Ready for a virtual wine tasting? Egészségére! Central Europe has something on tap for everyone! While next week we will delve into the region’s famous spirits and liqueurs, we’ll round out this week’s instalment with a visit to Hungary to explore its stunning vineyards. Now we recognize that not everyone is a beer lover, so no need to fret. Lastly, if you really want to take your beer connoisseurship to the next level, you can plan a trip to one of several excellent beer museums in the Czech Republic!Įdelweiss (Austrian) Steigl Radler (Austrian) Gösser Beer (Austrian) Czechvar Premium Lager (Czech) Pilsner Urquell (Czech) Żywiec (Polish) Okocim (Polish) Tyskie (Polish) Kasztelan (Polish) Lezajsk (Polish) Karlovacko Beer (Croatian) Golden Pheasant (Slovakian) If DIY isn’t your style, there is no shortage of amazing Central European beers available at any good liquor store in Edmonton. While home-brewing can be quite an involved affair, check out our recipes and resources for some excellent introductory guides. The Pilsner was an astronomical success and its influence sparked nothing short of a revolution in Czech beer-making that endures to this day! This, in addition to the town’s exceptionally soft water, resulted in a brew that tasted as clean and crisp as the Bavarian beer, but, rather than turning out dark in colour, the new Pilsen beer boasted a beautiful golden hue.
Using English-style kilns, the brewery would gently dry its malt using indirect heat. While Czech brewers across the country quickly began to experiment with bottom-fermentation, the brewery in Pilsen had another trick up its sleeve. Previously most Czech beers were “top-fermented” and would have the yeast introduced at the top of the wort at a slightly warmer temperature. This style of beer-making involved a cooler fermentation temperature and a type of yeast that would sink to the bottom of the wort (or unfermented beer), thus conducting the fermentation from the bottom up. While Bohemian beers were being exported, Bavarian-style brews arrived in the country from Germany, introducing Czechs to a darker, “bottom-fermented’ style of beer. But it would still take generations of Czech brewers, and a few more centuries, until a beer similar to what modern-day drinkers would recognize was finally crafted.īy the early 19th century, improvements to infrastructure made the transfer of goods, including beer, easier. There surely must have been some tipsy monks with all that experimenting! By 1250, rights for breweries began to be granted throughout Czech lands and Czech hops - the flowers of the hop plant that are used to impart the complex fruity, citrusy, or floral bitterness in beer - were prized more highly than nearly any other varietal across Europe.
In the early days, brewing beer was almost exclusively done at monasteries. The time-honoured tradition of Czech brewing stretches back nearly a thousand years - yes, that’s a lot of beer! Historians can date back to the year 993, where evidence of a brewery was discovered at Brevnov Monastery in Prague. And when we talk beer in Central Europe, we mean serious business - a 16.8 billion dollar industry for one nation alone! And though bubbly brews are enjoyed all around the region, we would be hugely missing the mark if we didn’t “hop” over to the Czech Republic and begin our tale in the city of Pilsen, known around the world for its famous Pilsner beer. Is there anything more refreshing than enjoying an ice cold beer on a sweltering summer’s day? We’re talking about big frosted mugs of golden elixir, a symphonic suspension of micro bubbles, big Bohemian brews! No, the tepid contents of a can of Molson or Coors Light simply won’t do. From cold, frothy pints to full-bodied wines and tasty tinctures, let’s raise our glass to the beer, wine, and spirits of Central Europe! But, let’s be honest, no Central European meal is really complete without the right beverage(s) to imbibe. Thus far in our series, we’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen exploring some of the region’s favourite sweet and savoury dishes.
0 kommentar(er)
