It’s a quirk of history that what we think of as the globally-ubiquitous category of “pale lager” originated in what is now Czechia, because Czech beer so often doesn’t conform to the expectations of modern drinkers. It’s rustic, it has edge, it’s beefy, it’s not afraid to be a little bit weird. This beer is an homage to one of my favorite examples of Czech Světlé Ležák (pale lager) in a quick little harmonious package that doesn’t require you to think deeply about it. You are of course invited to do so, however, should you be in the mood.

In this age of extreme optimization, willful anachronism is more attractive than ever. Could this beer get made more quickly and efficiently? Sure. Would it be the same? Probably not, but the point is we’ll never know, because so much of life is about finding joy in process.