Gambrinus beer: history and overview of flavors
Gambrinus (Czech. Gambrinus is a popular Czech beer brand that has been produced since 1869.
The beer is characterized by a bright yellow-gold color and a rich, dense foamy head. Its taste and aroma are dominated by tones of malt, balanced by a pleasant hop bitterness.
The history of Gambrinus beer
The name of Gambrinus, the legendary king of the frothy drink and patron saint of brewers, is popular in modern beer culture and dates back to the Middle Ages.
Its origin is associated with the personality of Duke John (John) I of Brabant, who lived in the 13th century, an outstanding politician and commander, a lover of tournaments and poetry, a relative and kinsman of kings and emperors, and, in addition, the honorary head of the Brussels Brewing Guild...
It is not surprising that John I (Iohannes primus in Latin) was often depicted by his shop colleagues sitting on a barrel with a mug of foam in his hand.
Over time, the reason for the appearance of statues of the merry man with a mug in family beer cellars faded from people's memory, and his name was gradually transformed from "Johann (Jan) Primus" to "Gambrinus" by the regulars of these cellars...
The academic gloss to this whole story was given by the university humanists of the 16th century, who did not shy away from foamy.
This happened when the ancient German tribal king and legendary founder of European brewing, Gambrivius, invented by them on the basis of a pseudo-antique tradition, turned into Gambrinus due to mistakes...
The idea of a king-brewer went to the people and quickly took root there. In particular, it could not be shaken by later attempts to turn Gambrinus into a servant of the Emperor Charlemagne, who brewed a wonderful frothy drink for the latter according to a secret recipe.
Attempts to replace the Duke of Brabant with his namesake, the Duke of Burgundy, who inspired the cultivation and use of hops in the Netherlands in the late 14th century, proved equally ineffective.
Gambrinus beer producer
Today, the name of the legendary patron saint of brewers is used by many different manufacturers of foamy.
Among them, breweries in Austria, several regions of Germany, French Alsace and American Texas bear the name of Gambrinus.
In addition, such companies as Ottakringer and Mohrenbrauerei August Huber (Austria), Hancock (Denmark), and Grivita Brewery (Romania) produce their products under this brand.
Moreover, even Izhevsk produces beer under the Gambrinus brand at the eponymous enterprise.
The most famous drink using the brand name is rightfully considered to be Czech beer, which is produced by the Pilsen brewery Gambrinus, founded in 1869.
Not to be confused with another Czech company - Gambrinusbräu from Dolne Dvorichta, which produces a one-of-a-kind dark beer under the same name.
Types of Gambrinus beer
Gambrinus Světlý
A classic pilsner with a strength of 4.1 degrees and an alcohol content of 10.5%.
Gambrinus 11° Excelent
A slightly more intense drink with a strength of 4.7 degrees and an alcohol content of 11.3%.
Gambrinus Premium
Almost a heavyweight in the world of pilsners, with a strength of 5 degrees and a density of 13%
Gambrinus Dry
Formerly called Gambrinus with reduced sugar content (Gambrinus se sníženým obsahem cukrů) - a beer monster with artificially reduced calories; strength - 4 degrees, density - 9%.
If you're lucky enough to get to the original source of the beer, you can taste the "live" varieties of Pilsen's Gambrinus:
Nepasterizovaná 10
Nepasterizovaná 12
Nefiltrovaný ležák
Plná 12 - a kind of pale lager.
Polotmavá 12 - brewed with a larger than usual amount of roasted malt.
For those who like the strange, local brewers are ready to offer low-alcohol soft drinks made on the basis of beer mixed with citrus juices: lime, lemon or grapefruit.
Update: 27.06.2017
Category: Beer, Cider, Ale