The first times I visited U Slovanské Lípy in
Prague, it was an ordinary and somewhat boring pub with extraordinary beers. The
Kout na Šumavě beers are excellent, and it is easy sitting down enjoying them for a long time. On my last visit to U Slovanské Lípy the pub was more or less a party place. Loud music and young guests in party mood felt typical of U Slovanské Lípy this time around instead of ordinary Czechs enjoying their beer in a more quiet environment.
The current drinks menu at U Slovanské Lípy.No problem for me. The beers from Kout na Šumavě are so good that I believe I can drink them with as good as any noise around me. This time I concentrated on the unfiltered 12° Kout na Šumavě lager. It has a cloudy look, but it is pure beer enjoyment with yeast and fruit notes combined with a touch of grains. Lovely, lovely, lovely!
The party continued as I went up the hill to the Seifertova street and ended up at
Poja hoping to get a Budweiser Burgerbräu as a nightcap. No such thing this time around, as the restaurant has changed owners and beer suppliers. Poja now sells
Ježek and Merlin draught beers. I had a half litre of 11° Ježek pale lager. It was a good beer, but compared to the Kout na Šumavě beers this was boring. But I feel the Ježek is a better beer than Budweiser Burgerbräu so it was no loss.
The restaurant Poja is based in Seifertova street in Prague. Not far from the soccer team Viktoria Žižkov's homeground, Poja is a fine place to sit down for a meal or a few beers. Some years ago Poja was a pizza restaurant selling beers from Budweiser Bürgerbräu, but now there is a varied Czech and international menu with Merlin and Ježek draught beers on tap.
I started with a half litre of Merlin. The black beer was nearly without carbonation and had a large head. In the nose there was cold coffee and some sweetness. I felt coffee, malts and a touch of sweetness in the mouth. The finish was very good with an assertive taste of worts. This was a nice black lager that I really liked.
The 11° Ježek golden lager from the Jihlava brewery is always a treat, and the hedgehog makes a simple and beautiful logo. At Poja it was served with nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. There were nearly no aromas from the beer, but I felt some grass. In the mouth there was more grass and a touch of hops before a fine, partly bitter finish. This is a lovely lager that is very suitable as a session beer.
I left Poja very content thinking that Merlin and Ježek on tap is better than the Budweiser Bürgerbräu they used to sell. But I can not say if Poja is a better restaurant now than earlier. I never tasted the pizzas sold there before.
