Chodovar - Skalni Lezak
Overview: Moving around the Czech Republic not only opens the country up, it introduces a whole new area of beers that might not necessarily be generally available. The Chodovar brewery is located in the West of the country, close to the German border, and the main Western Spa town of Karlovy Vary. The mad thing is that the brewery is located in the region of Plzen, if one great brewery wasn’t enough.
One of the four bottles I carted back home (the suitcase was heavy enough to start with) is Skalni Lezak
Tasting Notes: Skalni Lezek – 5%; dark, rich tan in colour; plenty of fizz which gives a fluffy, white head to the beer (even when you try not to), run the beer through the mouth and you get an effervescent taste; It has a rich taste, not too strong, but rich enough to let you know that you are drinking something worth drinking.
Overall: There are three types of malt used in the brewing process and the breweries own water (I assume it is spring water and not collected from all the rainfall). Actually, its quite a good beer, reminds me of Grolsch, but in a better way – maybe its because of the same style of bottle used. I would not want to drink too many in one go, so I would recommend as a single drink beer.
It looks like if you visit the brewery you can bathe in beer as a Spa treatment, I’d prefer to drink mine.
Not a bad beer, but not a great beer. It is drinkable but not all the time.
Where to find: Nowhere in Prague that I am aware of. I found this in one of the many convenience stores in the spa town of Marianske Lazne
Website: Chodovar
Posted by Filosofo Cervecero on 18 Dec 2007 at 21:38
You can find it in Prague, the carry it at Pivovarský Klub. If you go one day, and they don’t happen to have it, let them know, go again and you will find it there.
Anyway, I found this beer rather boring when bottled, more interesting at the brewery (and yes, they use their own source of mineral waters which they also sell).
Actually, I think all beers from Chodovar are rather boring, not bad, they use good quality ingredients and process (the brewery has their own maltings and they still use open fermenters). The one i liked the most bottled was their 13°.