Staropramen Velvet

Brewed by Staropramen Breweries (InBev)
Style: Irish Ale
Prague, Czech Republic

[on tap in Hradec Kralove] Clear caramel coloured with lasting, white foam cover. Aroma of nondescript fruit and some noble hops with banana and caramel notes. At first, you taste noble hops, which is nicely blended with caramel and a little malt sweetness and then a moderate bitterness that fades away. Not an overly strong flavour. Light to medium body with low carbonation

(Draught at Rocky ó Reillys,Prague) Dark amber colour. Thick white creamy head. Malty nose. Smooth, rounded, hoppy flavour. Low bitterness. Nothing special really.

An attempt at a stout, I suppose. An irish style stout. Somewhat creamy, somewhat okay. Hostel in Prague. But... is there anything new to serve at real bars/restaurants in this city, or am I reduced to this?

(Can 44 cl) For some reason I thought this would be a porter/stoul-like beer. But it turns out to be an amber-coloured, clear ale, British style. Watery at the first sip. Velvety head from the nitrogen widget - and a bit flat. Some late hoppiness. A decent attempt at a bitter.

Draught. Copper coloured, creamy beige head. Citric aroma with some hoppish notes. Malty, citric and a bit papery flavour. Smooth and very plump (filling) palate. Semi-bitter finish.

I tried this Czech attempt at an English ale on tap at the Dubliner in Bratislava. I found it a pale imitation of an English; not enough bitter, not enough body, just not enough of anything. And it cost twice as much as most beer in Slovakia. If you’re jonesing for something with British character in Bratislava, have a draft Guinness instead.

440 ml nitro widget can, bought in Prague. Deep golden/amber colour, moderate creamy head. Pleasant but moderate fruity aroma with some malts and hops. Smooth and easy drinking, just enough hops and malts to make it a little better than "flavourless". Unpleasant metallic bitterness in the aftertaste.

Flows smooth, beautiful filling out. Firm, full head, like a stout, strange. One of the smoothest beers I’ve had, easily the smoothest Czech beer. Downside is it lacks distinct flavor - kind of like Anchor Steam. Probably the most aptly named beer. also can’t understand the low rating - perhaps its awful out of the can; i had on tap in Brno.