Staropramen

Sometimes in life you have to just jump into something totally new and foreign for the fun of it. I was at the LCBO closest to my apartment this afternoon and their selection is pretty damn appalling. Currently they have a sign for Smoked Oatmeal Stout but none in stock - what a tease, eh? I would've been reviewing that beer instead of this one, but I already know that one rules, and I have never ever tried this beer - Staropramen! - but it has a cool name, don't you think? I basically walked though the limited selection and picked up a beer that looked very foreign and totally new to me but also didn't look super cheap - this runs you $2.20 a tall can. Not too bad.

I'm checking out the website for Staropramen and well... do you know how to speak Czech? I sure as hell don't. I figured out how to enter my date of birth to get me in here but I have no idea what any of this really means. From what I gather though this site is actually pretty cool and I'm assuming by Histoire and Portfolio means that you'll get a good explanation of the history and selection that Staropramen has to offer.

Good ol' wikipedia has a page on Staropramen Brewery though. So, this beer is a lager, which is what I assumed (and also what I am in the mood for after a weekend of drinking just Cascadian Dark Ale, 666 Devil's Pale Ale, Winter Ale, and Imperial Stout). The brewery also produces a dark lager, a red lager, and a pale lager. Maybe I will track those down if I like this? The wiki page also explains the History, which seems to be more about who bought out the company a bunch of times and no mention of recipe or anything like that. Weird.

The beer pours out light and yellow, like honey water. Lots of head! No real whiff as you dive in for a gulp. The taste itself is rather nice. Has that light almost fruity flavour, but I only taste that because I never drink lagers or light beers, so just forget I said that if you are a big lager fan. It starts smooth and light but ends on a more bitter note. Has an interesting effect. I'm not entirely floored by the flavour, but for a non-flooring beer it's actually rather pleasant and sophisticated.

After taking a bite of a tuna sandwich, the taste of the beer has not really changed for the better. It's almost not really a beer that compliments food well. Oh well.

75 % : Decent lager, better than I expected. Not great with food. If you're a lager fan, I think you'll find it fairly sophisticated as it demonstrates a good light taste that ends with a round bitter aftertaste. Staropramen!