Královský Lev (Lev Lion Pale Double Bock)

Brewed by Mestansky Pivovar
Style: Bohemian Pilsener
Havlíčkův Brod, Czech Republic

Starts with a large white head that settles quickly. Highly carbonated. Aromas of hops and soil. Flavor is hops, malt, and earth and fruit in small quantities. One of the smoothest pils I have had, no bite at all. Sorry to see it is retired.

Retired? I guess Lev is history. Golden color with a malty aroma and a crisp bittersweet taste. Not a bad Bohemian pilsner, but guess it's no more.

Pale Golden, deep color with a little strawberry blondeness. Very thin head. Aroma is malty, with a sweet odor and caramel present. Flavor is smooth. Bitterness is up front. Finish is a tad watery, but very smooth. Exactly what I think of in a good czech beer (except for the watery part).

A nice floral saaz hop aroma. Apperance is a dark golden color. Flavor is very creamy with a slight bitter taste and a good amount of malt. This is a very good bohemian pilsner right there with Budvar. Im shocked to the see the low ratings and the fact this brewery is retired. Well hasta la vista Hradec Kralove you made a good pils!

Clean pale golden light yellow with a small foamy white head that reduces quickly, lace in minimal spots. Aroma is clean with a slight dry maltiness and some grains getting almost sweet. Taste is a bit better with a nice pale malt profile, which unfortunately doesn't stick around for very long. Light leafy hops create a very slight bite at the middle. Overall stays pretty crisp and clean with a slight drying bread crust-like finish. Feel is clean, soft, yet a bit crisp with a close to medium body and carbonation, but seems to be missing some malty body. Not a bad drinker, would probably be a nice quencher in warmer/hotter weather.

Odd beer that doesn't fit into any particluar catagory, much less a "pale double bock". Think of it as a malty Czech lager. Skunked aroma, syrupy musty apple/bready malt flavour, some noble hops but not enough to make it a pilsener. If this is retired then this is probably an old bottle, and, alas, I will never see a fresh one.

No head, sickly pale gold/urine color. Nose of green apple and faint skunk along with Elmer's Glue. Flavor is a vague wheatines along with a gloopy wallpaper-paste like doughiness. Little evidence of hops and quite prominent ethanol--quite an achievement for such a low octane beer.

We should all be thankful that retirement has come for this beer. Why is this labeled as a Bock? Pale yellow with a big white head-should be a pilsner. Too bad it's a bad example of one. Weak and stale with a distracting metallic flavor is not how I would like to be remembered. Hopefully this will not come out of retirement and die a quiet death.