Slow Hand Beer Co. – Tmavý Pivo 13

Slow Hand Beer Co. – Tmavý Pivo 13 Review

To many beer industry observers in North America, a large-scale lager represents the uninspiring drink of the masses. But in central Europe, there are a plethora of intriguing lager styles that any beer snob would appreciate. There, these styles aren’t thought of as ‘craft’; they’re just the local beer, made a certain way in many cases for centuries.

A while back, we tried a BC beer formulated after a lager style hailing from the home of Pilsner: the Czech Republic. But this one wasn’t a pils; it was a Tmavý Pivo from Slow Hand Beer Co., the upstart micro-based out of the former home of Powell Brewery and Doan’s Craft Brewing. Their fascination with lagers is BC beer fans’ good fortune.

The Czech term tmavé pivo translates as ‘dark beer’. As advertised, Slow Hand’s offering pours a dark coppery brown with a reddish tint. The style is not completely dark like a Schwartzbier or North American black lager; it looks more like a dark bock.

There’s malty caramel on the nose, which foreshadows the beer’s dark, bready maltiness and biscuity caramel that’s soft on the palate.

What a difference a little maltiness makes, as we personally know from our beer travels in the Czech Republic. There, lager can drink like a rich, full-bodied ale. Tmavý Pivo 13 has some of that great mouthfeel going for it.

The style is not on the sweet side like a chocolatey stout; it’s more on the dry side. One would expect a certain amount of nuttiness in such a malty beverage, but what you get is more bready, reminiscent of eating a delicious slice of pumpernickel rye.

Order Tmavý Pivo 13 online for local area delivery at https://beervan.square.site.

Supplemental Reading

• https://vinepair.com/articles/czech-beer-dark-lager
• https://www.vanmag.com/24-Days-of-Beer-Tmav-Pivo-13-by-Slowhand-Brewing-No1
• https://www.whatsbrewing.ca/2018/11/budweiser-europes-biggest-craft-brewery