Czech Please!

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- MikeMcG
  
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posted
20 years ago

Fri, Sep 5, 2003 7:58 PM

While in London at the GBBF last month I saw a few poster ads for (South African Breweries owned) Pilsner Urquell - the rationale was that if you want quality pilsner you must go to the "original source" (translation of german - "Urquell" ) i found this a bit rich from the company which has been brewing its Pilzn-er in Poland & rumoured to soon(?) do the same in Russia!

Anyway, with that in mind, here's a link to a piece by UK writer Roger Protz

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about the Czech lager brewery Staropramen of Prague, previously owned by Bass, now Interbrew - the UK Staropramen is now brewed by Interbrew in the distinctly un-Bohemian town of Salmesbury, Lancashire (NorthWest England)

The gist is that Interbrew (UK) are using brewing syrup (Interbrew say it's widely used in Czech brewing) fermentation in closed vessels (Prague uses open) shorter lagering (& in cylindro-conicals, not horizontals). ho hum cheers MikeMcG PS the rest of the

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site has also (finally) been updated, with news of GBBF winner Harviestoun, Brakspear's sort of homecoming, and the reopening of one of the UK's original 4 brewpubs that pre-date the 1970's resurgence in beer.

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- Simon Mason
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Sep 6, 2003 6:33 PM

I'm surprised to see he didn't mention that they won't be using Czech water either.

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- Oh, Guess
  
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posted
20 years ago

Sat, Sep 6, 2003 7:00 PM

The dumbing down of PU continues. At least you can be assured that a fair number of the wooden barrels formerly used at PU have been put to good use: they were acquired by Gueuzestekerij De Cam in Belgium for their lambic-blending operation.

Yup. Encountered this at London's always-excellent White Horse, where there are a couple of tap-towers pouring Staropramen, and yes, it's the Lancashire-brewed version. Thank goodness for the abundance of real ales on at the WH, as well as numerous other excellent alternatives to British-brewed "Staropramen." At least Budvar is still an import.

This kind of thing is nowt new in the UK. Holsten is now brewed in two different (and unaffiliated) independent breweries in England. I've had the Lees version. Not bad, I suppose, but I'd rather be drinking Lees cask ales, thank you anyway.

Also known as "malt extract" in the trade.

Well, it's used in Interbrew's operations, anyway. Maybe by SABMiller's PU/Radegast operations too?

Indeed. Even more curious is that Heineken is not being contract- brewed in the UK at present; the stuff's coming in from Holland. Not that this makes it that much better, mind you, but British- brewed Heineken (Whitbread-brewed, wasn't it) was pretty dull.