Brü It Yourself | Jantarová Cesta 12°

Author: Marshall Schott

I’ve been a lager lover from the beginning of my homebrewing journey, though given the paucity of options stateside, my experiences with the vast array of classic continental lager styles have come largely from my international travels. Being the birthplace of Pilsner, I was thrilled to visit Czechia back in the summer of 2023, during which I consumed copious amounts of, well, pretty much any regionally brewed beer I could get my hands on.

While sipping delicious Flekovský 13° dark lager with some local brewers at the historic U Fleků in Prague one evening, we talked about the history of Czech lager and how they’re primarily defined by their color. I forget who it was, but one of us commented that the pale and dark versions tend to get the most focus, while the equally as delicious Czech Amber Lager receives little. Why?

Whether it’s rooting for Drew Lock when everyone else is talking shit (GO HAWKS!) or brewing lesser-known beer styles, I get an odd sense of satisfaction from seeing the underdog get some love. Outside of the couple commercial examples of Czech Amber Lager I tried in Prague, I can’t recall ever having a homebrewed version, so I decided to change that!

| Making Jantarová Cesta 12° |

For this recipe, I went with a sort of hybridized grain bill based on both tradition and what I’ve had success with in the past. Big thanks to Northern Brewer for providing the grains for this batch!

Jantarová Cesta 12°

A day before brewing, I made a starter with approximately 200 mL of Berkeley Yeast FRESH Andechs yeast that I’d previously received from my buddy, Brad Gaines, who is the head brewer at Crow & Wolf Brewing.

The following morning, I adjusted the RO water I’d collected the night prior to my desired profile and flipped the switch on my controller to get it heating up before I milled the grain.

When the water was properly heated, I incorporated the grist.

I then checked to make sure it was at my target mash temperature.

During the mash rest, I prepared the kettle hop additions.

When the 60 minute mash rest was completed, I removed the grains and boil the wort for 60 minutes before quickly chilling it with my JaDeD Brewing Hydra IC.

A refractometer reading showed the wort was at my target OG.

The filled fermenter was connected to my glycol unit and left alone for 35 minutes to chill to my desired fermentation temperature of 58°F/14°C, at which point I pitched the entire yeast starter.

I then connected the fermenter to a keg filled with sanitizer for natural CO2 purging and left it for 5 days raisingd the temperature to 66°F/19°C to encourage complete attenuation.

With signs of activity absent 2 days later, I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG had been reached.

After cold crashing the beer to 34°F/1°C overnight, I added gelatin fining using a simple doohickey I rigged up to eliminate oxygen exposure.

The beer was left alone for an additional 3 days before I pressure transferred it to the CO2 purged keg.

The filled keg was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight before I reduced the gas to serving pressure. After 3 weeks of lagering, it was clear, carbonated, and ready to serve.

| IMPRESSIONS |

One thing I recall thinking while drinking my way through Prague a few years ago is that, despite their color differences, there was a noticeable thread of similarity that ran through all of the classic Czech lagers I sampled. My presumption then, as it remains today, is that this is due to the fact they’re made with mostly the same ingredients, just different proportions. And this, to me, is a very good thing.

While classic Czech lager is known for being decocted, which is said to contribute a subtle melanoidin character, I replaced that process with relatively small amounts of Munich and Honey malts, a decision that was based on my rather extensive experience with these grains. And to ensure the color remained amber, I used a blend of both Chocolate and Pale Chocolate malts. Altogether, this beer had a toasty malt flavor with a whisper of rich toffee that was balanced beautifully by a gentle bitterness from the Saaz hops, which contributed their recognizable noble characteristics. The Andechs yeast fermented clean and attenuated well, resulting in a crisp, crushable lager with a more complex flavor than its pale counterpart.

Jantarová Cesta 12° was, hands-down, the best Czech Amber Lager I’ve ever brewed. It was also the first Czech Amber Lager I’ve ever brewed, but I can’t think of much I would change about it.  Yeah, I skipped on the decoction, used a few non-traditional malts, and went with a German rather than Czech lager yeast, but this beer hit the mark. Jantarová Cesta 12° is a “sad to see it go” batch for me, and the friends I shared it with were in the same boat – we couldn’t keep our hands off of it. I absolutely plan to brew this one again, and I’m confident it’d please the palate of anyone who enjoys classic Czech lagers.

If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making something similar, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

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