Na Zdravi !: Azazel

Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Azazel

Mraz Brewing (El Dorado Hills, CA)

"Playing off an original recipe for a Belgian Blonde, we decided to slightly alter the grain build in order to darken this beer up a bit. This Belgian Single offers all the benefits of flavor that a traditional dark Belgian is known for, but has a much lighter body. Azazel’s delicate caramel, banana, and brown sugar sweetness is paired with that distinct and bold Belgian yeast finish. With such a crushable body, this beer is fit for almost any season."

Just about as local as I can get. The brewery is just 6 1/2 miles from home and yet this is first of their brews I've had.
Sweet, fruity, and a vague hint of caramel. Surprisingly light and extremely quaffable. I'd definitely hit this again.

ABV 7%

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.