Merry Xcess to all. It’s that time of the year when everything is supposed to be special. What’s a beer drinker to do when facing pressure to up their game for the holiday season? … the answer should be obvious – more beer.* My response was to reach for the enticing mini-keg shrewdly placed at eye level on the shelf opposite the Rose wine. It’s something a marketing genius like our buddy Steve would come up with. Knowing full well that there will be couples coming to the liquor store stocking up for Christmas, the trendy Rose wine will no doubt be a target of the better half to make that meal a stand-out. But the lesser half can only focus at the wall of pink hues for so long before their gaze will start to wander and when it does – there’s the mini-kegs like a beacon on the stormy seas.
That’s how I acquired my Christmas keg. A single season tradition which I hope to extend for many more. I went with the safe choice – a Czech lager. The Czech’s have been brewing beer for at least a thousand years, so they have the technique perfected. This was the beer that was the original Budweiser before being brought to the US. But that’s enough of a back story – let’s get on to the beer review.
This beer is surprisingly hoppy for a lager and they do mention the whole cone Saaz hops on the can, so I’m guessing that is the source of the snappy taste. There is a nice woody, pine flavour at the front with a noticeable bitterness on the finish. The clean, golden color and nice head rounded out the experience making for a wonderful prelude to the roast beast and inevitable Rose of the holiday meal. There is a slight aftertaste that I didn’t enjoy so much.
A great choice for traditional lager – but with more bitterness than a standard North American lager.
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