After more than 200 days, a historically second special batch of BUD Premier Select Non-Filtered Limited Edition has matured in Budweiser Budvar Brewery’s lager cellar. The beer specialty was brewed in the early evening of 3rd September last year using 360 kg of freshly harvested hop cones of Saaz “Žatecký poloraný červeňák”. The hops had been grown on the “Splav“ hop field, which belongs to the famous locality of “Golden Stream Valley” (“Údolí Zlatého potoka”) 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, with Budweiser Budvar probably being the only bigger Czech brewery that made beer using fresh hops last year.
“Pouring aromatic hop cones of freshly harvested Saaz ‘Žatecký poloraný červeňák’ indeed glorifies this unique ingredient, which our brewery uses in a dried form in 100% of the ration for all Budweiser Budvar beers. Our last year’s experience convinced us that Saaz “Žatecký poloraný červeňák” makes the beer extraordinarily easy to drink, even in the case of a strong special beer,” says Budweiser Budvar’s brewmaster Adam Brož, Ph.D.
The limited BUD edition has a volume of a mere 400 hectolitres, with the gravity of 16° and 7.6% ABV. The beer is consumed from 0.3 litre goblets. Some experience, responsibility and maturity is essential to drink it, therefore the producer recommends that only individuals older than 21 should consume it, as they are capable of really savouring this extraordinary beer.
Yeasts at their best condition are added into mature non-filtered BUD beer just before racking. “With its very mild yeast flavour, a typical aroma and a characteristic haze the brewing yeasts underline the experience of drinking a limited special. This limited edition is again going to be supplied only to selected restaurants, where we can be sure that the beer will be duly stored, treated and drawn along with the correct sanitation of the tapping equipment,” explains Adam Brož. The non-filtered beer is very susceptible to contamination. Since the yeasts settle in the tapping system, the equipment must be daily rinsed with water and once a week thoroughly cleaned with an alkaline detergent. Additionally, the yeasts also tend to settle at the bottom of the barrel, which can result in a different haze during tapping. Therefore the barrel should be stored upside down and turned just before tapping. A higher temperature during storing can as well spoil the flavour. For that reason BUD beer must be stored at a range of 8-12 °C.
BUD Premier Select Non-Filtered Limited Edition is only supplied in 20-litre barrels. Since 1st April this extraordinary beer has been drawn in selected restaurants in the Czech Republic, as well as Slovakia, Germany and Great Britain. The list of restaurants in the Czech Republic can be found HERE.
Last year’s limited edition of BUD Premier Select was very successful, having captured even the professional public. The professional monthly “Pivo, Bier & Ale” awarded it the “Best Limited Edition Sold in 2013.”