The aesthetics of draught beer

An almost literary attempt at describing an aesthetic category that, though real enough, seems to have remained outside the interest of the experts. A confession by Josef Krysl, Technical Services Manager at Plzensky Prazdroj and a tireless promoter of ensuring good beer quality.

The aesthetics of draught beer: this is a term that is perhaps only rooted deeply in Bohemia and among Czechs. This indescribable beauty, which blesses all the human senses, comes into being when the beer, once hidden in the keg, comes into the light of day. The mere mention of the idea that such a specialised – and for many, less than lofty – field as draught beer technology does have its rules for achieving beauty seems quite far-fetched. Yet I say that here, too, there are rules for achieving beauty.

The interplay and union of many factors creates the unique, specific perception of a beer’s taste. First and foremost, the taste is influenced by the actual beer, with environment, quality of service, price and other factors also playing their roles. But people sometimes forget about yet another phenomenon – the way the beer is drawn!

Where the due meaning and importance of this fact are recognised you will find not only a quality inn-keeping establishment, but also a unique ‘table community’. The pub becomes the setting for a specific culture, for meeting each other again and again, for communication, and for expressing one’s free opinion. It was so even in the worst of times: through various wars, occupation, totalitarian regimes and ‘normalisation’. Bohumil Hrabal described it well in one of his books: “This is why, for me, drinking beer is a sacred time and I know that the pub and the table inside possess such a right of asylum as there was in the olden days, when you ran into a church and they could not kill you there.” I subscribe to this and try to do my best to ensure that beer (and especially Pilsner beer!) remains an indispensable part of our nation’s culture, its past and its present.

  Printable version   |    E-mail this to a friend   |    Subscribe to RSS feeds