A girl likes to drink beer. Unusual?
Beer has always been my passion. This tendency started at the age of 18, when I was still at school. This is of course nothing unusual, many young people at this stage of life meet to drink beer together, and in the Czech Republic the pub ("hospoda" in Czech) has almost sacred status. However, I was one of the few girls in my class and was therefore considered exotic among my classmates. So I quickly established myself as “the beer drinker”. Proof of this still hangs in the building of our school, where I was photographed with a beer during the traditional senior year photo shoot (called "tablo" in Czech).
At that time, however, I had no idea about craft beer or beer brewing and just having a Pilsener Urquell on tap was a great thing. It was like this in 2011/2012, and in retrospect you can say that the craft beer hype in the Czech Republic was still in its infancy at that time. A typical Czech beer drinker still prefers light beer and lager.
The first experience with craft beer
My first encounter with a heavily hopped, top-fermented beer was with my favorite band, Iron Maiden. Frontman Bruce Dickinson is, among other things, a big fan of ales. Exactly ten years ago, in 2013, he began a collaboration with the British brewery Robinsons Brewery and created Iron Maiden's first beer called "The Trooper", developed with Bobek, Goldings and Cascade hops. When I tried it for the first time I was very impressed. The striking citrus aromas combined with a slightly sweet malt taste were a completely new taste experience for me. Iron Maiden's portfolio now includes 13 beers, brewed in collaboration with Robinsons Brewery. In addition, the “Trooper Beer - Progressive Lager” has also been produced in Germany by the Crew Republic brewery since 2023.
Decisive moment: A trip to Bavaria
But back to the topic. I discovered brewing beer as a hobby in the summer of 2015 when I accompanied a professional study trip to Bavaria that was dedicated to the topic “500 Years of the Purity Law”. To avoid any misunderstandings: No, I didn't make a mistake in the year. The trip actually took place a year before the anniversary. I was part of a group of tour operators who need enough lead time to plan and develop new products.
The itinerary was challenging because we visited a total of six breweries in four days and tasted the beer specialties there everywhere. And this despite the warm weather conditions between 30 and 36 degrees, even in the Bavarian mountains. During the brewery tours, the entire brewing process was explained to us in detail and we also had the opportunity to try different types of beer.
We visited the following breweries:
- Aldersbach Brewery
- Hofbräuhaus Traunstein
- Schnitzlbaumer private brewery
- Wochinger Bräu
- Ettal brewery
- Regensburg Hospital Brewery
The Purity Law does not exclude diversity
I was fascinated by the variety, especially that it is possible to create so many different flavors using water, malt, hops and yeast alone! To this day I remember the Mandarina Bavaria Helles that we tried at the Schnitzlbaumer private brewery in Traunstein. I couldn't believe it wasn't a cyclist! The hop aroma was so intense. The visit to the small brewery in Traunstein was inspiring for me for another reason: there is actually a female master brewer at the Schnitzlbaumer private brewery. At that time I thought: “I would like to do that too!” And so my desire to have my own small brewery was born.
Brewing beer as a hobby
Shortly after returning from the study trip, I started researching how to brew my own beer at home. To my mother's "enthusiasm", I started making my first purchases and set up a small brewing area in the technical room of our family home. And it wasn't a small amount of stuff: I completely skipped the concentrate and malt extract phases and started brewing straight away with the raw materials. Like many hobby brewers among us, I started with a 23l canner and a plastic bucket with a perforated bottom for lautering. In a separate blog article I will go into more detail about my hobby brewing starter pack and report on my experiences after the first brewing processes.
And your first beer?
Of course I wanted to brew something with Mandarina Bavaria and chose this beautiful recipe: Ale Bavaria Mandarina from Speidel . Despite problems with the mashing (too little volume in the lauter tun for the secondary pours), I managed to make the first brew straight away and the result was enjoyable, just a little less aromatic and with relatively little carbon dioxide.
Brewing your own beer: A little science
I quickly realized that brewing beer is not just a hobby, but a science in itself. It requires specialist knowledge, patience and a willingness to experiment. But the results are absolutely worth it. Since then, I have been brewing my own beer at least once or twice a year and have not only found a new pastime, but also discovered a passion that continues to inspire me again and again.
And how did you get into brewing beer?
