It may have been published no April 1st, but I don't think it's foolish? ________________________________________________________________________________
What difference does it make? When it comes to questions of taste, quite a lot. Generally speaking, ale yeast is recognized for producing complex, fruity flavors, due partly to the residual organic compounds known as esters. Lager yeast, on the other hand, is recognized for producing a crisp, clear taste with no esters. In terms of flavor, it can be thought of as a question of complexity versus purity.
Which is all fine, except that in this part of the world there are almost no ales to speak of. Following the success of lager beers like Pilsner Urquell in the late 19th century, lager became Europe's default brewing style. Outside of Britain and Ireland, only a few redoubts remain: Dusseldorf, which produces Alt (or "old" beer, as in "the older style"); Cologne (KOln), maker of KOlsch; France, which produces biere de garde (beer for keeping), among others; and Belgium, which produces some of the most celebrated ales in the world, including the great Trappist monastery beers.
But barring a few wheat brews, everything produced in the Czech Republic is a lager. Prague's U Fleku may have a brewing tradition dating to 1499, but they switched over to saccharomyces carlsbergensis about a hundred years ago. What used to be a traditional dark ale, probably with a very different taste, is now a "newfangled" dark lager.
That's what makes the new beers from the Klasterni Pivovar Zeliv (Zeliv Monastery Brewery) so interesting. The label proudly states "top-fermenting yeast beer" and notes that the monks at the Zeliv Monastery have a hand in production. Ale victory!
Vcelarska Prodejna Belehradska 15 Prague 2-Vinohrady Tel. 222 563 589
By all measures, they're doing God's work. The flagship brew, Gottschalk, is a strong 15° beer measuring 6.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). Medium-amber in color with a tight, cream-colored head, Gottschalk boasts fine, Champagne-style carbonation and a rich, malty nose. In the mouth, it has a slight caramel taste with strong malt and fruit flavors, some tartness and a mild alcoholic backbite. The finish is filled with languishing clove-spice notes.
Gottschalk isn't like any other beer produced in the Czech lands, though it does compare favorably to a couple of famous styles from Belgium, falling somewhere between a strong golden ale (like Duvel) and a Trappist dubbel or tripel (like Chimay). In addition to Gottschalk, the brewery produces Castulus, a honey-flavored beer, and Siard Falco, a version made with sour cherries.
In Prague, Gottschalk is available only from Jan LOffelmann's honey and bee-products shop located halfway from the Nusle steps to namesti Bratri Synku. You can also order cases from the brewery's Web site at