Velvet beer is semi-dark, with a golden chestnut color and unusual foam. It has a delicious velvety taste, piquancy which gives a slight bitterness. Its strength is 5.2%, and the density is 12%.
The year of birth of Velvet beer is 1997. It was then that Staropramen company decided to create its own answer to Guinness. A lot of experiments were carried out, and technologists still achieved their goal. The drink earned its first award right in the same year. He was awarded the title "Exceptional Beer 1997". The following year, Velvet beer was awarded the title of 1998 Hit.
The drink turned out to be very original, not a single manufacturer had produced a similar foam before. Although such a bottling technology was invented by the British and is used in the manufacture of such beer as Guinness and Kilkenny.
According to reviews of Velvet beer, one can judge that real experts call the drink “a storm in a glass”. Those who observe the “avalanche effect” for the first time come in indescribable delight from the “boiling” drink in a glass. And the bright aroma of fresh bread will not leave anyone indifferent.
Production Features
Three types of barley are used to make Velvet beer in the Czech Republic. Moreover, for each of them there is a special processing method. The famous beer recipe contains only well-roasted cereal grains and bitter hops.
In order to give the foam such an unusual effect, a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide is added during bottling, because of this nuance, the drink is sometimes called nitrogen.
Right feed
Velvet beer is poured into special glasses with a capacity of 0.4 liters. To serve this drink do not use beer half-liter mugs. At home, such a hop is about twice as expensive as a regular Staropramen.
From the very beginning, like any other foamy drink, Velvet beer was bottled in cans, bottles and barrels. But then it became known that “draft effect” is obtained only on draft beer, therefore it was “bottled” in the Czech Republic. But export is a jar and a bottle.
How to use?
This special intoxicated drink differs from others in that it does not have a froth. And all because the bubbles "run" not up, but down. This is what is called lava. It stays dense for about ninety seconds. It is during this time that it is recommended to catch the first sip. To feel the beauty of Velvet beer, you need to have time to try the foam.
After the foam calms down, it will be difficult to distinguish a hoppy drink from any other dark beer, it has a very rich color of well-aged cognac. However, this is only external resemblance. Its taste will still remain original creamy with spicy bitterness.
Export option
Now they’ve already learned how to make a can of Velveteen so that an avalanche will turn out anyway. To do this, use a small ball with a small hole filled with nitrogen. If you open the jar, then the substance comes out and the desired effect is created. This technology is called floating widget.
But connoisseurs of Velvet beer nevertheless claim that the foam from the can is significantly different from the one that the draft drink has.
A little bit about the company
The brand is currently owned by the North American company Molson Coors Brewing Company, which was founded in 2005. It consists of eleven wineries. This company also owns about a hundred beer brands that are popular in thirty countries around the world. But Velvet beer, as before, is produced in the Czech Republic.
It is made by the Staropramen brewery, which appeared back in 1869. The products of this company conquered such European countries as Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and with them the United States as early as 1884. At the moment, "Staropramen" takes the second largest place in the country as an enterprise.
Velveteen in our country
One can hardly find a fan of a foamy drink who would not know about Velvet beer. Moreover, many people like it. But it is especially popular with the weaker sex, as it has a delicate caramel flavor, and thick foam resembles sour cream. Moreover, it is in this thick foam that the whole highlight of the drink lies. But then the conversation will not go about her.
In order to try the right Velvet, you have to go to the Czech Republic, and not everyone has such an opportunity. Therefore, you often have to be content with a drink from a bottle. It turns out that you will have to try the famous drink with already settled foam. But do not be upset, as this beer still remains special.
Its strength in the bottle version is 5.1%, and its color is dark copper. The toffee is well captured in the aroma. The taste is particularly soft with a creamy iris note. Light bitterness does not spoil it, but gives it a special piquancy. There is a very unobtrusive, but at the same time long aftertaste. In it you can feel a light sweetness combined with a subtle hop bitterness.
The drink is really perfectly balanced, and even in this “incomplete” version it fully confirms the title of “female beer”.
By the way, according to some fans of Velveteen, the drink does not lose its taste even after the warranty period of storage. But still, it is not recommended to perform such experiments, since the manufacturer is not responsible for the consequences.
In general, with any alcohol, even as light as beer, you should be extremely careful. It should never be used by children and adolescents until the age of eighteen, as well as pregnant women. Before consuming a drink, it’s best to fill your stomach well so that the hops do not hit your head prematurely.