of the fact that I have written, probably, the most for any tasting I have done, this beer is great. It has something about it which makes it stand out from the other Chodovar beers. Up to this point I have been slightly dissapointed with what has been on offer - yes I still have another four beers to try out - but this is just a cracking beer. It has taste, it has presence and for some reason has apricots. It gets a gold.

Website: Chodovar (in English)

Tasting: 4.9% obj.; hoppy taste, didn't give off too much in the glass then again I am terrible when it comes to pouring it out; golden brown in colour; fabulously bitter taste; malt and hops in there which doesn't get drowned out by the bitter taste, plenty of fizz but pleasantly so.

Overall: Fabulous. I see what all the fuss is about. This is a strong, bitter tasting beer but not overly bitter. Not sure what I would eat it with - although it went with the blue cheese I was having for dinner - but on its own it is an excellent beer.The brewey's proximity to Louny means it will be a good summer trip.

Website: Drinks Union

Overview: We drove all the way to Trebon in the South of Czech Republic to get this beer and see the brewery. Before I even start saying anything about this specific beer I can recommend a trip/detour to Trebon to see the town, the brewery and sit in their beer garden. The brewery sales provide a good selection of beers (also in barrels) and seem to be slightly cheaper.

Tasting Notes: 5.0% obj; Light, golden brown in colour, clear with the odd buddle rising up; fabulous hoppy, golden malt smell; Similar taste to smell, malty, hoppy, pleasant fizz and pleasant bitter aftertaste.

Overall: This is where I differ from a lot of other reviews of this beer. This is my in my line of beer, it has a bitter finish to it, it isn't heavy and it smells good as you drink up. Its the kind of beer that it going to go well with outdoor food. I have only seen the Svently (lighter in colour) beer and Tmavy (dark beer) outside of the region so unless you go to Trebon and sit in the beer garden you might miss it and miss out. Certainly worth trying out.

Update: In fact, it does look like you can get it in the UK at least. It is great to see such beers making their way outside of CZ since it spreads the word about Czech beer.

Webiste: Bohemia Regent

Overview: You just know that someone involved in the brewery knows something about Pink Floyd, at least more than I do. You also know that The Purple Moose brewery in Porthmadog, North Wales, know even more about brewing beer than I do. They have so much to offer, so many types to try out and with rotating seasonal beers they will always have something newer to tempt you with. Today's offering is The Dark side of the Moose

The Beer: 4.6%; Dark brown, they call it 'deep ruby'; dark roasted hop smell, somewhat sweet aromas come from it; deep, rich bitter taste, rich after taste; light fizz, deliciously rich body; not too bitter in aftertaste but you know that you've been drinking it.

Overall: Yes, I like this one, almost reminds me of the darker Czech beers with without the sweet elements to it; It has something about it (local Welsh water that is exceptionally soft) that makes it a pleasant drink, even considering it comes from a bottled. Judging by the awards it received in 2007 the greatness of this beer is recognised by those who spend more of the lives trying out beer. I wonder how this beer would fare if it went to international competitions. There are a number of places that sell Purple Moose on tap, if you find one of them then be sure to try the beer out; North Wales isn't known for its amazing selection of beers, but this is one of those breweries that is setting out to change that.

Website: PM - DSM

The Beer: 5.2%; pale, light golden in colour; subtle hops and barley mix, not too strong in odour; subtle fizz, there's plenty there but its not a mouth full of bubbles experience, rather soft; delicious, earthy taste, not too strong, not too light; has a bit of an aftertaste, but not over powering.

After Words: Pleasant enough, I'd always prefer this over the main Heiniken offering. Its a good beer and worth a purchase or two. They have started selling this in Czech Republic now, and no doubt are pushing the export eslewhere. It seems to be popular at award ceremonies too, judging by the rather swish, but somewhat corporate brand style website. Its a good beer and I hope it makes as much travel progress as the main brand does, it is certainly worthy of it.

Website: Zlaty Bazant

Its a bottle fermented beer. The other thing to note is that the bottle got thrown out and I didn't get a photo of it.

Tasting Notes: Bottled. 5.0%; Pale in colour, light, golden brown; solid head (even from bottle); smells really good, certainly a fruity aroma; Solid, hoppy taste, really smooth body, actually has great substance. Pleasant after taste, not too heavy or mouth souring.

Overall:Fabulous. This is not the first time I have tried it, and whether it comes from the bottle or from the tap (tap is better) the flavours are just right. Pity it isn't freely available outside of Slovakia and quite frankly this is a bad move by the parent brewery. This is the type of beer that should be exported to a greater market, it would certainly give Slovak beer a, well deserved, good name.

Website: Saris Premium (needs age check)

]]> http://beerohbeer.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/chodovar-zlata-jedenactka/ Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:23:50 +0000 dem1972 http://beerohbeer.wordpress.com/2007/10/22/chodovar-zlata-jedenactka/ Overview
The second of the Chodovar range. Its another one of those bottle maturing beers (i.e. not pasturised) and doesn't have any of those additives on the ingredients list. So far so good...

Tasting Notes
Bottled. 4.5%; has a light, yeasty, hoppy smell to it; a light, golden brown colour; a light, plenty of fizz taste without being too gassy, not bitter, but somewhat empty

Overall
Unfortunately this is somewhat empty on everything including the taste. Bottom line is that this really doesn't have much going for it, unless light everything is to your taste. The bottle and label are good.

Website: Chodovar

Tasting Notes: Steiger "Dark Beer" - 4.2% obj.; Rich, dark brown, almost molasses in colour (I reckoned it looked like crude oil); not too much fizz; a sweet taste at first, then giving way to a more bitter, dark roasted, almost coffee-treacle taste; strange aftertaste, which does not linger in the mouth for too long which is good.

Overall: Everything was going well up to the point of reading the label, especially the ingredients, but then you have to. Something wasn't right. There, seemingly pushed to one side was the answer. It has an 'E' number (additive) - Caramel colouring - which is bad enough. But THE worst sin of all can be found at the end, Saccharine! Why, why, why does anyone decide to add this dreadful chemical into anything, most of all why does the brewer decide to spoil a perfectly good beer by sticking an artificial sweetener it. This is nothing more than a desecration. This explains why there was this strange aftertaste.

Conclusion: Its a pity to start off with such a bad beer, but that is the way it goes. Simply by adding chemical spoliers they watse an otherwise good beer. The only positives to say are that the bottle looks good and so does the label.
Unless you are in to chemical beers I would not recommend it