UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN hiding under a rock for the last few years, you can't fail to have noticed the meteoric rise of craft beer – most of it ale. But, given 7 out of 10 pints drunk in pubs and bars are still lager, what place does lager have in today's brewing scene? What does it mean to brew a well-crafted lager, and does such a thing even exist?Historic, innovative brewery Budweiser Budvar can answer these questions with its range of lagers, made with craft, innovation and an unwavering 'no shortcuts' approach.
Original – perhaps Budvar's best-known beer – is brewed over 102 days, which is around seven times longer than most beers. For 90 of those days the beer is matured in the Budvar cellars, where its character slowly develops and its flavours are gradually fine tuned. For a taste of Budvar just as it tastes in the cellars – fresh, unpasteurised and super smooth – try Tankové Pivo, which is delivered in sealed, temperature-controlled copper tanks for ultimate freshness.
UNLESS YOU'VE BEEN hiding under a rock for the last few years, you can't fail to have noticed the meteoric rise of craft beer – most of it ale. But, given 7 out of 10 pints drunk in pubs and bars are still lager, what place does lager have in today's brewing scene? What does it mean to brew a well-crafted lager, and does such a thing even exist?Historic, innovative brewery Budweiser Budvar can answer these questions with its range of lagers, made with craft, innovation and an unwavering 'no shortcuts' approach.
Original – perhaps Budvar's best-known beer – is brewed over 102 days, which is around seven times longer than most beers. For 90 of those days the beer is matured in the Budvar cellars, where its character slowly develops and its flavours are gradually fine tuned. For a taste of Budvar just as it tastes in the cellars – fresh, unpasteurised and super smooth – try Tankové Pivo, which is delivered in sealed, temperature-controlled copper tanks for ultimate freshness.
If it's innovative, flavour-packed beer you're after, look no further than Fresh-Hopped Imperial Lager. Saaz hops are picked fresh from the field in early summer, then rushed to the brewery and used straight away, before a 200-day maturation period that results in a striking, honeyed lager with a snappy palate and a dry finish.
Sometimes, though, breaking the mould isn't so much about what you do as what you don't, and Kräusened is testament to that. With a cloudiness and freshness of taste that comes from being kept unfiltered and unpasteurised, Kräusened is double fermented before it's matured in the brewery's cellars. Being unpasteurised means this 'draught-only' lager is amazingly fresh – but, like Tankové Pivo, only for 30 days.
WIN A TRIP TO THE BREWERY
Want to win a journey to the heart of Budweiser Budvar? For the chance to win a trip for two to the brewery in Budweiss, all you have to do is share a photo of yourself enjoying a Budvar and tag in @Budvaruk, using #noshortcuts, on Twitter or Instagram. Ten runners-up will receive a Budvar glass each.
But for real innovation, it's time to discover Cryo, the most technologically advanced of Budvar's beers. This beer is served at the table – with no little theatre – from a purpose-built tapping system that pours ice-cold 22%-strength lager from a frozen bottle. Keep an eye out for it – though currently only available in the Czech Republic, Cryo is due to hit the capital this year…
And if you're drawn to the dark side, Budvar has a beer for that, too. Budvar's Dark Lager is made with Saaz hops and natural spring water from Budvar's own well, with the addition of Munich, Caramel and Roasted malts to give a dark colour and notes of coffee and chocolate. It's a winning combination – the beer has been named World's Best Dark Lager at the World Beer Awards.
Competition closes: 31st May 2017
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