ONE month to go for the FIRST BREWVENTURE!
Hello everyone! Time really flies. Back in November last year, I made a post about what would be BREWVENTURE#1. Almost three months have passed, and yesterday we entered the final countdown since there's now less than a month left before we take off on this first BREWVENTURE. For those of you who don’t even remember, let me refresh your memory. The first Brewventure will be a beer trip that will pass through the cities of Prague, Pilsen, Nuremberg, Bamberg, and Romrod. If these cities don’t mean much to you, here’s a quick summary. Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and needs no introduction, as Czechs are the highest beer consumers per capita in the world. Pilsen is the birthplace of pale Lager beers—it was there that Josef Groll created Pilsner Urquell, and to this day, we can taste and visit the original facilities of the very first "Pilsner." Moving on to Germany, Nuremberg and Bamberg are closely linked to the tradition of rye and smoked beers, respectively—Rotbiers and Rauchbiers, which are some of my personal favorite styles. As for Romrod, I must confess I don’t know any fun facts about it, but that’s where I’ll be taking my first BJCP judge exam, in a medieval castle, during a German homebrewers' convention—can it get any more beer-related than that?
Yes, it can. What else can I say about this trip? I’m literally going to bathe in beer, drink Pilsner Urquell made using the traditional method straight from the barrel, participate in a tasting of a historical beer style called "Piwo Grodziskie," and, of course, go on daily tours in search of the best bars and beers! I’ll also attempt to match the Czech per capita beer consumption—how much is that, you ask? Not even that much! In 2021, the Czechs drank 140.12 liters per person (even children are counted, and hopefully, they drink zero liters—think about that!). If we divide that by 12 months, that’s about 11.68 liters per month. With four weeks per month, that’s about 3 liters per week. Finally, dividing by seven days a week, that’s barely anything—just like a pint per day. Sorry, but I’ll have to help the Czechs push that statistic up, probably drinking for at least four or five kids, haha!
From my perspective, besides taking the BJCP exam, there are two very special moments on this trip: visiting the Pilsner Urquell brewery and tasting the historical beer style "Piwo Grodziskie." Now, about Pilsner Urquell—you might be thinking, "Big deal, visiting a brewery, I’ve been to plenty." But hold on, this isn’t just a brewery, it’s THE brewery. The beer style we now call "Pilsner" was the precursor and influenced the most sold beers in the world today. And Pilsner Urquell is nothing less than the first-ever beer of this kind, as I mentioned in previou POST. What makes visiting the Pilsner Urquell brewery different from others is that they have preserved the original facilities, allowing us to take a trip back in time and drink the closest possible version of the original 1842 "Pilsner." What’s fantastic about this is that it not only lets beer nerds like me marvel at the process and taste this nectar, but it also provides the brewery with a benchmark when introducing modern innovations. In other words, while they have an advanced, automated production facility, any modernization is always compared to the beer made using the old traditional method to ensure the taste remains as close as possible to the original. Many of the beers we drink today have undergone modernizations that changed them significantly. Pilsner Urquell’s dedication to maintaining its flavor and sensory identity is what truly sets it apart from many other breweries.
Now, onto the second highlight I’m really excited about—the tasting of "Piwo Grodziskie." This style is even cataloged in the BJCP style guide as a historical beer. It originates from Poland, specifically the city of Grodzisk. The brewing process is quite complex, longer than usual, and involves using smoked wheat malt. This smoked wheat malt gives a less intense smokiness compared to the barley malts used in Rauchbiers, which tend to have a strong bacon-like aroma and flavor. Instead, the smokiness is milder and pairs well with the beer’s light, refreshing character, which also has a low alcohol content (2.5 to 3.3%). This is one of those styles that had disappeared but, thanks to historical records and the curiosity of beer lovers like me, has been revived. The tasting will be led by the Polish Association of Craft Brewers. They promess to start with the classic example produced by "Grodzisk Brewery," followed by more artisanal examples and some style variations. They will also talk about the brewing process and give tips on producing this style. I’m salivating!
Now, it’s just a matter of counting the days. I’ll start planning and booking all the visits I want to make. I also found out that there’s a Beer Tour in Nuremberg, and I’m particularly interested in beer tours (You wonder why? 🫢🫣). So get ready—these will be days of deep immersion in beer culture, promising plenty of great material to share here. If you have any tips for any of these cities, I’m open to suggestions! If not, buckle up—it won’t be long now! 🍻
