Beers from the Měšťanský Pivovar — or Burghers’ Brewery — in the Czech town of Havličkův Brod are usually known by the brand name of Rebel. In this country, when it is thought of at all, Rebel is considered a better-than-average medium-size brewery, winning an award in Žatec in 2008 as the “brewery of the year” among producers under 100,000 hectoliters. Abroad, Rebel is one of the few Czech lagers to make it to the United States, along with other low-profile brewers like Nová Paka, sold under the Brouček / BrouCzech label.

However, it’s doubtful if most Americans — or even many Czechs — are aware of Rebel’s under-promoted Christmas beer, the very nice Rebel Sváteční speciál.

Like many other Czech holiday specials, Rebel Sváteční speciál is a pale lager brewed at 14° on the Plato / Balling scale. But it is a step ahead of similar holiday beers from Krakonoš and Poutník, and it makes a nice contrast to the similar, but stronger and more hop-infused Vánoční speciál from Janáček.

The label lists water, barley malt, hop products, sugar and antioxidant ascorbic acid — meaning E300 — as ingredients. While Janáček’s version comes in with 6% alcohol, the Rebel holiday beer claims just 5.4%. If both are truly brewed at 14°, you would expect the Rebel version to be fuller in the mouth and sweeter, having much more residual sugar.

Rebel Sváteční speciál pours a deeper shade of gold than many beers with more alcohol. It has a loose white head of minimal duration. In the nose there are notes of whole grains with a touch of honey, a müsli-like, slightly earthy aroma. In the mouth, there’s a bit of malt sugar, but well-balanced by the bitterness; it has a surprisingly minty aroma-hop finish. Unlike the Krakonoš and Poutník beers, there’s only a very moderate amount of diacetyl: no vanilla, and just a touch of butterscotch.

Among Czech Christmas beers in bottles, this one ranks as a keeper with Janáček Vánoční speciál. As expected, it is a bit chewier than Janáček, showing off the sweet flip side of the Czech pale lager coin, a constant balance between aromatic hoppy bitterness and a malty, sugary body. I’d generally prefer the 17° Sváteční speciál from Opat, aka Pivovar Broumov, or the wonderful Svatý Norbert speciální polotmavé vánoční pivo, brewed this year at 19.5° — a rich, bitter and sweet Czech Doppelbock which beautifully masks its 8% alcohol — at Prague’s Klášterní pivovar Strahov.

But it is Christmas Day, and Rebel Sváteční speciál is what I am drinking with my lunch.

Perhaps most typical of the style are the Vánoční speciál from Pivovar Krakonoš and the Speciál 14% from Pivovar Poutník in Pelhřimov.

Brewed at 14°, the Krakonoš Vánoční speciál has a very moderate 5.8% alcohol (“moderate” considering this is meant to be a winter warmer). The winter-themed label features the Krakonoš giant, the spirit of the Krkonoše, or Giant Mountains, with the number 14 prominently displayed above the brewery’s foundation year of 1582. The label lists water, barley malt, sugar, hops and hop extract as ingredients.

It pours a clear pale gold with a loose white head that fades quite quickly. It has much more carbonation than many Czech lagers and is more than slightly fizzy. It has a nose of grain with a touch of raw corn and honey. In the mouth, there is a sweet, malty kick-start with some light vanilla notes rounding out into a full, buttery mouthfeel and finishing with more than a hint of butterscotch.

It’s very similar to the Speciál 14% from Pivovar Poutník in Pelhřimov, which also has 5.8% alcohol and which also lists sugar as its third ingredient, though unlike Krakonoš, the Poutník beer specifies the use of Saaz hops on the label. In the glass it is a clear light gold with an inconsequential white foam of no duration, and has a fine, fizzy, champagne-like carbonation. The bouquet is of sugar and vanilla with some fruitiness. It has a thin body with a burst of sweetness, some notes of hard candy and tutti-frutti followed by a slightly medicinal finish.

These two beers are probably not for everyone: hardcore beer fans might criticize them for not being interesting or flavorful enough, while Gambrinus drinkers would fault them for being too filling. Regardless, both are fairly typical holiday brews in these parts.

Or perhaps they were typical holiday offerings: today, more and more Czech brewers seem to be making more flavorful brews for the holidays. Much like the Opat and Strahov versions, Pivovar Bašta in Prague is offering a pair of tmavý (dark) and polotmavý (half-dark) Christmas beers brewed at 15°; other small brewers such as Milan Rambousek have produced wonderful strong dark Christmas beers.

We’ll be tasting a bunch of the best this Thursday, December 18, at the Czech Beer Academy’s Christmas beer tasting (RSVP at tel. +420 233 088 612 or via e-mail at moprg-pr@mohg.com). And even more should show up at this weekend’s Christmas Beer Markets, a can’t-miss event for lovers of real beer.

Pivovar Broumov — aka Opat — is one of the country’s most interesting small breweries, regularly making an appearance at the Czech Beer Academy’s beer tastings with their “extra-hopped” medium-bodied beer, Opat Bitter extra-chmelené, one of the most aromatic pale lagers in the country. Other noteworthy models from Opat include beers flavored with honey and a new arrival made with coriander.

But this time of year is for Opat’s great Christmas brew: the 17° Sváteční speciál. Among Czech holiday beers in bottles, this one stands out.

In part, the Opat — or Abbot — has a much higher profile because it’s one of the stronger such brews, brewed at 17° Plato / Balling and bearing 6.6% alcohol, rather than the typical 14° Plato and 6%. However, it carries its higher payload quite subtly.

There’s actually quite a bit of subtlety going on: it pours a beautiful light amber with a loose, creamy head (and describes itself as a polotmavý, or half-dark). At refrigerator temps, the nose is rather attenuated; at cellar temperature and higher, the bouquet starts to open up with hints of vanilla, pie spices and stewed fruits. In Czech food terms, it smells just like povidlová buchta with a rich vanilla cream sauce. Ask your babička.

The mouthfeel is only slightly chewy; the carbonation is minimal. There are more vanilla and spice notes in the mouth, as well as serious hints of honey and caramel. (The beer is not brewed with spices, however: it just tastes that way.) The sweet initial flavors are followed by a pleasant astringence and a lasting aroma of Saaz hops.

Opat 17° Sváteční speciál is a minor classic: perhaps not something you’d need to drink every day, but certainly something you wouldn’t want to miss over the holiday season. Though it has dessertlike aromas and flavors, those would really disappear when paired with a sugary holiday sweet, instead highlighting the beer’s innate bitterness. Instead, I’d consider pairing this with a creamy soup or a moderately sweet cream sauce like svičková to play off the difference in mouthfeel and the beer’s peppery hop notes.

Whatever you eat with it, do so while you can: I found my bottle at Pivovarský klub, and they also carry it at several Opat outlets in Prague and around the country. The sign outside the new Vinný ráj (Za Poříčskou branou 11, Praha 8; just steps from metro Florenc and one block from Pivovarský klub), says that it is currently available in bottles, with the lovely Bitter extra-chmelené on draft.

Have pity on your local beer writer at Christmas: tracking down Czech Christmas brews can be an arduous and confusing task. Many breweries — even great Czech micro and regional breweries like Chodovar and Regent — simply put holiday-themed labels on their regular products and then call them Christmas beers. Other breweries — like Bernard in the case of their Sváteční ležák — have had formerly seasonal holiday beers turn into year-round offerings.

But real Christmas beers — the seasonal, limited-edition winter brews called vánoční (“Christmas”) or sváteční (“holiday”) — do exist in the Czech lands. And they’re just now starting to appear at pubs, supermarkets and beer stores near you.

Often brewed around 14° Plato (or Balling), many Czech holiday and Christmas beers are usually just a bit stronger in alcohol than the country’s regular premium beers, which generally weigh in around 5%. (Many Czech holiday beers, of course, can be much stronger.) Virtually all of the Czech versions are lagers, roughly equivalent to Germany’s Bock and Doppelbock beers, and they often veer towards the sweet rather than the bitter side of the street.

One of the first I’ve seen so far — on sale in Prague at Pivní Galerie — was the Vánoční speciál from Pivovar Janáček, which was said to be an excellent beer in 2007. Brewed at 14° Plato, this year’s version is similar to the brewery’s oft-lovely Comenius strong pale lager. Just like Comenius, the Vánoční speciál has 6% alcohol, though it seems to pour a much deeper color than Comenius, amber rather than gold, with a loose white head.

The nose has notes of rich malt and a slight spice touch hinting at cloves. In the mouth, there’s a nice sugary bite and a touch of whole-grain bread followed by fresh hop flavors. The body is slightly thin for a special lager, but the higher amount of alcohol is perfectly in balance. The beer finishes with a prickly, peppery bite of Saaz hops, making it perhaps a good pairing for a roast or other rich holiday meals. Not at all overstated, Janáček’s Vánoční speciál is still quite a nice little beer, definitely living up to its reputation, and something you could easily have more than one of on a celebratory holiday eve.

Over the next few weeks I’ll write about more Czech holiday and Christmas beers, including the Opat 17° from Pivovar Broumov, the Speciál 14° from Pivovar Poutník and the Vánoční speciál from Krakonoš. And on Thursday, December 18, I’ll host a beer tasting featuring Czech holiday beers at Essensia, inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, as part of their Czech Beer Academy. (The cost is 1,150 Kč; the tasting and seminar includes the restaurant’s excellent Asian cuisine and should last about three hours. For reservations, contact the hotel at Tel. +420 233 088 612 or via e-mail at moprg-pr@mohg.com.)

Yeah, it’s a tough job tracking down these rare, seasonal brews that are, I’m sure, never even heard of outside the Czech Republic. But someone’s got to do it.

One of the big events of the December beer calendar in Prague is the arrival of the “Svatý Norbert speciální polotmavé vánoční pivo” at Klášterní pivovar Strahov, the brewpub on the Strahov Monastery grounds near Prague Castle. Also known as “Saint Norbert special half-dark Christmas beer,” this strong lager shows up every year on December 5.

But before the beer’s official arrival on Friday, things kicks off in true holiday spirit with a “Christmas Beer Mass” taking place inside the brewpub the evening before.

Described as the “Festive Sanctification of St. Norbert Christmas Beer,” the holiday choral concert starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 4, with a “Beer Mass” interpretation of the traditional “Hej Mistře” Czech Christmas mass by J.J. Ryba.

The “Beer Mass” will be performed by Collegium Strahoviense, the Strahov Temple Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Vladimír Roubal.

Tickets for the beer mass, available at the brewpub, are 300 Kč and include beer.

Speaking of which, the Christmas special from Strahov is a renowned brew. Unfortunately, it doesn’t easily fit into categories or beer styles that are particularly well-known abroad: the brewery says it is akin to a Doppelbock, though this beer is often far hoppier than most Doppelbocks. Brewed with Pilsner, Munich, Caramel and Carapils malts, I believe it is also a deeper amber color than most of the Doppelbocks at Starkbierzeit.

However, it perfectly fits into the Czech beer category of “vánoční” or Christmas beers, and it’s easily one of the most interesting such brews in the country. Max Bahnson has a good description of last year’s version over at Pivní Filosof.

Listed on the brewery’s website at 19° Plato / Balling and 7.7% alcohol, I got the impression from brewmaster Martin Matuška that this year’s version was actually brewed a touch stronger. Unfortunately, I won’t make the concert myself, as I’m hosting a private beer tasting at the same time. But if you’re interested in holiday cheer and great beer, the Czech beer mass at Klášterní Pivovar Strahov could be something for you.

You might even call it a religious experience.

Christmas Beer Mass
When: 6 p.m., Thursday, December 4, 2008
Where: Klášterní Pivovar Strahov, Strahovské nádvoří 301, Prague 1 (Tram 22 or 23 to Pohořelec)
Tel: +420 233 353 155
Cost: 300 Kč

Last year saw the inauguration of Prague’s Christmas Beer Markets (Vánoční pivní trhy), much like the Christmas markets that appear all around Europe at this time of year, only with a serious malt-and-hops theme. Taking place in a vast pavilion at Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition grounds, the first edition featured craft and specialty beers from around the Czech Republic, as well as brews from Slovakia’s Kaltenecker.

This year, the Christmas Beer Markets will return in a more refined locale: inside Prague’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which will host the 2008 Christmas Beer Markets on December 20, 21 and 22.

The final details are still being set, but the early outline for this year’s festival sounds terrific.

From the announcement at Pivnidenik.cz:

The 2008 Christmas Beer Markets will take place at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Nebovidská 1, Prague 1—Malá Strana; tram 12, 20 or 22 to Hellichova) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, December 20–22.

There are two four-hour sessions on each day: from 13–17 and 18–22.

Entry will be limited to 300 participants at each session.

The entry fee for each session is 150 Kč and includes a commemorative .3-liter glass and a beer.

The entry fee for the whole day — two sessions — costs 250 Kč.

Entry to all sessions over all three days costs 500 Kč.

Tickets can be purchased at the hotel or at selected beer-friendly pubs in Prague: První pivní tramway, Zlý časy, Obžérství and Tlustá koala.

The final beer list is not yet set, but it will include specialty and Christmas brews from around the Czech Republic, as well as rarities from Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Slovakia.

To accompany the great beers, the Mandarin Oriental will also offer its outstanding classic Czech cuisine, Asian dishes, selections of cheeses and desserts.

In addition, the Christmas Beer Markets should include exhibits on homebrewing, beer festivals, and foreign breweries, as well as beer tastings and presentations on beer and gastronomy.

Beers at the Christmas Beer Markets will be both bottled and on tap. Guests will be able to buy bottled specialties to take home.

This is realy taking things up a notch from last year’s Christmas Beer Markets, not least in terms of the location: the Mandarin Oriental is a very special place, composed of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture and newer additions, with its luxurious day spa housed in a former 14th century monastery. The wine cellar where we have our regular beer tastings and seminars as part of the hotel’s Czech Beer Academy is one of the prettiest and most atmospheric such spots in Prague, and the hotel’s Essensia restaurant serves some of the best Asian cooking in the country.

For most of us, this will be a rare chance to step into a refined world.

More details to follow soon. Mark your calendars now.

If you missed the Prague Christmas Beer Markets, you missed out on more than just outstanding brews — you also didn’t hear the news. For starters, there was the announcement of the forthcoming brewery at the eastern edge of Ústecký kraj, north of Prague and very near the German and Polish borders. Set to take off in early 2008, Pivovar Kocour Varnsdorf will brew classic Czech lagers as well as several top-fermenting beers, including an English pale ale, an IPA and a Rauchweizen.

This marks the arrival of more than just another outstanding Czech microbrewery (and no, it’s not a brewpub — these beers should actually be distributed well beyond where they’re made, at least in kegs). Continuing the ever-greater variety in Czech brewing, Kocour is in the possession of several oak casks from Hungary and is planning to age some of its beers in wood, reminiscent of U Medvídků’s excellent oak-aged lagers and the popular oaked ales from Innis & Gunn.

The market also featured a début from the new Pivovar Hradec Králové: the outstanding Patriot kvasnicový ležák (4.6%), a picture-perfect yeast beer — light gold with extremely mild carbonation and a creamy, smooth mouthfeel and notes of vanilla and grassy hops in the finish. For the time being, Patriot appears to be brewed at Pivovar Žamberk, though in the near future it should (hopefully?) move back to its hometown in a new location. The town’s former brewery, long closed, has been recently reconstructed, reappearing as a set of modern flats and offices.

Ironically, that old brewery building is also the new site for Hradec Králové’s Pivovar Rambousek, the maker of a heart-stopping, half-dark, chestnut-honey lager that defies description in anything but the language of angels. In case you missed the earlier news, consider yourself ahead of the curve on this one: Rambousek’s web page says they look forward to welcoming guests in 2008.

The Czech Republic is home to a whole bundle of brews from specific places: known quantities like Pilsner Urquell (from the West Bohemian town of Plzeň) and Budějovický Budvar (from České Budějovice), as well as rarer birds like Žamberk’s fantastic Žamberecký Kanec, Pardubice’s Pardubický Porter, Velichov’s impossible-to-find (but oh-so-worth-it) Velichovský Forman, along with about 500 other truly outstanding local faves. But in the midst of this very rich beer culture, what we don’t have are many brews that are specific to a certain time of year. One of the few exceptions is showing up right about now: Vánoční piva, or Christmas beers.

Occasionally called sváteční piva (holiday beers), Christmas beers are brewed at higher gravities than standard Czech lagers, generally starting at 13° and heading north fast, resulting in slightly (or much) higher alcohol than normal. (It’s cold here, people — we need something to get the blood going.) Unfortunately, these are almost always limited editions and can be very difficult to find, either on tap or in bottles.

But just this weekend, the Vánoční pivní trhy (Christmas Beer Markets) takes place at Prague’s Výstaviště exhibition grounds, serving about a dozen of these unique winter warmers, as well as a one-off special created especially for the festival.

Taking place Friday through Sunday, December 14-16, the Christmas Beer Markets are set to include tastings, seminars on food and beer pairings, a commemorative tasting glass from Sahm, as well as the release of Old Ale, a top-fermented Czech brew with 8.2% ABV. The Old Ale has been brewed especially for the Christmas Beer Markets at Minipivovar Žamberk using a recipe from Jan Šuráň of Pivovarský dům and a blend of eight yeasts selected by David Bryant of Colorado’s Brewing Science Institute. (This is only one of several Czech-American co-productions that have been showing up lately, but more on that another time.)

The hours for the festival are Friday 13-19h, Saturday and Sunday 10-19h. Entry is 25 Kč (about $1.50, or just under €1), with an extra 50 Kč for the Sahm tasting glass. It’s certainly not hard to find: Výstaviště is the very large exhibition grounds in Praha 7-Holešovice, a massive Secession building next to the even-more-massive T-Mobile Arena. It has its own tram stop (“Výstaviště”) and is served by the 5, 12, 14, 15 and 17 trams. If you catch a 17 tram at Staroměstská (direction Sídliště Ďáblice), you’ll be there in about 10 minutes.

The growth of Christmas beers is a welcome addition to our local beer culture: it wasn’t long ago when most brewers here just added a Christmas label to their regular beers without changing the recipe in the slightest. Recently, however, it’s become a time for breweries to show off what they can do with a touch more alcohol and stronger flavors. For example, the Christmas beer currently on draft at Prague’s Klášterní pivovar Strahov is brewed at 19° and ends up with 7.7% alcohol. According to my colleague Max Bahnson, el Filosofo Cervecero, it’s a rich amber in color and is amazingly hoppy in the finish.

By way of contrast, this year’s Vánoční special from West Bohemia’s Chodovar is brewed at 13° and ends up with 5.1% alcohol. It’s a clear deep gold with very mild carbonation, a malty nose and a full malt body and flavor in the mouth, followed by a pleasantly bittersweet finish. However, it’s worth noting that this is exactly the profile of Chodovar’s year-round special, which also is brewed at 13°, and also with 5.1% alcohol. So is this really a Christmas beer, or is it just the standard special with a new label?

The point of this column is to ask exactly that kind of question — and to answer as many such queries as we can. In the coming weeks and months we’ll bring you regular news on beer and brewing from around the Czech Republic and further afield, including a more detailed look at that 19° Christmas beer from Strahov and two new brewpubs set to open in Prague. Got questions? Send ‘em in. Got comments? Post away. Until then, na zdraví!