Czech brewers are renowned for lager. They gave the world “golden” pilsner beer after bottom-fermenting yeast was believed to have evolved in their cool caves in the mid-19^th century. Otherwise, we’d all still be drinking ales, stout and porter.

   So Czech beer means lager, right? Well, the Primator range from one of the prime breweries in the republic, now on sale in Perth, turns that idea around with an English pale ale and a stout.

   Perhaps it would have been better advised to stick with what it does best, however. The most outstanding Primator beer among an eclectic selection imported by Perth’s Phoenix Beers is – as you’d expect – a lovely aromatic, dry, fruity pilsner. Apart from a German-style wheat ale, some of the Czech brews borrowed from other cultures didn’t rate too well in a tasting involving a top Australian brewer.

   The town of Náchod in the Czech Republic not only has a 14^th century castle but until last year owned Primator, the municipal brewery which started in 1873. It rapidly built up a portfolio of more than 30 beers, reflecting the demands of the townspeople. Even since changing ownership, it continues turning out a wide range of brews.

 While uses technologically advanced facilities, brewing adheres to classic, age-old standards. For instance, open fermenters have been replaced by vessels configured to produce the same characters.

  A word of caution: Some of the beers bear numbers ranging from 11 to 24, looking alarmingly like alcohol by volume percentages. But, as Last Drop Czech-born brewer Jan Bruckner explains, these refer to degrees Plato – the traditional measure of original gravity – rather than ABV. “In the Czech Republic, some people still ask for a glass of 13 or 16 at the bar, which is around the 4 per cent to 5 per cent alcohol beers we’re accustomed to in Australia,” he said.

  Primator beers are available at: The International Beer Shop, West Leederville; Beer Store, Morley; Mane Liquor, Bentley; Cellarbrations at Charlie’s, Morley; Cellarbrations, Hillarys; and The Windsor Hotel, South Perth.

THE BEERS

PRIMATOR LEZAK 11 (  PER CENT)

The pilsner is all you’d expect from the country of origin – almost. As well as typical Saaz noble hop influence on the nose, there’s a long, pleasantly tingly dry palate. The bitterness, however, is right at the lower end of this style’s range.

ENGLISH PALE ALE (5 PER CENT)

Use of authentic English hops imparts the correct earthy niff and flavour notes. But it’s no more than an   average quaffer.

STOUT (4.8 PER CENT)

Nice try, but no prize. Compared with Irish, British or some Australian stouts, it’s blunt and tarry.

WEIZENBIER (5 PER CENT)

The brewers must have accessed a customised German wheat-ale yeast to achieve such a spot-on result. Fragrant with estery, spicy fruit, the cloudy wheat beer hits the palate dry, refreshing and subtly flavoured.

PREMIUM DARK (4.8 PER CENT)

European-style dark lagers have a niche following in WA – home of Dogbolter – so this Czech example should please. It’s malt-driven, from the sweet nostril-tickle to the toffee-fruit finish, with just enough hop balance.

DOUBLE 24 (10.5 PER CENT)

This huge doppelbock – ie, extra strong lager – makes an ideal winter warmer. It pours like porter, firm beige head atop a dark brown, ruby-tinted inviting fluid. It exudes sweet malt aroma on a spirity base and drinks rich, mouth-coatingly complex with caramel and brandy-soaked fruit notes, warming like port yet clean at the finish.

GOLD GOES BROWN

Crown Gold lager has undergone two changes which master brewer John Cozens believes make it smoother and fuller-tasting. First change is the 375ml bottle. It remains the same shape and volume, but instead of being clear glass – always a no-no for choosy beer buffs – the bottle is now brown or “amber”. This allows the second change: proper hops can now be used.

   Full-strength Crown Lager always came in brown bottles since the first brew in 1919. Adding Australia’s own Pride of Ringwood hops to the kettle has been the hallmark of the Crown brand, but this was not possible with 3.5 per cent Gold over the past four years because of the treatment needed to stop the beer being spoiled by UV rays penetrating the clear glass.

 “Drinkers should expect Crown Gold to taste different – much better in our eyes – because it will offer a slightly hoppier flavour, a result of the Pride of Ringwood hops, with a more pronounced, refreshing bitterness on the palate,” Mr Cozens said.

 Crown Gold’s price remains the same, $14 per six-pack.

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Written by Vic Crossland

From Fresh, The West Australian, 12th August