Na Zdravi !: Downtown Brown Ale

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Downtown Brown Ale

"Smooth and full-bodied, it’s our signature brown ale, and it’s perfect for anyone who enjoys a beer that’s dark in color without the heaviness of a porter or stout. For such a sophisticated blend, the taste is surprisingly simple. It’s lightly hopped and features chocolate and caramel malts imported from Jolly ol’ England."

Toasty malt, sweet (almost too sweet) nuttiness.
Very drinkable and completely unremarkable ... but it is so not an IPA which was exactly what I was looking for.

5.0% Abv, 14 IBU

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.