Category Archives: Czech Pilsner

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 Sapere Aude

Brewery: Métaphore
Country: Czech Republic
ABV: 4.9%
Style: Pilsner – Czech

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This is my quest for a dream beer that straddles the fine line between two worlds – traditional, old world lagers and rustically charming beers of the past. Inspired by the mystery of an earlier era I never experienced and by the environment around us. My poetic vision for a truly refined expression of a lager beer with a sense of place. It was brewed only with local organic ingredients, a generous amount of local Saaz hops and 30% local einkorn. Lagered to perfection for 5 months in a virgin Acacia wood barrel. This gracious lager beer with a sense of place is ready for you to enjoy here and now with friends old and new.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 1st November 2022. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A mostly clear golden colour with a two finger white head that had excellent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, honey, grainy, wood, herbal, with light citrus zest.
Taste: Light sweetness, honey, lemon zest, herbal tea, and maybe even a touch floral.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this with its light clean flavours making it just so easy to drink. Super refreshing on a hot day.

En Stoemelings x Blind Enthusiasm Papy Vandepils

Brewery: En Stoemelings x Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company
Country: Belgium
ABV: 5%
Style: Czech Pilsner

Brewer Description: (from Belgian Beer and Food facebook post) Papy Vandepils is a collaboration between Brussels brewery En Stoemelings, and Blind Enthusiasm from Edmonton Canada. It’s a simple and delicately balanced beer, with a grainy, cereal like flavor, followed by a long satisfying dryness. As you may have noticed from our editorial, some members of the Belgian Beer and Food team have an emotional attachment to it, since it represents a coming of age for our friends at En Stoemelings, and ranks as the best thing they’ve made so far. But, it’s a worthy choice in and of itself. According to Denys one of the brewers who made it, the trick is to have the right mix between Heidelberg and Pils malt, two weeks of lagering, and three weeks of maturation, plus clinically clean stainless-steel equipment and lots of love. As to what inspires this beer, the brewers mention Tipo Pils and Rulles Pils, but emphasise that the real reference is a classic Czech Pilsner.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.44
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.3

Intro: A 330ml bottle, with a best before date of July 2019. Poured into a De Struise glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a big three finger white head that had excellent retention and left lots of nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Sweet, lemon zest, bready, yeast, grass, tea and light floral notes.
Taste: Light bitterness, lemon zest, citrus rind, grass, grains, pepper spice and hints of bread.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking Pilsner but at the same time not as crisp as others that I prefer.

Young Master Contemporary Pilsner

Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Czech Pilsner
Other Notes: 22 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) A contemporary take on a classic Czech beer style. This beer uses traditional malts for a clean and crisp base and new world hops for an added flavor punch.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.9
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml can with a best before date of 27th March 2019. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A very lightly cloudy golden straw colour with a two finger white head that had good retention while leaving behind some lacing.
Aroma: Floral, melon, lemon tea, lemon zest and grass with some light biscuit and honey.
Taste: Moderate sweetness, melon, apricot, floral, tea, lemon tea, lemon peel, grass with light biscuit and bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice fruit and floral character (with the latter there but not overpowering). Easy and refreshing to drink.

Cloudwater Pilsner Motueka Mandarina

Brewery: Cloudwater Brew Co.
Country: England
ABV: 5%
Style: Czech Pilsner
Other Notes: Autumn-Winter. Specialising in modern, seasonal beer. Malts – Pilsner Malt and Carapils. Yeast – WLP833. Hops – Motueka, Mandarina Bavaria and Pilgrim Alpha CO2 Extract

Brewer Description: (from can) This Pilsner was fermented with WLP833, and features Motueka through delicate aroma hopping.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 440ml can, canned on 11th January 2018 and with a before date of end of July 2018. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden straw colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Light mango, lemon zest, citrus rind, straw, cereal grainy and lightly floral.
Taste: Lightly sweet, grainy, touch of mango with hints of mandarin peel, rind and floralness.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, refreshing and easy to drink, despite the floral characters that I’m not fond of.