Beerpedia

Sometimes it is hard to make up your mind on what to order. Beer or juice? Beer or liquor? Why not both? Or all three? This is where experimenting is definitely ok. The world of beer cocktails and fruit-infused beers offers an endless mix of possibilities. Beer brings various items to the cocktail table such as carbonization, bitterness, color, foam and so on. Depending on the other side of the equation beer can definitely upgrade a drink because it brings together many flavors that are not that pronounced in other liquids. Also there is a difference between simply mixing a cocktail with beer and brewing beer with added ingredients, most often fruit. The general rule (which can vary depending on the brewers intentions) when adding various non-traditional ingredients to beer is to be moderate and add the items later in the brewing process in order to keep the intended flavor intact.

Upgrading beer with various additions has a long history in many countries. In 18th century England Charles Dickens described a drink today known as Shandy as "an alliance between beer and pop". A recipe for a Shandy calls for mixing beer with fresh fruit juice, soda or ginger ale making it a nice summer refreshment for all those that look for some fruit in their refreshment but are unwilling to give up on beer. In France the same drink is called Panaché, and in Germany it is known as a Radler. British sailors and colonists used to drink Flip, a mix of beer, rum, sugar and eggs served hot. Mexicans love to bring together beer, lime juice, salt, soy sauce, Tabasco, chillies, tomato juice and ice creating a summer drink they call Michelada or just Chelada.

Staropramen itself has explored the area of brewing with various ingredients, most notably through its Cool and Sladkova Limonada series. The Cool series is an exploration of how various fruit juices work with beer. The trick here is to carefully pick the best fruit whose flavors go well with beer. Sladkova Limonada or Brewers Lemonade is especially interesting because it created a whole new category on the Czech market. It is a first malt-lemonade, 100% all natural and alcohol free. Sladkova Limonada is a refreshing drink that walks the fine line between beer and soft drinks bringing the original malt flavor forward and enriching it with fruit additions such as apple and black currant.

Beer itself is an exciting drink. Mixing it with other ingredients or brewing with them opens up loads of new adventurous opportunities. Never forget that brewing is a line of work that is all about exploring flavor possibilities. Embrace them!