Drink Craft Beer Goes to Prague [Part 2]
Pilsner Urquel is ingrained into Czech culture in a way I’ve never experienced before. You really can’t compare it to anything in the US. Sure we have regional breweries, but even then people have their favorites. Pilsner Urquel is available everywhere in Prague; I couldn’t find a bar that didn’t serve it. The bars don’t compete on who has the best variety of beer, but rather who has the best Pilsner Urquel. When I arrived in Prague I was determined to experience more than just this beer. This is not to say it isn’t a good beer, my first article from Prague illustrates just how good it can be, but I wanted to experience more.
When I checked in to my hotel I asked where I could go buy some beer. The concierge directed me to the local grocery store so I made my way down the street to the store only to be met with stacks of Pilsner Urquel. Clearly this wasn’t going to be the easiest of endeavors. At this point I took to Twitter, asked all of you where to go, and within 30 minutes I had a list of places I was told I had to check out. I ended up checking out a few places, but the following stuck out for me as places everyone should check out.
U Fleku Brewery
I’m going to start of right away by saying this place is really touristy. As we walked in an older gentlemen started playing American songs on the accordion, it just felt odd. I know I’m not exactly selling the experience right now but it does have some things going for it. First off it’s the oldest brewery in Prague, founded in 1499. Secondly, their dark lager is smooth and malty and worth the trip. I had almost forgotten what dark malts tasted like and this trip saved me. Make it a quick trip though, I’d recommend popping in for a pint and moving on. Sit at the bar if you can; we found getting the check at our table to take an insane amount of time.
Pivavorsky Dum
I actually ended up here by accident. We intended to go to Pivavorsky Klub (more on this bar next) but our taxi driver took us here instead (lost in translation I suppose). We looked at it as a happy accident and rolled with it. It turns out this a a satellite brew-pub of Pivavorsky Klub. As we entered we saw a gorgeous copper brewhouse and what appeared to be mostly local patrons. What we found here was the beginnings of a craft beer culture in Prague. It was clear that this place was not the norm. We got the sampler, which was comprised of eight beers. For my taste there were too many flavored beers; banana, cherry, coffee, and spruce made up half the offerings.The beer itself was secondary in an odd way. It was clear to me that hundreds of years of brewing tradition was evolving here. The basic pilsner was augmented with completely different styles. We really take our craft beer culture for granted in the US and it felt special to experience the beginning of that culture in another country. I’d bet that if I went back to Prague in five years I’d see far more places like this one. For that reason I’d recommend anyone headed to Prague check this place out.
Pivavorsky Klub
This is a must find spot if you’re in Prague. With hundreds of beer in bottles and 6 beers on tap nothing I found even came close to the selection here. There were pages and pages of Czech beers from who knows where, but they were good! There were also imports from all over Europe and the US. Our waiter spoke little English which made it hard to ask too many questions but in short this place a gold mine of good Czech beer. The bar is very brightly lit which made for a slightly odd atmosphere but the sheer selection of beer made it worthwhile.
