CRAFT BEER REVIEW: Czech dark lager delight from Galway Bay Brewery

THE brewers of Galway Bay Brewery love to experiment with all the plethora of internationally known beer styles out there and I've had my eye on three from them which I picked up from Carryout in Tullamore.

So this beer for review will be the first of four in what will end up being a four-part exploration into regional brews from the brewery. 

Czech dark lager is an unusual style of beer in the sense that in Ireland we rarely, if ever, see lager the same colour as Guinness and yet dark lagers are par for the course in a lot of Eastern European countries where the tradition is a staple on tap in most bars.

As the name suggests, Galway Bay's version originated from the Czech Republic and will most likely exhibit a soft water profile like its native cousin Pilsner lager. 

Tmavy Lezak, 5% abv is however, a very different lager altogether along with it being mashed using the decoction method which basically enriches and emboldens the caramel flavours from the malted grains, it also uses darker malts such as chocolate, munich and carafa. 

Time to get it in the glass. The beer pours a chestnut shade of brown and has a rocky dark head of inviting foam atop.

There's no roasty note on the nose, instead, deep nutty caramel, and chocolate sweetness pervades.

The flavour is very similar to that of a black ipa, minus the American hops. A muted roasty note is eclipsed by caramel and lightly toasted grains. The body is medium light and highly sessionable to the palate.

Chocolate notes linger on into the finish and I can't help but think this is a style of beer that should be served all over Ireland yet very few even know the style exists.

This is a beer that I'm definitely going to get again and I encourage you to give it a try too!

Craft beer reviewer Brendan Sewell is a Tullamore-based chef, award winning brewer, founder member of the Midlands Beer Club and creator of the Views on Brews YouTube channel.