3B Czech Premium Pale Lager

Question 1

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Overall Impression

Answer 1

A refreshing pale Czech lager with considerable malt and hop character and a long finish. The malt flavors are complex for a Pilsner-type beer. The bitterness is strong and clean but lacks harshness, which gives a well-balanced, rounded flavor impression that enhances drinkability.

Question 2

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Aroma

Answer 2

Medium to medium-high bready-rich malt and medium-low to medium-high spicy, floral, or herbal hop bouquet; though the balance between the malt and hops may vary, the interplay is rich and complex. Light diacetyl, or very low fruity esters are optional. Esters tend to increase with gravity.

Question 3

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Appearance

Answer 3

Medium yellow to deep gold color. Brilliant to very clear clarity. Dense, long-lasting, creamy white head.

Question 4

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Flavor

Answer 4

Rich, complex, bready maltiness combined with a pronounced yet soft and rounded bitterness and floral and spicy hop flavor. Malt and hop flavors are medium to medium-high, and the malt may contain a slight impression of caramel. Bitterness is prominent but never harsh. The long finish can be balanced towards hops or malt but is never aggressively tilted either way. Light to moderately-low diacetyl and low hop-derived esters are acceptable, but need not be present.

Question 5

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Mouthfeel

Answer 5

Medium body. Moderate to low carbonation

Question 6

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Comments

Answer 6

Generally a group of pivo Plzeňského typu, or Pilsner-type beers. This style is a combination of the Czech styles světlý ležák (11–12.9 °P) and světlé speciální pivo (13–14.9 °P). In the Czech Republic, only Pilsner Urquell and Gambrinus are called Pilsner, despite how widely adopted this name is worldwide. Outside the Czech Republic, Czech Pilsner or Bohemian Pilsner are sometimes used to differentiate the beer from other Pilsner-type beers. Kvasnicové (“yeast beer”) versions are popular in the Czech Republic, and may be either kräusened with yeasted wort or given a fresh dose of pure yeast after fermentation. These beers are sometimes cloudy, with subtle yeastiness and enhanced hop character. Modern examples vary in their malt to hop balance and many are not as hop-forward as Pilsner Urquell.

Question 7

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - History

Answer 7

Commonly associated with Pilsner Urquell, which was first brewed in 1842 after construction of a new brewhouse by burghers dissatisfied with the standard of beer brewed in Plzeň. Bavarian brewer Josef Groll is credited with first brewing the beer, although there may have been earlier pale lagers in Bohemia. Just as important as the lager yeast was the use of English malting techniques.

Question 8

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Characteristic Ingredients

Answer 8

Traditional Czech hops. Czech malt. Czech lager yeast. Water low in sulfate and carbonate provides a distinctively soft, rounded hop profile despite high hopping rates. The bitterness level of some larger commercial examples has dropped in recent years, although not as much as in many contemporary German examples.

Question 9

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - Style Comparison

Answer 9

More color, malt richness, and body than a German Pils, with a fuller finish and a cleaner, softer impression. Stronger than a Czech Pale Lager.

Question 10

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - IBU

Answer 10

30-45

Question 11

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - SRM

Answer 11

3.5-6

Question 12

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - OG

Answer 12

1.044-1.060

Question 13

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - FG

Answer 13

1.013-1.017

Question 14

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager - ABV

Answer 14

4.2-5.8%

Question 15

3B Czech Premium Pale Lager -Commercial Examples

Answer 15

Bernard světlé ležák 12°, Budvar 33 světlý ležák, Pilsner Urquell, Pivovar Jihlava Ježek 11%, Primátor Premium lager, Radegast Ryze hořká 12, Únětická pivo 12°