Following my November, 1998, visit to the Czech Republic, I had assumed that it would be a long time before I again encountered the gastronomic beauty that is fresh draught Budweiser Budvar. What I hadn't counted upon was the ingenuity of one Mario D'Eer, organizer of the annual fall beer fest, the Festibière de Chambly.
At his "Ten Best Beers in the World" pavilion, D'Eer was pouring impossibly fresh Budvar under the nom de plume of "Czech Lager B.B." in order to avoid hassles with Labatt, holders of the licence to brew American Budweiser in Canada. Sampled under the early September sun in the idyllic atmosphere of the grounds of the Fort de Chambly, it was a splendid and most memorable beer experience.
That North Americans cannot get Budweiser Budvar in any form is indeed a shame, but perhaps ultimately not that lamentable a situation. Because however grand a beer it may be, Budvar is still a delicate brew that I suspect would ill survive the rigours of intercontinental transportation. It would still no doubt be a fine pint, but likely not the glorious beverage that it is when poured fresh and flavourful in the Czech Republic or, occasionally, Québec. (D'Eer went to great lengths to make certain that the Budvar at the Festibière was at its finest, measures that would unlikely be taken in a mass distribution system.)
So I will await the next serendipitous set of circumstances that allow me to again partake of what must certainly be one of the finest lagers brewed anywhere in the world, and tide myself over with my taste memories of the 1999 Festibière and the Taste of the Year.
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