The In-box

I Long for the Unfiltered Beer of Prague

Dear Grub Street,
I studied abroad in Prague last semester and discovered Champagne beer called Samp (pronounced Shamp) at one of the best microbreweries in Prague — it became my drink. It was yet unfiltered and unpasteurized, and it smelled and tasted of flowers. I’m guessing I won’t find the exact brand, but are there any places I could get this amazing drink in New York?
Sakiko

Sakiko,
Our beer guru Richard Scholz of Brooklyn’s Bierkraft knows what you’re talking about. “We don’t carry that particular brand,” he says, “but there are several beers we have made in what’s called the method champagnois. The neck of the bottle is frozen, usually with liquid nitrogen, and all the yeast removed. It results in a crystalline-pure beer much like the one he drank in Prague.” Scholz suggests Krait Prestige, a 375-milliliter bottle that costs $9.95, or Maleheur Reserve Belgian golden ale that comes in a wine-bottle size (750 milliliters) and goes for a cool $35. Both, he assures us, are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and well worth the price.

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I Long for the Unfiltered Beer of Prague