Měšťanský Pivovar Havlíčkův Brod - Lev Lion Pale Double Bock

A pale double bock, huh? Well, we think it makes sense to think of this more as a riff on the Maibock or Helles Bock style. Expect a very attractive beer in the glass, presenting a crystal clear, rich golden color capped with a large crop of white foam. Grassy, earthy hop aromas come forward immediately, underpinned by some pils malt that lends a bit of a crackery note. Some soft floral notes are apparent as well, along with a distinct and compelling fruity character akin to apple and pear. On the palate, we found this brew quite smooth and medium bodied, offering a fairly robust core of pale malts spiked with those interesting apple-like fruity notes. Crisp in the finish, there's a nice lingering bitterness that builds some further spicy and herbal notes. The Lev Lion Pale Double Bock will go well with a variety of foods including grilled salmon, Caesar salads, or fried chicken. Na zdraví!

There are more than 300 small breweries in the Czech Republic, which has a total area just smaller than the state of South Carolina. With a population of about 8 million people, that’s quite a few breweries per capita. Not surprisingly then, the Czech Republic boasts the highest per capita beer consumption figures in the world. The Czechs consider beer part of their daily life; they will often drink beer with breakfast, lunch, and dinner; after work, or before it, and often during it (on lunch break, of course!). This heritage of beer drinking has a long history behind it. The Czechs have nearly a millennium of beer-brewing experience under their belts. Local agricultural conditions are ideal for growing hops, and their cultivation in Bohemia has been chronicled as far back as 859 A.D., while the first evidence of their export dates back to 903 A.D. These hops were exported to Germany via the Elbe River to the Hamburg hops market in 1101, and to this day the world still cherishes Bohemian (aka Czech) Saaz hops.

Located almost dead center in the Czech Republic, the town of Havlíčkův Brod has been home to breweries large and small since at least the 13th century. Quite a number of breweries have come and gone over the centuries, their demises attributable to the usual suspects: lack of profit, fires or other disasters, or destruction by invaders. Our featured brewery, which takes its name from the town, got its start in the late 19th century. The brewery expanded and modernized several times in the 20th century, and at this current date is one of the most technologically modern breweries in the Czech Republic, complete with its own malt house. Between 1948 and 1990, the brewery was under the ownership of other brewery partners, including the Hradec Králové brewery of eastern Bohemia. But in 1990 the brewery became independent yet again, and when the Hradec Králové brewery went out of business not long afterwards, Pivovar Havlíčkův Brod was able to take over and preserve Hradec's Lev Lion brand – from which this month's beer has been selected.