Rodinný pivovar Bernard

Why it matters

Czech brewing after 1989 was largely bought by multinationals, and the argument about what that did to the beer is hard to make without a control. This brewery is one: independently owned, still lagering for the traditional periods, and explicit that it does not pasteurise — which is exactly the variable the debate turns on.

Details

Reference beers

• Bernard Polotmavý ležák4.9% ABV

  A Czech half-dark lager, which is a category in its own right at home and almost unknown outside it.

• Bernard Sváteční ležák5% ABV

  An unpasteurised Czech premium pale lager from an independent brewery, and the useful control in the argument about what changed after 1989.

BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.

Styles it is associated with

• Czech premium pale lager — The original pale lager: rich bready malt, generous Saaz hopping and a rounded bitterness that soft Bohemian water makes possible.
• Czech amber lager — A Bohemian amber lager balancing caramel malt against Saaz hop character, sitting between the pale and dark Czech beers.

Traditions

• Bohemian pale lager brewing — The Czech pale lager tradition: exceptionally soft water, Saaz hops, floor-malted barley and multi-step decoction.