What type of beer is Budvar Nealko?
Budvar Nealko is a pale lager. That means it is bottom fermented with lager yeasts at low temperatures.
It is brewed with Moravian malting barley and whole-cone Saaz hops sourced from hop fields around the town of Žatec.
As you can imagine they have an ongoing trademark dispute with AB InBev over the use of “Budweiser” but we all know who the original is done we?
The Ingredients
Any of these old central European lagers are pure as the driven snow. You will be hard pressed to find anything like “natural flavouring” or rice listed in their ingredients. Will we be surprised here?
Budvar Nealko includes….
- Water
- Barley malt
- Hops
Of course not, the iconic Budvar has the standard 4 ingredients (including yeast) and to be honest, will be all the better for it. You never drink a German or Czech pilsner and think it was too chemically tasting, it just doesn’t happen.
The Nutrition
So they have the standard 4 ingredients but how are they going to load the nutrition? Too much sugar in a pale lager equals a sweet, undrinkable beer.
| | Values per 100ml or 100g |
| Alcohol | 0.5% |
| Calories | 15.5kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 3.1g |
| Sugars | 1.6g |
More good news then. 15.5kcal is below average and the carb level of 3.1g/100ml is reasonably low too. The best bit of news is the added sugar component is under my magical 2g/100ml.
When a brewer strays over this level in a lager they really have to be backing it up with great body and flavour or the result can be undrinkable.
To read more about what isotonic is and how it affects beers, you can read about that here
The Look
The iconic styling of Budweiser Budvar shine through, this is beer royalty.
The beer itself is slightly darker than I would have expected, on the darker pilsner side of lager. It was fizzy coming out but the head didn’t last long
The Aroma
It is an interesting smell and not one I was expecting. From the colour you assume there will be a big hit of malt but I didn’t really get that. It smells lighter, almost floral but fresh.
The Taste
The taste is actually more in line with what I thought it would be from the colour than the aroma.
I get a nice malty lager with no chemically undertones, just barley malt and very light hops.
You could talk yourself into some citrus flavours from the malt
There is some sweetness but just the right level, it doesn’t go overboard and reinforces my belief in the magical 2g/100ml sugar rubicon.
The body is pretty big, there is no thinness here and likewise the mouthfeel is pretty big with ample tight bubbles.
It is actually quite a lot like it’s famous alcoholic brother.
The Verdict
Better than your average supermarket lager but I would like it to be just a little bit more hop heavy to add another dimension to the malt
The Score
7.5/10 – More than solid effort from the Czech giants. If you are a fan of pure lagers then you have to be trying this.
Find out where this beer ranks compared to all the beers i have reviewed on my updated “Best Non Alcoholic Beers” page
Where to buy?
You can check out the live amazon prices by following this link
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
*Affiliate Disclosure – if you click on the links and buy from these providers, i might receive a small commission*
Is gluten Budvar Nealko free?
No, these type of central European beers are rarely made gluten free
I have an entire article on non alcoholic beers and gluten if you want more information.
Is Budvar Nealko vegan?
It is indeed vegan friendly as confirmed by the company.
For more on vegan beers see my article on the matter. Why beers may or may not be and how to check.
|
|
|
|
SUMMARY
More than solid effort from the Czech giants. If you are a fan of pure lagers then you have to be trying this. |
3.8
|
