Pivovar Klášter - Klášter Premium Lager

On the nose, expect intensely breaddy, sweet malt notes with a slight creaminess and a flourish of citrus hops among lightly musty, Saaz hop notes. The hops are noteworthy in that they are less herbal/lemony than expected for the style. We found the flavor began smooth and easy with an apple skin note and some sweetish malts, but then the bitterness—practically heroic in stature—just goes for it! Note this brew is quite a bit more bitter and bold than many of the watered down mega-pilsners coming out of the Czech Republic these days. Expect the hops to contribute slightly flowery, grassy notes, delivering far more bitterness than what's implied by the bouquet. The sweetness of the malts is prominent to start, but just barely manages to hold the balance in check (another unintended pun) while the bitter hops really surge in. It finishes quite dry. As it warms, it gets a bit boozy in the finish (hints of scotch). It is a bold yet easy to drink medium-bodied Czech Pilsner. As we like to say, "a session with substance". Admirable that this Pilsner is as dark and robust (for the style) as it is, and that they have not resorted to labeling this a "pilsner" for marketability. It's a "Premium Traditional Czech Lager" according to the label. We'll say. Enjoy with another and then another, then pair with some spicy Indian food.

The Klášter Brewery's roots go back to 1144 when the existence of a village at the meeting of the Zabrdka rivulet and the Jizera River in the northern Czech lands was first recorded. A few years later a Benedictine Monastery was founded there and in 1240 a massive gothic church erected. Though the church and cloister were destroyed by fire during the Hussite invasion of 1420, the property was later purchased and a brewery eventually founded on the site in 1560. Klášter, meaning both 'monastery'and 'cloister', reflects the brewery's respect for the site's cultural and spiritual heritage, a message worth hearing; hey, it's got us going to "church" just about every day! The family of brewers currently installed there got involved with the brewery in 1947 when the current owner's father, Josef Pelant began his tenure. In 1963 he became the head brewer. In 1969, his son (and the current brewer), Vladimir Pelant joined the company. With 30 years of experience under his belt, he was named Belgium's "Best Brewer of the Year" brewing "The Best Beer of the Year" in 1999. Much of the unique flavor profile of the Klášter beers is attributable to their use of a cave-aging process where fermentation occurs at a depth of 60 feet. These and even deeper caves were dug by monks centuries ago at the original monastery site. In 1999 (a big year for them!), Klášter opened a unique restaurant & pub in one of the deepest caves dug centuries ago. Now that's our kind of place to have a brew! The pictures in their photo gallery online are a MUST SEE! http://www.Klaster.com/picture_gallery. If you'd like more information about the Klášter Brewery, check out http://www.Klaster.com.