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Most Czech beers are lagers, naturally brewed from hand-picked hops. Czechs like their beer cellar temperature with a creamy, tall head. When ordering draught beer ask for “male pivo” (0,3l) or “pivo” (0,5l).
The best known Czech beer is the original Pilsner beer, Pilsner Urquell, brewed in the town of Plzen and exported worldwide. Many Czechs also like another Plzen brew, Gambrinus, but recently Bernard from Eastern Bohemia, was voted best beer of the year.
The most widely exported Czech Beer is Budvar (Budweiser in German), the name of which is also used by an unrelated American brew. A newish beer with a fine and very smooth taste is Velvet, in light form, or Kelt, as a dark beer from Prague breweries. Other Prague home brands are Smichovsky Staropramen and Branik.
The Czechs have been drinking beer since time immemorial. The secret of Czech beer is that the agricultural conditions are ideal for growing hops, and chronicles establish their cultivation in Bohemia as early as 859 A.D., while the first evidence of their export dates back to 903.
Czech beer is delicious and extremely cheap, its one of the reasons why so many people come here for Stag and hen parties aswell as Birthdays.
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The Czechs are a people of beerdrinkers. Needless to say that they are also a nation of brewers. There are two major types of beer, light and dark. Light is pilsner, the type of lager invented in the town of Pilsen (now Plzen) in the 19th century. These are bitter thanks to a gratuitious amount of hop, which is grown also in the country. Try a few different brands and taste for yourself what inferior imitations like Bud and Heineken are doing wrong. Some examples are Urquell and Budweiser/Budvar (which has nothing to do with the American stuff, the Czech one actually IS drinkable). Novometski Pivovar is a brewpub that makes its own. See my restaurant tips for more.
More interesting to me are the dark beers. These are less hoppy than the light beers but are often more complex in taste. Hints of chocolate or coffee (not that there's any of these in the beer!) can be tasted. Some are similar to stout (like Guinness for example). One of my favourites is Krusovice, which can compete with Guinness any time, another good one I tasted is Kelt. U Fleku, the oldest brewpub in Prague, makes an excellent one too, but you will have to visit the place to taste it, which requires a little advance warning (see my restaurant tips).
The local brand of beer of Prague is Staropramen, which unfortunately is owned by the Belgian company Inbev (formerly known as Interbrew) which uses the brewery as a bridgehead to push their own stuff on the people in Prague and eventually get other breweries out of business. Normally I prefer not to to drink any /InterbrewInbev beer, now that I still have the choice, but I would have made an exception for Staropramen if it wasn't so easy to get at home. It is after all good beer. I only hope that the brewery will be in business for a long time to come, and that its beers will remain as goods as they are. Somehow I'm afraid that that is not going to happen. Where InBev rears its ugly head quality is bound to lose. Leave a Comment
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Or to quote my favourite drinking song: "Beer! Beer! Beer!"...
Well? What else do you do in a foreign city but sample its culture!? ;-)
And yes I have to say that I took this particular cultural exchange very seriously indeed with an extremely exhaustive research programme right up to almost the moment I flew home...
I'm no stranger to Czech beers having already tried Budweiser (the real stuff - not the rip-off backstabbing US kind!), Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen, Gambrinus and Kozel here in the UK - however I knew that it would be far more enjoyable sampling these amber nectars in their country of origin. I was not let down I can tell you!
To this dependable stable of beers I was able to add Starobrno (the cheapest at 18kr), Radegast (winner of Czech beer of the year three times in a row and my favourite) and Krusovice which was also an excellent drop - oh heaven!
The best places to enjoy Czech beer are the fabulous underground or out of the way beer halls dotted throughout the city though usually away from the main tourist thoroughfares - beware though as Czechs seem to smoke at least as much as they drink!
As for prices, I would say that the extremely low prices of the past are well and truly over - sadly...
The cheapest I found was in a very rough around the edges bar selling Starobrno for 18kr, but generally expect to pay low 20s and anything over 30 and you are being taken for a ride!
Now have fun and remember, if you only ever learn one phrase in Czech, make it "Jeden pivo prosim" - which translates to "One beer please"! :-)
For more info on this elixir of life, such as links to all the main breweries in the country, its history in the Republic and fascinating facts and records - check out my website link below...
Cheers! Or should I say Na zdraví... :-) Leave a Comment
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In Prague, they don't do it like in the US. You don't walk up to the bar and see 15 different brews on tap. Each place serves ONE brand of beer and that's it.
So, if you know there's a particular brand you want to try, look for the sign. That's how you'll be able to identify who's selling what.
Countless times we saw people sitting down in a place and try to order a beer only to be told by the server that they didn't serve that brand. Some people didn't care and just ordered whatever the place had. But others would get upset that they had to get up and leave because they couldn't get their favorite beer.
Just be aware of this and look at the logos on the windows and such before you go in.
:) Leave a Comment
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Beer is considered a part of the national heritage of the Czech Republic, therefore the Czechs are one of the top beer-brewing nations in the world today.
Popular Czech beer brands are: Plzensky Prazdroj (Pilsner Urquel), Gambrinus, Radegast, Velkopopovicky kozel, Budvar and Staropramen. Apart from these, there is a long list of beers brewed in smaller regional breweries. Leave a Comment
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The local beer Starapromen, Krusovice, and Budvar is better than the crap you get in the U.K , U.S and Australia so drink it at all times , you definately shouldn't pay more than one pound for a half litre.
If you see anyone drinking imported beer throw them in the river , if its Rolling Rock tie them up first. Leave a Comment
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For those looking for the smaller Breweries-
St Norberts, inside St Norberts Monastery, by the entrance to Petrin Park, near the Castle. Very tasty dark and light beers, pricy at 49Krs for 400ml, but worth trying.
Old Gott Brewery, within U Medvicku, near Tescos. 48Krs for 400ml, strong and dark, and worth a try, but not particularly to my taste. I went back to Budvar light and dark in the main Pub at 26Krs for 500ml!
Pivovarsky Dum (Between IP Pavlova and Charles Square), cheaper than the others at about 30Krs for 500ml - Not such a specialised taste, but good light and dark beers, and I particularly liked the Mixed Beer, and the Wheat Beer of the speciality beers. Not so keen on the coffee, sour cherry, banana or chilli ones, and I was glad I only had small tasters!
I have not yet tried U Fleku or the New Brewery, so cannot comment on those.
I also quite liked the Kelt Czech Stout, not a classic beer by any means, but a welcome break from the fizzy lagers.
Also, I think that the quality of Puilsener Urquell has dropped since being taken over by one of the Mega-fizz Conglomerates and 'modern' brewery processes were introduced.
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Avoid the tourist bars, just observe where the locals are heading at lunchtime. Check the alleyways, they don`t want to eat lunch with tourists so they don`t advertise with A-board street signs and these are the best. Expect to pay 26 - 32 Kr for 500ml of the good stuff. Gambrinus is about 4% so can be supped all day, Urquell/Budvar etc are around 5% ABV - Tip the staff 10% and enjoy the finest beer in the world!!
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I knew a lot about Czech beer going into our trip, and I am a huge fan of beer, in general. One thing I didn't realize is how much of a difference there is with beer on tap versus beer in a bottle.
I have enjoyed Pilsner Urquell and understand how it was the original, hence Ur-quell. And I liked it in a bottle, but living in the States that's about all we get. I did have some Urquell on tap in the States once, but it still wasn't as good as the fresh, fresh, fresh Urquell we had in Prague.
I heard from other tourists there and also from the locals that the beer is much easier to drink on tap and some people who don't like beer quickly change their minds when they try the fresh stuff.
We tried all of the following on tap: Pilsner Urquell, Budvar, Gambrinus, Krusovice and Krusovice dark.
It also makes a difference where you get the beer - make sure it is a locally respected place so the lines are clean and the kegs are fresh. You will not be disappointed.
Prices: If you pay more than 30 Kc, you must be in a tourist area. We found a few places where it was 26-28 Kc. If you get well away from the tourist areas it will be even less. But it's not necessarily bad to pay more - you may simply be paying for ambience or location. And that's okay as long as you enjoy yourself.
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...make sure you look in the eyes of your friends rather than at the glasses - otherwise, people will think that you care more about spilling your drink than about your drinking buddies. A great custom, if you ask me - just reminds you that drinking here is viewed as more about fun & friendship, less about pure intoxication :) Leave a Comment
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