Na Zdravi !: Dark (and handsome)

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

Dark (and handsome)

Old Kan Beer & Co. (Oakland, CA)

"Old Kan Dark is for the folks who love the mouthfeel and richness of beers made with roasted malts. It has a low alcohol content for sessionability, coupled with an assertive flavor and body to satisfy the most discerning beer drinkers."

Brand new brewery/pub in West Oakland. Opened March 2017. The dark is one of their 3 brews.
Another dark sessionable ale. Really enjoying this style.
Lots of roasted maltiness here. A little sweetness creeps in and it gets somewhat bitter at the finish.
Good ... very good.

4.5% ABV

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.