Name: Discipline Equals Freedom
Brewer: Métaphore (Czech Republic)
Style: Alternative Grain Beer (Base Style: Czech Amber Lager)
ABV: 5.3%
Review Year: 2022
Discipline Equals Freedom by Métaphore (Czech Republic) is an “organic lager” brewed with emmer and was lagered in an acacia barrel for five months. Emmer is similar to einkorn and is a conventional type of grain related to wheat. According to Métaphore’s sole brewer, Jiri Sladek, this beer symbolizes his quest to create his perfect beer– a poetic vision of a genuinely refined expression of a lager beer with a sense of place. Backlog review from May 2022.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as an Alternative Grain Beer (31A) with the Czech Amber Lager (3C) as the base style in the context of the 2021 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Aroma
Soothing; a soft blend of wood, cherry, honey, clove, pomelo, and lightly toasted barley.
Appearance
Pours brilliantly clear pale gold; white head.
Flavor
Malt profile dominated: moderate intensity of malty honey, and crackers/biscuits; slight toastiness (not roasted or burnt). A notable spicy character reminiscent of classic Czech lagers was present. Bitterness was likewise moderate and rounded; low sweetness. Finished dry with lingering bitterness and subtle toasty malts.
Mouthfeel
Light-medium-bodied; moderately-low carbonation.
THE VERDICT
We benchmarked Discipline Equals Freedom as a Czech Amber Lager but one brewed with a special grain. Despite not being explicitly marketed as such, this beer embodied a lot of the qualities the mentioned classic style is known for such as a complex “Maillard” (toasted, honey, and biscuity but not burnt/roasted) malt profile, spicy hops, which is a salient feature in beers brewed with Czech hops, dryness, and that well-integrated bitterness. It was also a very drinkable beer as expected from the style. Meanwhile, the special grain used gave this beer a “rustic” profile but the presence of the wood was not as explicit as expected.
This is easily another excellent creation from Jiri Sladek that could be enjoyed at any time of the year.
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