Czech Mates - a new Czech-style lager from Budvar & Thornbridge
On Wednesday we were invited down to The Bankerâs Cat for the launch of Czech Mates, a new lager collaboration between Budvar and Thornbridge. The beer is a 4.8% ABV Czech-style lager brewed at Thornbridge using British ingredients, with Budvarâs expertise for the fantastic sort of quality beer youâd expect.
We got to try several pints of Czech Mates, and they just kept on coming. Itâs such a crisp and refreshing beer however that we obviously didnât mind one bit. It actually went down very well! This was followed by a Q&A with Radim ZvĂĄnovec, Global Brand Ambassador for Budvar. His passion for beer is infectious, and he was super knowledgeable not only for Czech beer itself, but everything to do with the new lager.
Later on we headed upstairs to see how a perfect Czech beer should be poured correctly. Radim was brilliant showing us how to perfect different Czech-style pours and even treated us to an authentic âMlĂkoâ pour (yep, us Brits arenât too familiar with an almost-foam beerâŠ). We also got to attempt (some of us very badly, myself included) other different Czech-style pours ourselves.
Overall we had a fantastic evening and aside from all the drinking it was also very educational. Thanks for the invite and goodybags! We left with three cans to take home (a Czech Mates, Budvar & Jaipur), as well as some other goodies in a snazzy tote bag which encapsulates this newly-arrived lager on the scene: âMates donât let mates drink bad lagerâ, and we would agree entirely.
Keep your eyes peeled for the beer, itâs definitely not one to miss especially if youâre a fan of lager and craft, something that doesnât always go hand-in-hand very well.
We visited The Bankerâs Cat in Leeds for this event on Wednesday 17th May 2023