Artificially sweetened beer?
@ 3:07 pm I have come across two different brands of beer sold in Finland that is artifically sweetened with saccharin. Both of them are Czech and assure you on the label of the authenticity and quality of the product. The brands are Kozel and Eggenberg. The Kozel dark beer is artificially sweetened, whereas the other products aren’t. The only Eggenberg beer I have seen in Finland is the dark, artificially sweetened variety and it is usually sold in a brown cardboard box of 4 cans. There’s no warnings on the label of either.
Why would a beer brewery that claims to have been around since 15-something need to sweeten its beer with saccharin?
Fortunately, I have not seen Finnish beers doing this (yet anyway).
Recipe authenticity fail!
Tastes have changed in 500 years, perhaps truly “authentic” dark beer is a bit too bitter for our palette.
Comment by Bobby — Sat, Dec 5th, 2009 @ 3:48 pm
I refuse to believe that anyone has developed a taste for saccharine. Kozel vaklppoppcyklopsomethingsomtething dark does taste nice in the absence of decent and affordable Belgian dark beer.
Comment by majava — Sat, Dec 5th, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
The ***BEST*** dark beer in Suomi is 1 bottle of Lapin Kulta beer with 2 shots of Salmiakki poured in it ***YUMMY***! ***KIPPIS***!
Comment by Anonymous — Sun, Dec 6th, 2009 @ 2:41 am
Lapin Kulta beer with 2 shots of Salmiakki poured in it, is certainly the best ***PARTY INTOXICANT*** invented by the very clever
Finn alko/drunks!
Infinndel beats the party drum for Lapin Kulta/Salmiakki hangovers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZcZmDpWwqw
Comment by Anonymous — Sun, Dec 6th, 2009 @ 4:24 pm
The grossest thing I have come across in the beer aisle is the smoke flavored Karhu… Actually it was the Mrs. who bought it.
It’s like someone got the great idea of putting a few drops of liquid smoke into beer.
Not a great idea.
Comment by Dave the Revelator — Wed, Dec 9th, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
They have had German “Rauchbier” around… I’m not sure how they come up with the smoke taste but I was expecting a fag butt to float up when I tasted that.
Comment by Hank W. — Sat, Dec 12th, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
In at least one of those Czech breweries it started when they were bought by the Dr Otker company. I guess when you put frozen pizza guys in charge this is what you get.
Just buy the Samson or 1795 dark lagers and you get real Czech beer with no sweeteners.
Comment by Jody — Thu, Dec 17th, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
I haven´t noticed that they would do this artificial sweetening here in czech republic. At least Kozel shouldn´t contain any sweeteners. Maybe it´s like this with beers they import to Finland and in some other countries. Actually in Sweden they brew Kozel that contains less alcohol than here in Chech Rep…
Comment by Zach — Wed, Dec 30th, 2009 @ 11:11 am
yes, I agree with Zach, I’ve also never noticed that Kozel was sweetened (at least, not here in Slovakia, Czech neighbours
). Maybe it’s some specialty made for export (maybe Finns have more sweet teeth 
)
Comment by ywetka — Sat, Feb 27th, 2010 @ 12:21 am