Old curiosity Hop
Alastair Gilmour visits the annual Zatec Hop Festival in the Czech Republic
Breakfast: Potato pancake filled with smoked bacon in a cheese sauce, accompanied by three different types of cabbage. Half-litre of beer.
Time: Just after 6am.
Cost: The equivalent of the News of the World and a Kit Kat.
Location: A bar/restaurant in the North Bohemian town of Zatec in the Czech Republic.
Occasion: The Docesna, an annual festival to mark the region’s relationship with that most mysterious of beer ingredients, the hop.
Every year, visitors come from all over the country on the first weekend in September – along with a smattering of British, Belgians and Germans – to indulge in celebrations that involve dancing, singing, drinking and dining. Zatec is renowned for its hops (more commonly known as Saaz) and its reddish, ferrous oxide-rich soil is particularly suited to their cultivation with their delicate lemon and citrus nature a highly-prized characteristic in Czech beer’s aroma and flavour wheels.
The Zatec Hop Festival programme differs each year but the intention remains true to the worldwide tradition of pleasure and indulgence that requires little or no translation. This year marked 1001 years of the town’s recorded history from first being mentioned in the Thietmar of Merseburg Chronicle in 1004.
It’s difficult to gauge if the festival is an entirely serious get-together, as the official guide promises “fun and practical jokes” among its more cultured activities. The Miss of Golden Drink competition is a reminder of British beauty contests before.....
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By Alastair Gilmour
Section : Spotlight
Page number : 56
