Ingredients
The beers
- světlé, a pale lager
- well chilled
- tmavé, a dark lager
- well chilled
- in equal measure
The glass
- a half litre beer glass
- clean and rinsed
- cool but not frozen
Sometimes used
- a spoon
- to break the pour
- though rarely needed
To serve
- immediately
- with the head intact
- in a pub
Directions
- Wash it and rinse it thoroughly. Never dry it with a used cloth. Rinse the glass with cold water first. A wet glass helps the beer flow. Wash the glass in very hot water. Use no greasy detergent residue. Rinse it very thoroughly after.
- Grease is the enemy of a good head. Rinse it out well with cold water. Leave it wet rather than drying it. That wet surface helps the pour.
- Chill both beers well beforehand. Too cold and the flavour disappears. Pour the dark lager into it first. Fill the glass about halfway up. Pour it down the side of the glass. Tilt the glass to about forty-five degrees.
- Pour gently down the inner side. Let the dark beer settle briefly. Give it about thirty full seconds. Pour the pale lager very slowly on top.
- Pour it extremely gently indeed. Let it flow down the inside wall. Hold a spoon just above the surface.
- Pour the beer onto the back of it. That genuinely helps the layer form. Pour it as slowly as you possibly can. Take a full minute over the pouring.
- Let a good thick head form on top. Czech beer wants a thick head. Serve it regardless of all that. Serving it is always done at once. Serve it immediately after pouring. The layers blur within minutes. Pour it out fresh every single time.
Technique
- This is a full strength alcoholic drink and mixing two beers does not weaken it — the strength is simply the average of the two.
- Layering depends on a density difference: the denser beer, usually the dark one with more residual sugar, sits at the bottom while the lighter floats above. That varies between breweries, so some pairs layer readily and others simply mix. If they mix it still tastes exactly the same, the layering being purely visual, and many pubs pour them mixed anyway.
- The glass must be genuinely clean with no greasy detergent residue, since grease collapses the foam entirely; rinse it with cold water and leave it wet, which helps the beer flow and reduces excess foaming.
Substitutions
- Pouring the pale lager over the back of a spoon held just above the surface breaks the fall and helps the layer form; pouring down the inside wall does the same.
- Serve at around six to eight degrees rather than ice cold — too cold and the flavour disappears, too warm and it foams excessively, and Czech lager is never served frozen.
Variations
- Pour the second beer as slowly as you possibly can, taking a full minute: any speed at all mixes the two, and patience is the whole technique.
- Let a thick head of two or three centimetres form, since Czech beer wants one — the head is not waste but protects the beer from oxidising and carries the aroma, and Czech pubs treat the pour as a genuine tradition with names for its styles.
- Serve it immediately, since the layers blur within minutes and the head collapses slowly; the layers mix as you drink, which is entirely expected, and the taste is the point rather than the look.
History
A Czech pub order meaning cut beer, combining světlé and tmavé from the same tap wall.
Frequently asked questions
What is Řezané pivo?
Řezané pivo is a cocktail from Czechia: pale and dark lager poured together into one layered glass. A Czech pub order meaning cut beer, combining světlé and tmavé from the same tap wall.
How long does Řezané pivo take to make?
Řezané pivo takes 5 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Řezané pivo?
Yes, within limits. Pouring the pale lager over the back of a spoon held just above the surface breaks the fall and helps the layer form; pouring down the inside wall does the same. Serve at around six to eight degrees rather than ice cold — too cold and the flavour disappears, too warm and it foams excessively, and Czech lager is never served frozen.
What is the most important thing to get right in Řezané pivo?
Wash it and rinse it thoroughly. Never dry it with a used cloth. Rinse the glass with cold water first. A wet glass helps the beer flow. Wash the glass in very hot water. Use no greasy detergent residue. Rinse it very thoroughly after.
