Category Archives: Czech Republic

Métaphore Vorrei Un Aperitivo

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 4.6%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The world around us serves as an endless inspiration to me. This appetizing beer is a nod to the classic bitter cocktails of Italy, all the while keeping its roots in local soil. It was brewed from local organic ingredients, rested for seasons in oak barrels, carefully blended and married with Zweigelt grapes, sour cherries and black currants. The magic touch comes from a dozen carefully selected botanicals which impart delightful, grown-up flavours of bitter, beyond the scope of hops. Best when enjoyed and shared in good company. Na zdravi!

My rating: 3+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.02
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of 1st July 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A very nice mostly clear reddish purple colour, with a one finger pinkish head, that had decent retention and settled to a ring around the glass, while leaving some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, black currant, cherry, grapes, grape skin, a herbal botanical mix, slight funk, and a splash of wood.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, mixed red berries, black currant, grapes, cherries, band aid, with a herbally bitter finish.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Looks great, with good aromas. The black currant notes were nice, while the botanical herbal bitter bits added a different dimension to the beer.

Hibernata Festuca

Brewery: Hibernata
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Czech) Festuca je pivo, které do prostého pláštíku schovává bohatství jemných odstínů chutí a barev tvořících dohromady malý svátek. Farmhouse ale dozrávaný bezmála rok v dubovém sudu s divokými kvasnicemi perlí na suchém obilném těle svěží hořkostí květin a citrusů, aby mohl utišovat žízeň už navždy. Podobně jako když v teplém dni na voňavé suché louce pootevře bránu do bezčasi pohled na travinu tak prostou, jako je kostřava. So much for pathos, na zdraví!

(translated to English) Festuca is a beer that hides a wealth of subtle shades of flavors and colors in a simple shell that together form a small holiday. Farmhouse, however, matured for almost a year in an oak barrel with wild yeast, pearls on a dry grain body with the fresh bitterness of flowers and citrus, so that it can quench your thirst forever. Similar to when on a warm day in a fragrant dry meadow the gate to timelessness is partially opened by the sight of grass as simple as fescue. So much for pathos, cheers!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.35
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of December 2024. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a big three finger white head that had decent retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Juicy, funky, lemon, honey, floral, lemon zest, citrus rind, with light tropical mango notes.
Taste: Lightly sour, funky, and a touch bitter. Lemon, citrus zest, grapefruit rind, honey, a touch peppery, and a dash of wood.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light easy drinking thirst quenching farmhouse ale with good aromas and flavours.

Métaphore Those Who Dance

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Pilsner – Czech
Other Notes: “Those who dance are considered mad by those who can’t hear the music”

Brewer Description: (from can) This is my quest for a dream everyday lager beer with a touch of magic, deeply rooted in Czech brewing traditions and the local environment around us. A little nod to the olden days when time had a different meaning. This humble yet charming beer was brewed with only organic local ingredients and a very generous amount of raw spelt, then lagered to perfection for over a season. It’s a beer that I am proud to share with you, one that gently exudes a portrait of a local terroir with a sprinkling of magic (for those who can hear it). Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml can with a best before date of 28th October 2023. Poured into a winebar glass.
Appearance: A very nice clear golden colour with a one finger white head that had good retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Melon, grains, a touch grassy.
Taste: Lightly sweet, grassy, dry hay, with a nice lasting bitterness on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Clean, crisp, super easy drinking, and everything a pilsner should be.

Métaphore Colosseum of Life 2022

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 5.7%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2022 is aged in oak barrels for one, two, three and four years. While the 2021 is basically the 2022 without the additional year.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) A blend of coolshipped, spontaneously fermented beers aged in oak barrels for one, two, three and four years. It is made entirely from local organic ingredients representing its environment and is composed of the best barrels of the seasons. It exhibits the constant productive tension between untamed nature and human refinement. This beer is defined by the elements it was exposed to, under the stars in the open air, and the time necessary to slowly reach a harmonious state over the years. This blended rustic beer with a sense of time and place is ready to be enjoyed here and now. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of 1st November 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange colour with a two finger white head that had good retention, while leaving nice lacing.
Aroma: Citrusy, orange, mandarin, citrus peel, oak, musty, funk.
Taste: Lightly sour, citrusy, orange, orange peel, oak, funky.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking with balanced citrus, woody and funky notes in the aroma and flavours.

Métaphore Be Kind

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 4%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This particular quest for a dream beer explores a thoughtful and delicate expression of seasons and locality through a sensitive attitude to the environment, us and the beer itself. At its core is the delicate interplay between lower alcohol content, local organic ingredients, and a subtle touch of fresh seasonal fruits or hops. This blend consists of mixed fermentation beers aged in oak barrels for over two years hopped gently with organic hops. This rustic beer with a sense of time and place is ready to be enjoyed here and now. Best shared in good company. Na zdravi! Jiří.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.13
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, with a best before date of 15th October 2032. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice lightly hazy golden straw yellow colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Lemon, lemon zest, honey, with notes of wood.
Taste: Lightly tart, lemon, lemon zest, lime, a touch grassy, with a light sweetness on the finish, like those sour lemon candies.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Light, refreshing, easy to drink, and great for a hot summer day. This varietal of ‘Be Kind’ without any fruit is actually my favourite of the lot.