For beer to be respected in Czechia, it has to taste great and be easy to drink. Drinkable is an adjective often used to describe a brew that will not overwhelm your taste buds after a couple of glasses. An exceptional Czech lager calls for another round because it is complex, well-balanced and refreshing.
Prague, as far as major cities go, is perfectly located to brew this kind of beer because top quality malt and hops can be found less than 100 kilometers from the city.
Moravia has rich soil and perfect weather to grow light, 2-row barley which is considered one of the finest brewing malts in the world. It gives beer a rich and soft, almost creamy character. How good is Moravian malt? Back in the 1930s, Coors used seeds from Moravia to grow its own barley.
Hops from Žatec, a famous hop growing region, play a huge role in brewing drinkable beer. Saaz, the region's most famous product, delivers a distinctively spicy character that helps balance the Moravian malt character.
Many brewers look at Prague water reports with envy. The water here is soft with low mineral content which makes it ideal to brew a crispy lager without thinking too much about treatment.
The trio of soft water, rich malt and spicy Žatec hops forms the foundation of brewing a drinkable beer. Having these three wonders of nature so close is every brewers dream. No wonder Czechs are such a thirsty and beer-appreciating nation!
