A limited batch of special beer made from fresh hops is being already tapped

České Budějovice, 14th March 2018 – A historically sixth batch of special beer BUD STRONG has matured in Budweiser Budvar Brewery’s lager cellar after 180 days. The beer specialty was brewed on the 28th August last year using freshly harvested hop cones of Saaz “poloraný červeňák”. The hops were harvested only a few hours before on the “Splav” hop field in the cadastre of the hop-growing municipality of Blšany. Fresh hop cones rank amongst the rarest brewing ingredients, as they must be processed instantly after their harvest, therefore on the same day they were picked. For that reason they are only used infrequently in brewing Fresh hops supply the beer with a higher amount of aromatic substances and a rather more distinct, yet fine bitterness compared to dried hops. Budweiser Budvar belongs among the only three Czech breweries with the technology to brew beer solely hopped with fresh cones. The brewing house must be equipped with a so-called “hop strainer”, which can remove the extracted grains from the hopped wort at the end of the hop boiling. Breweries that brew beer from hop pellets or extracts do not have a “hop strainer”.

“For six years we've been using hops from the same hop field, so this year’s batch again celebrates the best hops in the world,” says Budweiser Budvar’s brewmaster Adam Brož. Yeasts at their best condition are added to the matured non-filtered BUD STRONG beer. “The brewers' yeasts highlight the experience of the limited specialty with its very fine yeast flavour, a typical aroma as well as a characteristic haze. The limited edition will only be supplied to selected restaurants that are capable of storing, treating and tapping the beer duly, thus making sure that the beer is served in an excellent condition,” explains Adam Brož. Non-filtered beer is very susceptible to contamination. Since the yeast deposits in the tapping system, it must be rinsed by water on a daily basis and thoroughly cleaned with an alkaline agent once a week. Moreover, the yeasts also tend to settle to the bottom of the barrel, which may cause different haze during tapping. Therefore, the barrel should be stored the neck down and turned only shortly before tapping. A higher storing temperature can greatly damage the flavour, too. BUD STRONG should thus be stored at 8-12 ° C.

The limited BUD STRONG edition has the gravity of 16° and 7.5% ABV. The beer is consumed from 0.3 litre goblets and supplied to the market in 20-litre kegs. The beer will be drawn in selected restaurants in the Czech Republic and eight other countries (Italy, Ireland, Germany, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and the UK).

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