BOHEM AMOS

One of the indisputable facts of working at the Beer Shop is that it is not very big. Bijou even. Still, when life gives you limited square footage, it makes the unexpected benefits all the sweeter.

One such unforeseen bonus is that, in order to make our draught dispense work in a tight spot, we got in Czech-style side-pour taps for our cask beer. There simply wasn't room for traditional hand pumps and a keg-style tap just didn't seem _right_ somehow. They work beautifully for a cask pint, and fit into the slim profile required.

Fast forward to the (hopeful) end of lockdown, and some Very Deep Conversations were being had about what we wanted to do, now that we could welcome you, the blessed customer, back through our doors. We've had Bohem's Amos in before, and it always went down well - but what if we turned a side-pour tap over to a beer it was born for?

Thankfully, Bohem were very receptive and a few days before our reopening, Matěj (their brewmaster) and Marek (their chief tapster) came down to check our setup was up to scratch and then to show us how to do things right.

Whilst there are many variations to Czech beer pours, Matěj and Marek took pity and kept it to a manageable two - the Hladinka and the Šnyt.

A hladinka is the standard pour, drawn fast through its own generous cap of foam, tempering the carbonation and preserving the quality of the beer underneath. If you just ask for an Amos here, this will be the happy result

The second, the šnyt, is an odd sight to British eyes, with a goodly half of the pint glass given over to that gloriously thick, creamy head. This is to be drunk fast, the head sweetening and balancing out the cool, refreshing beer underneath.

Chatting with them over the many practice pours required to pass even basic muster, we were filled in on Bohem's brewing principles - good ingredients, proper decoction mashing on Czech equipment, a long maturation and natural carbonation, not forced bubbles.

This will be, we hope, the beer for the summer - London-made, with an eye to quality and tradition, powerfully drinkable and filled with enough subtleties to keep your interest over multiple glasses (and visits).

Tasting notes:
A clean straw gold, with a pure white head of thick, fine foam.
Noble hop aroma, herbs, floral, a touch of lemon; light malt on the bready side.
The head drinks full, creamy and almost sweet, against the clean, refreshing beer underneath. Hops stay 'classic', and again a lemon note amongst the herbs and floral notes. Bitterness dovetails with a dry finish, and the malt is delicate but complex.

Na Zdravi!

Bohem, Amos. The Hladinka.

Bohem, Amos. The Šnyt.