Finally Primátor Stout

U Prince Miroslava is a pub I try to visit while in Prague. It offers 19 different draught beers, and usually some of the available beers are from lesser known Czech breweries.

When visiting U Prince Miroslava, do not order beer after taking a look at the tap towers. Although there is a plate indicating that for instance Svijanská Kněžna is on a special tap, it might not be the case. Instead there is a special beer menu showing what is on the taps at the moment. U Prince Miroslava's website also has an updated beer menu.

Earlier this year I was disappointed when I found no Primátor Stout at U Prince Miroslava. Now in December the excellent Czech stout was back on the menu. It has been a while since I have been drinking it as a draught beer, and I was not disappointed this time either.

Primátor Stout is a black beer with nearly no carbonation and a medium sized head. In the nose there is cold coffee and a touch of malts. The beer tastes of coffee with some caramel before an excellent finish with some more coffee. This is a delicious beer that I really enjoy.

After the stout, it was time for another Primátor beer. This time I went for the pale ale. Primátor Pale Ale was a copper coloured beer more or less without carbonation and a medium sized head. I felt toffee in the nose, while the toffee had a dance with yeast in the mouth before a watery finish. Another lovely beer from Primátor that would have been better with a less watery touch.

I had a look at the beer menu, and I was disappointed that there were no beers from Únětický Pivovar there. These are beers that are recommended by Czech beer enthusiasts. Instead I ordered Telčský Zachariáš from the Ježek brewery in Jihlava. Telčský Zachariáš is a 14° pale lager. In the glass it had some carbonation and a medium sized head. There was nearly no aromas from the beer, but I felt some caramel. In the mouth there was sweetness and caramel before a boring finish with some toffee. This was not a good way to end my visit to U Prince Miroslava, so I ordered another pint of Primátor Stout.

I left U Prince Miroslava in a very good mood, and while walking the few meters to the nearby Laurova tram stop I knew I would be back the next time I am in Prague.

Back at U Prince Miroslava and U Medvídků

U Prince Miroslava used to be the pub with most draught beers in Prague. I visited the pub for the first time two years ago, and I have returned to it at several occations enjoying various beer. These days you will find 19 draught beers at U Prince Miroslava.

At my last visit I was somewhat disappointed. I tried to order beer after reading the labels on the taps.

A lot of the beers mentioned were not available, and the waiter pointed to a poster on a wall. Sure, all draught beers were listed, but I did not find Primátor Stout on the list. This excellent stout used to be a mainstay at U Prince Miroslava, but now it was gone.

I had a few beers. None of them memorable, as I have lost my tasting notes.

Later on the same day I went to U Medvídků in the city centre. I sat down at the ground floor bar to have a taste of Budvar. There had been changes in what used to be the Budweiser bar with all Budvar beers on tap. These days U Medvídků's own beers are also sold as draught beers in the pub. From Budvar you can only find a golden lager. That is an interesting move as the U Medvídků beers were only sold as bottled beers in the bar. You had to go upstairs to the U Medvídků brewery pub to drink them as draught beers. I had a glass of Oldgott and enjoyed it before it was time to find my hotel.

On my way I picked up a bottle of beer. Which one?

Yes, you were right! The excellent Primátor Stout was my night cap.

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!

Beer tasting heaven

There are some extraordinary tap rooms and restaurants in Prague if you are interested in beer. I have written about places like U Sadu, Kralovstvi, Prvni Pivni Tramway and Hrom do Police earlier, but when it comes to beer selection they are all beaten by U Prince Miroslava. U Prince Miroslava can be found two tram stops from the Radlicka metro station. It is possible to see the hospoda from the Laurova tram stop, which is less than 100 metres from the pub.

Inside there are two big rooms. In the first room you can find the bar where no less than 13 taps can be found in addition to one for Kofola, a Czech soft drink. The fun thing is that what beers that are sold is not constant. I visited U Prince Miroslava on five occations in early October. While some beers were available all the time, others changed from visit to visit.

First of all U Prince Miroslava is a place for beers from Svijany, Primator and Opat breweries. The most common beers in the Czech Republic, Gambrinus and Pilsner Urquell, are also available. On all my visits I could drink stout, weizen and pale ale from Primator. From Svijany Maz, Kníže and Kvasničák were available, while Opat were represented with among others their pepper beer.

I did not try all beers that were available at U Prince Miroslava during my visits, but I tried some of them. There were even some beers that I tried several times.

My favourite was Primator Stout. That was a very pleasant beer, and I would love to do a comparison with an Irish stout. I guess this Czech beer without problems can go head to head with Guinness or Murphy's. The Primator Stout was a black beer served in a large glass. It has a large whitish head and nearly no carbonation. This was a bitter stout with a lot of coffee notes. I would have preferred it creamier, but in all an excellent beer.

Svijany's kvasnicove, Kvasničák, had also little carbonation, but it was served with a large and thick head. The beer was sweet with yeast tones. I liked it a lot, and it is one of the better kvasnicove beers I have been drinking.

Svijany Kníže had a large head. It tasted much more bitter than the kvasnicove and other Svijany beers I have tasted. I prefer other offers from Svijany than this one. By the way, it tasted better at U Prince Miroslava than at U Bejvalejch Vyndanejch.

My first beer from Opat was their pepper beer. There was pepper in the nose, and the pepper was clearly present in the mouth as well. I liked it as a novelty, but it will not be something I will actively seek out.

I also tried Opat Bitter. It was an OK beer, but I felt it was more or less the pepper beer without pepper. Try it if you want to, but U Prince Miroslava has better offers than this.

On my last visits there had been changes in the beer line-up. Among others U Prince Miroslava now offered lagers from Bernard and Rohozec and a amber lager from Herold. I tried the Rohozec lager, and I found it quite refreshing. This was a pale lager with lemon in the nose. There was a large head and little carbonation. In the mouth the lemon was there again together with some pleasant maltiness. A nice lager, by all means.

There was also food to be had at U Prince Miroslava. One day I tried smažený syr, fried cheese. On the side I had Czech potato pancakes, bramboráčky, and some salad. That was a great fast food snack with beer.


Another snack I tried was Nakládaný hermelín or marinated cheese. I have never tried that before, and found it very good together with a lager beer.

Utopence, pickled sausage with onions, was also great. I liked the sausage a lot.

U Prince Miroslava is one of my favourite hospodas in Prague, and I enjoyed visiting. The two young and blonde waitresses from my first visits were very good at their job, and had a smile while doing their work. They were also very efficient.

On my last visits two other waitresses were at work. The service was now slower and I missed the smiles from the blondes. A smile brights your day, and it also makes a visit at U Prince Miroslava better.