Comparing Czech and Texas Beers
The Great Czech/Texas Beer Challenge
Fri., July 19, 1996
We thought it would be fun to compare beers from Czechoslovakia with beers made in Texas. In all fairness, the Czech breweries have centuries of tradition and experimentation behind them, while most Texas brewers have a few years of experience at best. Still, the Texas beers held their own very well in this very unscientific taste test. We matched five Czech beers with similar Texas brews, then threw in one wild-card Czech brew and America's top-seller for good measure.
The judges were Robb Walsh, Pat Earvolino, and Gerald E. McLeod with The Austin Chronicle, Michelle Breyer and Lori Hawkins with the Austin American-Statesman, and Lynne O'Connor, president of St. Patrick's Brewers Supply. The scores are averages of the six score sheets.
| Pilsner Urquell (CZ) Celis Golden | 3.0 2.7 | 3.3 1.8 | 8.8 6.8 | 3.0 2.0 | 18.2 13.3 | Great, hoppy, crisp, brilliant, the
definition of a Pils. --R. Walsh Gold color, spicy finish. -- L. O'Connor |
| Kosmos Lager (US) Vratislav Lager | 2.7 2.7 | 1.8 1.7 | 6.5 6.2 | 2.0 1.8 | 13.0 12.3 | Tangy, sassy, fresh, aggressive. -- M. Breyer Light sweetness, not bad, but not a lot of flavor. -- G.E. McLeod |
| Budweiser Budvar (CZ) Cowboy Lager Anheuser Budweiser | 2.8 2.5 0.5 | 2.8 1.7 0.3 | 8.5 5.0 3.3 | 2.5 1.2 0.8 |
16.7 10.3 4.8 | Dense head, wonderful flavor -- no
mistaking this with the American version. -- L. O'Connor No flavor. They're focusing on the label, not the brewing. -- L. Hawkins No comment. -- P. Earvolino |
| Zubr Premium (CZ) Poindexter Pils | 2.7 2.3 | 2.7 3.0 | 7.8 7.3 | 2.5 2.5 | 15.6 15.2 | Fruity, sweet, nutty, buttery. --
M.Breyer Perfumy nose, a good malty Pilsner. -- L. O'Connor |
| Bernard Polotmavepivo Sam Houston (US) | 2.7 2.3 | 2.5 2.2 | 7.5 6.7 | 2.5 2.2 | 15.2 13.3 | Malty, but not too sweet, nice
balance. -- R. Walsh Fruity, good clarity, amber color, very good flavor. -- G.E. McLeod |
| Lubkowicz (CZ)* | 2.0 | 2.8 | 8.8 | 2.5 | 16.0 | Very, very soft. -- P. Earvolino *Only four of the six judges scored this beer. |
1= Appearance (scale of 0-3) 2= Odor (scale of 0-4) 3= Taste (scale of 0-10) 4= Aftertaste (scale of 0-3) Total: scale of 0-20
Special thanks to
The Campaign to Protect the Czech Brewing Heritage, The Bitter End, and Waterloo Brewing for supplying the beer, and to Sam Castro at Threadgill's for helping with the tasting.
