The COMDB translation department worked overtime on this brew, and they tell me that “velkopopovický kozel” from Czech to English means “By and large a goat”. What the hell does that mean? I asked them if perhaps they got it wrong, maybe it is “buy a large goat”? They were quite offended that I would even question their translation capabilities, I heard the word “kretén” used, I didn’t ask them for a translation of that.
So here’s the story of goats and beer. Bock beer originated in Northern Germany as far back as the 1400’s. By the 1600s it was being brewed in the Munich area and there the name “Einbeck” was pronounced as “Einbock” in the accent of the region which roughly translates to “billy goat” in German. So the goat/beer relationship is a visual pun, basically a dad joke* from the 1600’s.
By the way, at which point did a mountain climbing garbage eating mammal, that’s only source of food provided to us is feta cheese, ever become an acronym for the greatest of all time? When I was watching Michael Jordan play basketball I wasn’t thinking of a goat, or eating a Greek salad, that’s for sure.
I have had a mixed history with goats when it comes to beer and bocks, But this brew is a lager, with a bock goat, from the town of Plzeňský (translation Pilsner). All bases covered. So is this brew the hero or the goat? According to Charlie Brown “everyone has the potentialities of a hero or a goat lying within them.” Some pretty big words for a four year old.** And of course we all know what potentiality Charlie Brown realized, again and again.
This lager poured nice bright clear with a mountain top of a white head. A bread malt aroma, some graininess in there too. First swig is a bread malt with a crisp hay grain finish to start things off. It is a very smooth easy drinking lager with a clean finish. A slight bread tinny aftertaste, grainy perhaps? There is some sweet in the finish too. What I would call a standard European lager. Neither GOAT nor goat, this lager is standard fare.
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