It should come as no surprise that the city of Prague is an incredible destination for beer, being that the country of Czechia leads the world in per capita beer consumption. A year before I visited Czechia, I had done a trip to Belgium, and thought that nothing could top how much I was in beer heaven in Brussels (read more about the beers I tried in Belgium: Around the World in Beers: Belgium). Little did I know how much I would fall in love with Prague and its beer scene, staying in a brewery and even doing a beer spa during my time there! I certainly contributed to those per capita consumption statistics while I was there. Here are all of the beers and experiences I tried during my stay.
Pilsner Urquell
On just about any menu throughout Prague you will find Pilsner Urquell, a beer that influenced the majority of beers on the market worldwide. In 1839, a Bavarian brewer named Josef Groll was commissioned to brew in Plzeň, Czechia, an hour to the southwest of Prague, to appease tavern owners in the town who were disgruntled with the dark, sour beers being brewed in the area at the time. Groll used soft water, Moravian barley, bottom-fermenting yeast, and Saaz hops and released to the world in 1842 a crisp, clear golden lager that was considered to be the perfect beer. That beer came to be known as Pilsner Urquell, the world’s first pale lager, which has since been copied many times over with breweries using the name “pilsner” for the style.
Pilsner Urquell itself can be found in the United States in cans and bottles. I have yet to try it in the U.S., but I’ve heard it tastes very different from getting it on draft in Czechia due to the amount of filtering done for packaging. I had draft Pilsner Urquell with my fabulous dinner at U Parlamentu in Prague (Read: Best Things to Eat in Prague). It was served in a traditional Tübinger dimpled beer glass, which originated in Germany but is more prevalent throughout and most often associated with Czechia. The Pilsner is a refreshing golden beer and is served topped with a thick layer of creamy foam. It’s absolutely delightful.
U Kunštátů Craft Beer Bar & Garden
I had heard about this beer bar in my research prior to going to Prague when I was looking into recommendations for beer lovers, and I am so glad that I decided to check this one out. It’s tucked away down a little side street in Old Town a few minutes from the Charles Bridge. I took a seat at the bar and thumbed through a menu of 115 beers, which were predominantly from local modern microbreweries. Everything sounded good to me and I started getting overwhelmed with the selection! I told the bartender that I wanted to do a flight, and asked if he would curate one for me with some of his best recommendations. He asked what styles I like, to which I replied, “Umm.. everything!”
I’m used to flights at most breweries in the States being four little 4 oz. pours, so you can only imagine my shock/delight when he brought out a six-beer flight in pretty good size glasses. And when I say this flight was perfectly curated, he really could not have done a better job of giving me a little bit of everything and some great quality beers.
Here’s what was in that beautiful flight:
- Oyster Stout – Pivovar Chroust – Chroust is a husband and wife duo without a brick and mortar location who brew out of Pivovar Clock two hours outside of Prague. Their beers can be found on distribution throughout the Prague area. The Oyster Stout was 7% and brewed in collaboration with Pivovar Zichovec, and was dark and chocolatey with a salty and slightly smoky flavor.
- Bohemian Ale – Bernard Family Brewery Humpolec – Bernard Family Brewery dates back to 1597 in the town of Humpolec an hour southeast of Prague, and was rescued from bankruptcy in 1991 by Stanislav Bernard, Josef Vávra and Rudolf Šmejkal, who have since made strides in brewing great beers and building a brand well-known throughout Czechia and beyond. Their Bohemian Ale in my flight is an 8.2% Belgian strong golden ale which was strong, sweet, fruity and spicy.
- Fire in the Hole – Sibeeria Brewery Prague – Sibeeria is located in Prague’s 9th district and have been brewing since 2014. Their Fire in the Hole was a 4.5% smoked helles brewed in collaboration with Čestmír and Záhora breweries. It was light and drinkable with a slight touch of smoke that wasn’t overbearing.
- Grapefruit Lollihop – Sibeeria Brewery Prague – Sibeeria’s Grapefruit Lollihop is a flavored version of their flagship West Coast IPA. It comes in at 6.6% and is loaded with juicy citrus flavor.
- Mosaic Ale 12 – Rodinný Pivovar Zichovec Zichovec – Zichovec is a family brewery founded in 2012 in the small town of Zichovec, that today brews about 60 different types of beer per year. Their Mosaic 12 is a 5.1% pale ale and the first ale that they brewed, which was created for the wedding of one of the brewmasters and became a fixture of the brewery. It was hoppy and sweet with some fruity notes.
- Growler Sour Raspberry Lingonberry Chocolate Mint – Sibeeria Brewery Prague – This one from Sibeeria may have been the star of the show. If you had told me about raspberry, lingonberry, chocolate, and mint all going great together in a sour beer I would have been a little skeptical, but this was delicious, complex, and unique. Tart but not overwhelmingly sour, with cool minty notes, and coming in at a light 4.2%, I could easily see this being a good summer refresher.
Once I finished my flight, there was one more beer on the menu that had caught my eye that I decided to order a pint of. It was the Philadelphia Sour Raspberry by Pivovar Obora. I obviously had to try it, being that I call Philadelphia home. Pivovar Obora is a small brewery founded in 2015 in the town of Obora an hour south of Prague. The brewery operates with a strong mission of sustainability and local ingredients, using their own hops and malted barley grown in fields adjacent to the brewery. The Philadelphia Sour was tart and refreshing, with a beautiful red color and pinkish head.
Prague Beer Museum
Another great place to find a variety of regional beers on tap is the Prague Beer Museum, a gastropub with four locations throughout the city that serves 30 Czech beers on tap. I went to the Smetanovo nábřeží location a few minutes walk from the Charles Bridge. Here I tried another one from Bernard Family Brewery, their 5% Dark Lager which is unpasteurized and full of bitterness with notes of coffee and caramel.
The Original Beer Spa
An absolute must-try experience in Prague for any beer lover is doing a beer spa. There are many options throughout the city, but at the recommendation of a friend who had recently been in Prague before me, I booked with the Original Beer Spa, who themselves have three locations. I went to the one on Rybná Street, which is about a five minute walk from Old Town Square in the heart of Prague. I booked weeks in advance of my trip to be sure I got a decent time slot and because they do book up especially in peak tourist months.
The treatment is a warm bubble bath with hops and brewer’s yeast in a large oak tub. As you relax in the tub, you can feast on homemade beer bread and serve yourself unlimited Krušovice beers from your own personal taps located beside your tub. Krušovice is known as the only Czech royal beer, having been established in 1581 in Krušovice and sold to Emperor Rudolf II. Today, it’s widely distributed and is under the ownership of the Heineken company. The beer spa had both the 4.2% Krušovice 10 pale and the 3.8% Krušovice Dark Lager on tap. Both were delicious and I certainly drank my money’s worth during my hour-long session!
The treatment itself was delightful, soothing my feet that were sore from sightseeing all day, and leaving my skin soft and moisturized. If you’re hesitant about bathing in beer ingredients, it’s not what you would imagine bathing in beer would be like. You’re not left sticky, although you may find a tiny bit of hop residue. A pleasant fragrance is also added to the mix that is a soft, relaxing scent reminiscent of lavender.
Historic Brewery Hotel & Restaurant U Medvídků
In addition to bathing in beer, I also stayed in a historic brewery hotel while I was in Prague. U Medvídků is in a great location, a short walk to Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, and other attractions. The brewery opened in 1466, and manufactured beer until 1898, when it became difficult to keep up with large industrial breweries. A reconstruction of the house was completed in 2005 which included the re-establishment of a microbrewery onsite with a brewery store and tours available. The hotel also has a large restaurant serving quality Czech cuisine. On my last night in Prague, I dined in the restaurant and moved to the bar to enjoy a post-meal beer.
With dinner I had the Oldgott, a 5.2% lager brewed by U Medvídků that has a sweet, bready flavor and amber color. Wanting a dark beer post-dinner, I ordered the Tmavé 4.7% Czech dark lager from Budweiser Budvar Brewery on tap at the bar. The Budějovický Budvar brewery was established in 1895 in the city of České Budějovice, or Budweis. Since the early 1900s the brewery has been in a trademark dispute with U.S.-based Anheuser-Busch over use of the “Budweiser” name. The Czech brewery has passed an agreement recognizing Anheuser-Busch’s use of the name, but did not cede its rights to produce beer labeled with “Budweiser” and “original.” Disputes aside, the Budvar Brewery creates some great beers, and I enjoyed the dark lager with its roasted malt aroma and bitter coffee notes. The perfect nightcap!
Czechia is a nation with so much brewing history, and a trip to Prague is a true pilgrimage for any beer fan. I had enjoyed the culture and architecture of the city enough (Read: Visiting Prague), so enjoying the beer scene was the icing on the cake making Prague one of my favorite cities I’ve ever visited.
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