the winds of memory

There is a notorious lack of Czech beer in this city.  Some of the beer stores even acknowledge it, saying the distributors aren't reliable and the beer that gets to Spain is about to expire when it arrives.  Still, sometimes they manage something.  La Birratorium got some Primátor and Bernard for July, which I skipped right over to check out.  Or "Czech" out.  Ha.  I only got one of each, since I can only carry so much beer when it's hot like this.

Appropriate towel today

First up is Bernard Černý Ležák (black lager).  There's a little nostalgia there, being a beer I remember sitting down with after ducking into a park restaurant/bar in the middle of a storm like a hurricane.  We snagged the last table and the couple who came in after us went back out rather than stand around like dorks.  A little sad for them, but in extreme situations it's first come, first serve.  It's not like it was raining acid, anyway.  Now, the bottle is quite a bit smaller than I remember the mug being, but we all know memories get exaggerated.  Even completely removed from reality.  That storm beer was real, though, I have photographic evidence!

This isn't it.  Screw you for poking into my private life.

The beer is toasty brown with a light fluffy head.  It has a sweet tangy smell, rather typical of central European beers, and a sweet milky taste.  There's no detectable bitterness, but there is a mildly smoky aftertaste.  It's a controlled and and steady flavor, one that's been honed by years and decades of practice, rendered perfect for every occasion.  The downpour of that day would be nice to have about now, but the wind...not so much.  We already have trees ready to come down around here.

Supplier: La Birratorium
Price: €2.15