Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Draught. I had this Easter special lager at the brewery outdoor restaurant at the beautiful Strahov Klaster (monastery) in Prague. Beer was served too cold, but improves as it warms up. Cloudy golden to amber colour, large creamy head. Slightly yeasty aroma, some malts, hops and caramel too. Decent flavour, nice hoppy bitter finish.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

Draught at the brewpub/restaurant at the monastery. Dark brown, nearly black colour. Thick creamy head. Aroma of roasted malts, some leather, hints of treacle. Solid flavour of roasted malts and coffee, notes of dark bitter chocolate. Reminds me of a Baltic porter. Dry bitter aftertaste from the roastiness and hops. A very good beer - good enough to make me go back the next day for more! By the way - the brewery restaurant serves decent food too.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Draught at the brewpub. I also brought back a bottle of this beer and the Cerny/Tmavé which was unavailable on tap while we were there. (The bottled beers were sold in pairs, at an outrageous price by Czech standards - in Norway ALL beer prices are outrageous, so I didn’t mind.) The svetlé is an unfiltered pilsener, golden colour, slightly hazy, moderate head. Moderate hops aroma. Flavour has a herbal character and a dry bitter finish, which makes this beer a lot better than (most) industrial pilseners / pale lagers.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

500 ml swingtop bottle, bought at the brewpub. Colour of this unfiltered and unpasteurised beer is hazy reddish brown. Pours with an enormous light tan head, which soon diminishes. Aroma is very malty (typical dunkel) with caramel and hints of oak and yeast. Quite flavourful for a beer this low ABV, plenty of malts and toffee, but low on hops. Smooth and easy drinking. The bottles were overpriced by Czech standards, but a Norwegian won’t mind!

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Dark reddish brown to ruby colour, large & thick tan head. Aroma is surprisingly moderate: some malts, porridge, hints of roastiness, caramel. Flavour is more impressive: an immediate malty sweetness hits the tongue, followed by a pronounced roastiness with coffee elements. A robust & warming mouthfeel, alcohol is evident but not unpleasant. Roasted malts and quite a bit of hoppy bitterness in the aftertaste. Not bad.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

330 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Hazy dark reddish brown colour, enormous tan head. Lovely complex aroma of fruits, oak, leather and spices. Flavour is surprisingly bitter - hops of course, but also dead yeast cells? Leaves a not entirely pleasant bitter aftertaste on the back of my tongue. Elements of oak, caramel, toffee and spices. Warming mouthfeel, as expected. I much preferred the Rochefort 10 to this one.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

500 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Label says " Herold hefeweizen Bohemian Wheat Lager Kvasnicové psenícné pivo - kvasnícový svetlý lezák 12 degrees plato unfiltered blond lager ABV 5.1%". So is this a "real" hefeweizen (which I thought were technically ales?), or is it a wheat lager with hefeweizen yeast added in the bottle? Or am I asking stupid questions? Anyway, the beer is "murky golden" with a large to moderate head. Aroma is fairly sweet and fruity (blackberries/brambles, blackcurrants?) with hints of sheepshed and old leather. Lagerish elements. Some cloves too, but not as strong as with most German hefeweizens. Flavour is a strange combination of a typical premium lager and a typical hefeweizen. Moderately spicy. Dusty finish. Not bad.

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 9 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

375 ml corked bottle, champagne style, bought in Prague. Label says: P.H. Wandenstock Belle-Vue Kriek Lambic. ABV is 5.1%. Brewed by Interbrew Belgium, distributed in the Czech Republic by Staropramen. Beautiful red colour, large pink foamy head. Lovely aroma of sour cherries. Flavour is of course sour cherries too, initially sweet, with a hint of hops. Not very complex, and the finish is surprisingly short.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 9

500 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Label says Herold Bohemian Black Lager, tmavý speciál, 13 degrees plato, Schwarzbier, ABV 5.2%. Very dark reddish brown colour, nearly black, deep ruby when held to the light. Moderate tan head. Excellent aroma of roasted malts, tar, leather and tobacco. Flavour of roastiness, notes of dark chocolate and liquorice, well balanced with the hops, not particularly sweet. Mouthfeel a bit too thin to deserve a straight "10", still a very good beer. Recommended!

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 8

500 ml bottle, bought at Pivni Galerie, Prague. Label info: Herold Bohemian Golden Lager, Svetlý Lezák, 12 degrees plato, Pilsenerbier, ABV 5.1%. Golden colour, large head that doesn’t last long, little lacing. Lovely hoppy aroma, flowers (incl. heather flowers), honey and a hint of oak. Flavour is hoppy bitterness from start to finish, long bitter aftertaste. Moderate carbonation. A good pilsener, but not quite as good as Svijansky Rytír Bitter.