The Antidepressants are back: fresh hop season is here

Autumn at Pivovar Strahov means one thing: fresh hops and the return of our Antidepressants. Every year, during hop harvest season, we brew two beers designed to capture hops at their freshest and most expressive. This year, Czech tradition meets the American hop scene: Antidepressant Dark Lager, brewed with freshly harvested Saaz hops, and Antidepressant Black IPA, featuring fresh frozen Cryo hops from Yakima.

Both beers will be on tap from 24 September.

Antidepressant Dark Lager: autumn in a glass

The first Antidepressant of the year starts with a dark lager, but with a slightly fuller malt profile than our classic Sv. Norbert Dark Lager. The real star, however, is freshly harvested Žatecký poloraný červeňák (Saaz), one of the most traditional Czech hop varieties.

Fresh hops give the beer an aroma you simply cannot recreate in quite the same way with dried hops later in the year. It is vibrant, green and gently grassy, carrying the unmistakable character of the harvest season. Alongside it comes the richer maltiness of the dark lager, resulting in a beer that, for us, tastes about as much like autumn as it gets.

Antidepressant Black IPA: American hops take centre stage

This year’s second Antidepressant heads in a completely different direction. We brewed the Black IPA to be drier, more bitter and highly aromatic, with hops firmly at the forefront.

We used fresh frozen Cryo hops from Yakima – Cryo Citra, Cryo Simcoe and Columbus. The hops are frozen shortly after harvest to preserve as much of their fresh aroma and character as possible.

That freshly harvested hop character comes through clearly in the aroma, while the flavour leans towards resinous and piney notes, a firm bitterness and a dry finish. Dark malts add a subtle touch of chocolate, complementing the hops without overpowering them.

The result is a bold Black IPA with a lingering bitter finish and plenty of room for the fresh hops to shine.

Why Antidepressant?

The name of our autumn series is meant with a wink, but the connection between hops and relaxation has a real basis.

For centuries, hops have been used for more than brewing alone. They have traditionally been associated with relaxation, calming effects and supporting sleep. Hop cones contain a range of aromatic and biologically active compounds, including essential oils, polyphenols and the bitter acids responsible for their characteristic flavour.

Hop bitterness has also long been linked with digestion, which is one of the reasons hops have historically been used beyond the brewhouse.

With our Antidepressants, we work with freshly harvested hops in a way that lets them show not only their bitterness, but above all their aroma and the bright, green character they have immediately after harvest.

Our beers are also unfiltered and unpasteurised, so we keep processing to a minimum and allow their natural character to remain intact. And when it comes to beers built around fresh hops, we think they are at their best enjoyed as fresh as possible.

On tap from 24 September

The fresh hop season is short, which makes the beers brewed during it all the more special.

Antidepressant Dark Lager and Antidepressant Black IPA will be on tap at Pivovar Strahov from 24 September.

And if the first shorter days of autumn start bringing on the seasonal blues, we may just have the answer: two fresh-hop Antidepressants and a seat waiting for you at Pivovar Strahov. 🍻