{"id":6150,"date":"2020-10-23T09:36:34","date_gmt":"2020-10-23T09:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/?post_type=story&p=6150"},"modified":"2020-11-10T11:59:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T11:59:54","slug":"the-budvar-pour","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/budweiserbudvar.com\/uk\/blog\/story\/the-budvar-pour\/","title":{"rendered":"THE BUDVAR POUR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WE SAY THE BREWMASTER BREWS THE BEER, BUT THE BEERTENDER MAKES<\/em> IT.
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ow, look closely at this part.\u201d Instructs Radim the beertender or \u2018vycepni\u2019 as trained servers of lager are known here, in South Bohemia. And as I watch on, he swiftly dips the nozzle of the gleaming silver beer tap underneath the pillow of thick, pure-white foam he\u2019s already drawn in the bottom of the glass.<\/p>\n

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Then with a quick twist of his wrist, he opens the tap fully and releases a billowing cloud of beer beneath. Fine bubbles explode in a rich, golden storm. \u201cCan you see that?\u201d He asks, smiling at my expression as the beer flows tantalisingly close. \u201cThere\u2019s something hypnotic about it, isn\u2019t there?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hypnotic is certainly one word for it. Irresistible is another.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I<\/span>t\u2019s not every day that you get to observe great beer being poured like this: close up, and with an obvious level of skill. Unless, of course, you\u2019re in the Czech Republic, because, throughout this land, every beer served in every pub is treated to this same careful ritual: the ritual of the pour.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s something beer writer and author of A Brief History of Lager,<\/em> Mark Dredge, knows only too well: \u201cWhat I love about Czech beer is that they place equal importance of the brewmaster and the person who serves that beer. One cannot do their job without the other. They know that the drinker doesn\u2019t get a great experience or get to experience the beer properly without both doing their job perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Travel around the Czech Republic and you quickly get to see what he means. From the polished chrome of Prague craft beer bars to oak-beamed mountain hostelries deep in the \u0160umava forest, wherever you go you will see beer being poured the same way. No big fuss is made about it because, in the eyes of Czechs, it\u2019s not just the right way to do it; it\u2019s the only<\/em> way. An unwritten law of quality Czech lager that is all too often overlooked and misunderstood when it\u2019s served in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat I love about Czech beer is that they place equal importance of the brewmaster and the person who serves that beer. One cannot do their job without the other.\u201d<\/span>
\nMark Dredge, Beer Writer.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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o the uninitiated walking into this ritual, there\u2019s a lot going on. Cold glasses being religiously cleaned and stored in deep basins of icy water. Beertenders with a hand resting on the wooden side-pull handles of shiny silver taps, opening them sideways. Large mug-style glasses with handles filling with mouthwatering golden \u2013 or dark \u2013 lager. And foam, real<\/em> foam; a good thick layer of it a couple of inches or more rising up the glass.<\/p>\n

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If it sounds like hard work, it is. Baristas of the beer world, beertenders train for months, sometimes years, to master the art of pouring. Once they do, the rewards are there for the tasting. This is because the pour affects almost every part of the drinking experience: flavour, texture, aroma and \u2018drinkability\u2019 \u2013 or the way the beer interacts with the body. Only the right pour can amplify the subtle and elegant qualities of properly brewed Czech lager. And to understand why and how, I\u2019ve come to the place where lager is more \u2018properly brewed\u2019 than anywhere else: the Budweiser Budvar brewery in \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice.<\/p>\n

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The brewing heritage here dates back 800 years under the watchful eye of emperors, kings and, more recently, ten generations of brewmasters at the 125-year-old brewery. Remarkably, every drop of Budvar is still made here with only four ingredients \u2013 whole-cone Saaz hops, Moravian malts, pure soft water and heritage lager yeast \u2013 and a carefully controlled conditioning process that hasn\u2019t changed in centuries.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Only the right pour can amplify the subtle and elegant qualities of properly brewed Czech lager. And to understand why and how, I\u2019ve come to the place where lager is more \u2018properly brewed\u2019 than anywhere else: the Budvar brewery in \u010cesk\u00e9 Bud\u011bjovice.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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ark Dredge has also visited and sampled the beer tapped straight from the tanks in the brewery cellars. He knows how the pour can make or break the unique characteristics and qualities created in Budvar\u2019s obsessive brewing process.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is a beer that takes a long time to make. And at the end of that, the pour is the most important part. That\u2019s where we, the drinker, get to pick that beer up and experience it properly. It\u2019s had all that time in those tanks, but finally it\u2019s our chance to get to drink it. When it hits the glass, boom<\/em>, we get that amazing foam, we get that brilliant body of beer and all that brilliant flavour, all that wonderful aroma and texture. It\u2019s why I love the ritual that comes with getting a glass of beer in the Czech Republic. As you drink, you really get it. The pour makes it taste so good.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He\u2019s right of course, and there\u2019s that word again: ritual<\/em>. At Budweiser Budvar, the ritual of the pour has evolved over its 125-year history to perfectly showcase its unique aromas and flavours. And to demonstrate, who better than someone who trained and learned the art of the pour right here?<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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\u00a0THE PERFECT BUDVAR POUR<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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R<\/span>adim Zvanovec is a South Bohemian native who has taken his knowledge and passion for the pour to Prague and a number of prestigious bars across the world. But we meet back in Budvarka, the Budvar brewery restaurant, for a closer look at exactly what the Budvar pour involves.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s called a ritual for a reason\u201d, he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s not magic, but it\u2019s somewhere between an art and a science. It\u2019s like cooking a great meal. Preparation and the cooking are both important to the right result.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Preparation is key, but it\u2019s complicated. To be a beertender it seems you almost need a degree in engineering. Radim points out the taps, valves and pipes that have to be meticulous cleaned and assembled each day. There is the cellaring of the beer to keep an eye on, as well as maintaining proper temperatures and flow. Once the stage is set and the beer is flowing correctly, it\u2019s on to the glassware.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Radim is washing a set of the striking new Budvar glasses, cleaning them using a set of upright brushes. There are no dishwashers here; it\u2019s old-fashioned hard work as the glasses need to be spotless. Once finished, he inspects them carefully then plunges them into a deep metal basin filled with cold water.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPut your hand in.\u201d He says, motioning towards the water. The water is ice cold, chilled to around 5\u00b0 centigrade. Pulling a glass out, he rinses it on the countertop; fountains of fresh water spraying up into the glass. \u201cThe glass has to be perfectly clean, chilled and then rinsed before pouring,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis ensures that the foam will form and hold in the glass, and the foam is what we want. The thickness of chilled glass also means that the beer will stay at the right, cold temperature for longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Finally, he\u2019s ready. \u201cSo, every part of our pour has a reason, let me show you how we do it.\u201d Radim slaps the top of the traditional side-pull Czech tap rising up from the bar. \u201cFirst you need one of these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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He explains that this kind of beer fount is quite different to the lager lever-tap you see in most other countries around the world. If a lever tap is like an on-off light switch, then the side pull is more like a dimmer, producing a gradual gradient of different textures of beer \u2013 from pure foam to pure beer all controlled by the beertender\u2019s expertise.<\/p>\n

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The range of textures are made possible through the built-in ball-valve inside the tap. Also inside, is a micro-screen with a very fine mesh. Pushing beer through this creates a dense and thick foam which is \u2018wet\u2019 meaning it is at least 50% actual beer rather than air. Likewise, this process breaks down some of the CO2 in the beer, making it less fizzy, softer to drink and not so heavy on the stomach as other lagers poured other ways. This is what is meant by improving \u2018drinkability\u2019. In terms of flavour and sensation, the foam plays another vital role. Compounds from the whole-cone hops float upwards in the beer and are captured in the foam, releasing a whole range of active aromas you don\u2019t get with more \u2018dry\u2019 foam.<\/p>\n

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To show me, Radim opens the handle just a little bit. The thick, wet foam starts to pour. Quickly, he tips the rinsed glass to a 45\u00b0 angle and puts it under the tap and a measure of the velvety foam forms at the bottom of the glass. Without stopping, the nozzle of the tap goes right in under it and he opens the handle wide. The lager rolls and tumbles in the glass, pushing up the foam, until the glass is two-thirds full.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe foam barrier here plays a vital role in protecting the flavour of the beer.\u201d Radim says. \u201cBecause it prevents the beer making any contact with the air, there is no oxygenation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve never considered that before, but it makes sense. The foam acts as an aromatic barrier that not only brings subtle tones of the whole-cone hops to the nose and mouth, but also ensures the beer is completely unchanged in flavour from Budvar\u2019s cold-conditioning tanks to when it first reaches the drinker\u2019s lips.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The foam acts as an aromatic barrier that not only brings subtle tones of the whole-cone hops to the nose and mouth, but also ensures the beer is unchanged in flavour from Budvar\u2019s tanks to when it first reaches the drinker\u2019s lips.<\/span><\/h3>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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ext, Radim places the two-thirds full glass down to rest for thirty seconds. He tells me that this stage is important because it thickens the foam and releases further CO2, making the beer both more aromatic and more drinkable. Then he picks up the glass, dips the spout once more below the foam and opens the handle wide again, pouring the full measure of beer, straightening the glass as the thick foam reaches the top. Finally, he whips the glass away to avoid any drips which would break through the foam and introduce air, and places the glass down in front of me. It\u2019s an absolutely perfect pour. The amber-gold beer with a thick white foam settling beautifully; the condensation trickling the glass.<\/p>\n

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\u201cNow get up close and personal with it.\u201d Radim suggests, indicating that I should get my face in there. I do, and because of the round, wide mouth on the glass I get the full sensory hit of those bitter-sweet aromatics from the Saaz hops and the rich Moravian malts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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