Koutský 12° Světlý Ležák

re-rate: koutland might be a bit of a dump but i can’t help but keep going back for this stuff, often just with some PET bottles in hand which they dutifully fill. anyways, this gets better every time i drink it, so balanced, so bitter, an amazing splotchy head, the perfect beer, as far as i’m concerned. on tap at U Škodovky in pilsen. utterly still amber colour - looks like honey, big and frothy off-white head that refused to go away. fresh saaz aroma - grassy, faintly minty, hugely buttery texture reminiscent of krakonos, decent bitterness, lightly metallic but in a good way, classy stuff from a very exciting brewery

Draught at Koutland, Pilsen. Deep golden coloured. Rather big aroma with plenty of floral Saazer hops and freshly baked bread. Also some nice eggy notes in the background. The flavour is sweet and bready at first, then it becomes more and more hoppy. The hops never overpower the nice maltiness though. The finish is dry with a lingering hop bitterness. Chewy mouthfeel. Perfectly balanced. One of very few beers I could never get tired of. Truly a world class brew.

On tap (Koutland, Pilsen): Deep golden, extremely long-lasting, almost off-white head, full oaky-resinous hoppy nose with a solid sweet-malty background, full aromatic-bitter and sweet flavour, medium bodied, robust malty base, lingering hoppy finish, the umbels stick to the palate. Beautiful, the archtypal Bohemian Pilsener.......

My Bottom Line:
Herbal tangerine hoppiness swings its fresh hips to the delight of the honeyed hay which cannot help but join in the dance up close to create an immensely refreshing and snappy Světlý Ležák.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A trustworthy head of foam stays atop the translucent blond.
-The grassy, herbal hoppiness even recalls fresh dill at times.
-The hop bitterness is scrumptiously long but the malt knows how to keep it in check at all times.
-This is a tad more intense in its hoppiness than the usual Bohemian Pilsener, but it is by no means aggressive, nor is it an IPA version of the style.
-I feel privileged to have been able to spend an entire evening drinking pints of this, over and over and over. That’s a sign I liked it, right? ;)

On tap at Koutland, Plzen.

aroma: fresh malt, toasted malt, light hops, clean, crisp
appearance: golden-orange, small white head and lacing
flavor: toasted malt, roasted spiced apples, grains, wheat, oats, oranges, pineapple, grassiness
palate: smooth, malty, grain, light, roasted apples

Draught@Koutland, Plzen. Pretty much the perfect Bohemian Pilsner for me. Probably a touch more hoppy and floral than your average Bohemian, but just so well balanced and unbelievably more-ish. Some nice apricot fruit notes, grassy and as mentioned quite buttery (but not in a diacetyl-y sort of way). Finish is softly bitter, perfectly bitter, makes you want another sip and another. Wow.

On tap at Koutland, Plzen Czech Repuiblic with "the montelpogo". .3L A nice darker amber with some umnber tones. Lots of sticky whole veils of laving. Body is deep and sweet but somehow understated by the yeastyness and strong tones of whole hops. "I’m a like a leaf floating down the river enjoying myself with a gentle spice hop infusion" yeah...looking at my scribblings now is pretty funny but this was the 7th or 8th beer of the afternoon/evening and there was a fair ammount of walking to be considered. I thouroughly enjoyedthis kout beer, but wait....there’s more to come.....

Back from a Czech Republic pub-crawl this is part of my express ratings for the “typical” Světlý 11°- (Czech light Pils), Světlý 12°+ (Czech Pils), Polotmavý (Czech Amber Lagers) and Tmavý (Czech Black Lagers). Non-typical beers will receive personalized descriptions after the express ratings.
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How: Tap at Koutland, Pilsen, Czech Republic
The look: Clear golden body with a large white head
To me a typical Czech Světlý 12° and above is: Well malted body with plenty of biscuits and cereals. Sweetness level is in the light-medium range with some honey flavours and a light caramel presence (3/4 honey, 1/4 caramel). Fruity flavour limited to a light citrus flavour. Medium carbonation. Finish is dry and moderately bitter with a light citric touch. After-taste of dry grassy/herbal hops with a light dry spiciness character.
This one: As above, a typical 12° Světlý but with everything just done almost perfectly. As far as regular Světlý (non-oak barrel aged) this one was second only to the Svatý Norbert Velikonoční 13°. I went back a few times to Koutland to drink more of it just to make sure that it was so good (for the science)