Beer Street, Prague

From U Slovanské Lípy on Tachovské náměstí to Hotel Victor on Husitská street you only need to walk about 200 metres. For a visitor to Prague, this is an area worth checking out. Three great pubs with exciting beers can be found in this area. Bus number 133 from the Staroměstská bus stop (near Prague's Old Town Square) takes you easily to the Tachovské náměstí bus stop. On the way it is easy to stop at Florenc for a visit to the nearby Pivovarský klub.

U Slovanské Lípy is a no frills Czech beerhall with excellent beers from the Kout na Šumavě brewery. Here you can drink the 12° golden lager that was named the best of its kind in the Czech Republic last year. Also available right now are the 10° golden lager with a tastiness that should make a lot of other lager brewers envious and a 14° dark lager that is nothing but fabulous. An 18° porter is not to be forgotten. This tasty dark beer is just pure beer nectar.

Further down the road in Husitská street you can find Merenda. Merenda is one of the pubs specialising in rotating taps. Therefore you ought to check out the pub's web page before a visit to be sure of what to expect.

Normally you will find eight different draught beers. Four will be available in the cellar bar and the last four on the ground floor, where you can also find food.

This time at I tried the golden lager from Chotěboř brewery. It was served in a beer glass from the Klášter brewery, by the way. In the glass this was a beer with nearly no carbonation and a large, solid head. In the nose I felt malts, while the beer itself did not taste that much. There was more malt and some yeast before a nice, bitter and hoppy finish. I liked it, and it would be a fine thirst quencher in Summer.

Next to Merenda another recommended beer site is situated. Hotel Victor has a restaurant that sells beers from Pivovarský Dvůr Chýně. The Chýně brewery is outside Prague, and Hotel Victor is one of the few places outside the farm brewery where you can buy these beers.

I have tried some of them earlier, but at this visit I went for the amber coloured beer, polotmavé. The Chýně polotmavé had a small head and no carbonation. I liked it a lot with a nice caramel taste and some yeast. It was nothing but lovely, and it comes from a line-up of fine craft beers.

If you have one day in Prague, my recommendation is to find a hotel near Tachovské náměstí and spend the evening in these three beer temples. It will be a short beer crawl, but the beer selection will make it more than worthwhile.

Back in Prague

Prague is a fantastic place in December. The snow makes the city even more attractive, and the Christmas markets are fun to watch. In addition to this you can treat yourself to some mulled wine, hot food or a beer or two.

I had some time to spare, so I jumped on tram number 11 to Sporilov. At the terminus you can find the Prvni Pivni Tramway pub.

It is nearly two years since my last visit to Prvni Pivni Tramway. Pilsner Urquell is still available together with Primator's wheat beer. In addition to this, there is a rotating tap system, where several smaller Czech breweries are represented.

The pub has a tram theme. Inside it you can find old tram seats, and there is even a tram bell at the bar. The men's room is special, and the artwork on the walls is one of a kind.

The day I visited I chose Kocour's rauchbier. The other offers from draught were Chotebor's Premium and Svijany's Maz, which were beers I ended up drinking later during this visit to the Czech Republic.

The rauchbier was the first I tasted from the Kocour brewery. It was a nice beer with scents of mackerel and a interesting taste where smoked ham took the lead with some malts and a hint of hops. I liked this beer, and it is the first smoked beer that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Prvni Pivni Tramway had few guests the afternoon I was there. Last time around it was packed, and the pub had a great atmosphere. It was a pity that I had to move on, as I felt like drinking more rauchbier. But there is always next time, isn't it?

Old and new acquaintances in Prague

I have so far been to Prague twice this year, and every time I go to the Czech capital I find new bars and restaurants to visit. In addition to this, there are always some bars I need to revisit.

One such restaurant is U Medvídků in the city centre. In addition to having a nice bar serving all variants of Budvar beers, U Medvídků also brew their own beers. When I was back in March I decided to have another go at the fantastic Oldgott Barique beer.

In the glass Oldgott Barique is a cloudy and copper coloured beer with nearly no carbonation and a large head. It is a delicious beer with pronounced tastes of plums, prunes and melon. I have had this beer several times, and I am very fond of it. It is good from bottles, but divine from tap!

If you ever get to Prague, U Medvídků is a must. You can drink yourself through the different Budvar beers, but do not forget to take the trip upstairs and try U Medvídků's own line of beers including the nice 1466 lager and the fantastic (and strong) X-Beer 33.

Across the Vltava river you can find U Prince Miroslava near the Laurova tram stop. When I was back at the restaurant in March, it offered 13 different draught beers. These days there are even more. According to their web page, U Prince Miroslava now has 18 different draught beers.

The big question at U Prince Miroslava is where to begin. This is one of the few places in Prague to sell Primator Stout from tap, so I always have a pint of that excellent beer. It is a great stout, and I believe it is superior to Irish stouts like Guinness and Murphy's.

On my last visit I also had another taste of Svijany's Kvasničák. This is a kvasnicove, which is a Czech speciality lager where yeast is added after the original fermentation to start a new round of fermentation in the bottle or the keg. I like Svijany Kvasničák with its tastes of yeast, bread and sweetness.

A new beer for me at U Prince Miroslava was Rychtář natur. This is another yeast beer, that I forgot to taste at last year's Oktoberfest in Prague. In the glass this was an unclear and golden lager with little aroma. There was some yeast, which also was present in the mouth with some hints of malts. The finish was bitter, and it was a nice counterpoint to Svijany Kvasničák. Where Svijany's beer can be too sweet in the finish after a few glasses, Rychtář natur is a better session beer.

Across the town, in the neighbourhood of Nusle, you can find the bar and restaurant Zlý časy. This is a place I have been eager to visit after reading a lot of positive posts at different beer blogs. Zlý časy means evil times, and this is a bar specialising in beers. At the moment they have 24 different draught beers, and that alone is a reason to visit.

I entered Zlý časy on a cold and dark January afternoon. I was in a nice mood after visiting several nice bars and restaurants. Unfortunately, I did not fancy Zlý časy at this visit. The man in the bar was grumpy, the toilet was dirty and there were nearly no other guests.

I decided to test out Chotebor's pale lager at Zlý časy. I have lost my tasting notes, but I remember it as a nice beer without being extraordinary good.

I sat at Zlý časy for half an hour thinking if I would like another beer. The waiter indirectly made me decide not to, so I left the cellar bar while making a mental note to come back later. All the beers available and the nice words I have heard about Zlý časy makes me want to give it a second chance.

Near Letenske namesti you can find Klášterni pivnice. When I visited in October, I liked the bar but felt it was way too smoky. I have been back several times this year. The first time I went in the morning to see if it was nicer there then. I was right. With nearly no guests at the hospoda, there was also nearly no cigarette smoke. I liked it even better than ever!

Klášterni pivnice is a great place for Klášter beers. They sell both the dark lager and the 11 degree pale lager. I am very fond of the pale lager, and have had several of them during my visits. In addition to this, Klášterni pivnice has become a bar with a rotating tap. Therefore you are able to taste other beers as well.

On my last visit I had a half litre of Janáček. This was a standard and inoffensive pale lager with malts, some sweetness and a bitter finish. I liked it, but Klášter is the better pale lager at Klášterni pivnice. But Janáček will still be a nice session beer.

Try to visit Klášterni pivnice if you are in Prague, but be there early. The waiters are friendly, and the prices are very low. There are also some nice beer snacks at low prices, but the problem with this place is all the cigarette smoke. In the afternoon it is more or less impossible to enjoy being there.

Another place I like is Budvarka. Budvarka is near the Dejvicka metro, and it is easy to make the restaurant a last stop before going to Prague's airport.

First of all I have been going to Budvarka for the beers. The whole line of Budvar beers are sold there, but the kitchen also makes some great meals. In January I for instance had a great portion of goulasch at Budvarka at a very nice price. For food and two half litres of beer I paid less than 150 Czech korunas.

I can not say if the Budvar beers are best at Budvarka or U Medvídků, but I feel that I go to Budvarka for Budvar and U Medvídků for their own beers. Budvar is one of my favourite breweries. Lately both Budvar golden lagers have been easy to find here in Norway, so I usually buy the dark lager or Budvar's kvasnicove, kroužkovaný ležák. Unlike other yeast beers, kroužkovaný ležák is a clear, golden lager beer, and it is very tasty.

The waiters at Budvarka do a great job. They are polite and efficient, and I enjoy the ambience there. The beers are also very good, and the kroužkovaný ležák is a beer to be recommended!