Czechvar

Czechvar

This "Bud" Is For Czech People

“Budweiser,” in America, is a brand of beer, but in Europe it's a name for a type of beer. When Czech immigrants brought this type of beer to the United States, they watered it down (sadly) for the American market, but brewers in their Czech homeland continued to make the original Budweiser in the traditional way.

One of these brewers still does so under the brand name of “Budweiser Budvar,” but they're not allowed to use that name in America because it's trademarked. So the same beer is marketed as “Czechvar” in the United States, with a logo and product description designed to send the subtle message that Czechvar is the “real” Budweiser.

 

I prefer ales to lagers, and beers with rich and complex flavors to beers that just go down the gullet smooth and easy. So I may not be the best judge of Czechvar in the first place, but here's my opinion for what it's worth.

 

It tastes something like American Budweiser. It's better than American Budweiser. It's still kind of boring. Why is that? Because lagers in this style don't emphasize the flavor, they emphasize the golden foamy refreshingness of their beer. The whole point of this kind of lager is to be smooth and drinkable. I happen to like beers that have more to say to me than that, so it's not my kind of beer. But if you like that kind of beer, it's worth a try, if only to see what Budweiser is supposed to taste like.