Březňák has a label that is actually more interesting than the beer itself.

Who, I wondered when I picked up the bottle was the jolly-looking man with the glass of beer, a cigar and a smug smile on his face staring out at me? He looks a bit like a cross between Swedish strongman Magnus Samuelsson and Winston Churchill with a beard and with shoulders so wide he probably had difficulty clapping his hands.

Turns out his name is Victor Cibich, or Mr Zippich when translated into German, who it is said used to work as a postman in the town of Velke Brezno where Březňák is brewed and agreed to put his face to the beer in return for 30 pints of free beer for the remainder of his life.*

Mr Zippich was a German-speaking Czech Jew which was somewhat ironic as the brewery was a well known supporter of the Nazi party during the Second World War when it proudly supplied beer to Rommel’s Afrikakorps.

So where were we? Oh yes…..the beer itself. Březňák is a bohemian pilsner style beer brewed with the typical Saaz hops of the region that gives it a very pleasant medium bitterness.

The malts are a little harsh and smell like a bowl of muesli but the beer is softened by the floral spiciness of the hops and a faint honey sweetness.

I always say as a general rule of thumb that any beer that comes out of the Czech Republic is worth pouring into your glass as this beer-loving nation insists on high standards when it comes to the quality of its brews.

After trying Březňák I’m still sticking to this rule. Worth a try and a solid beer to drink with shellfish and seafood.

(* If there are any breweries reading this that would like to have a similar arrangement you know where to contact me).

Březňák – a bohemian pilsner-style beer from Drinks Union in the Czech Republic

5.1% ABV

Article Number: 1611