I hit the road to travel Prague in September. My best friend was crossing the pond with beer on the brain. And, I was lucky enough to be able to join the festivities.
Ready. Aim. Drink!
The Travel Prague Triple Threat included: Girl’s Gotta Drink, Jill (PBR BFF), and Bill (Jill’s dad, aka: Poppa Beer). With two full days in Prague, we had a lot of ground to cover. Our two primary objectives: see the sights and drink beer.
Czech it out!
“The Czech Republic is the No.1 beer drinking nation on the planet, with an annual per capita consummation of some 156 liters.”
*Source: Prague Experience
Can we hang? Oh yeah, we are Colorado girls. According to the Beer Institute, among peeps 21 and older, Colorado’s average beer consumption was 30 gallons in 2012, which is 2 gallons higher than the national average. PBR BFF and I did our part to contribute to that. Just call us givers.
Our beer – er, I mean Prague tour started with some casual exploration of the beautiful city. We spied countless ornate buildings and beer paraphernalia all around. By the looks of things Duff Beer is a Praha specialty. Cans and bottles lined the shops.
About an hour after leaving our accommodations Poppa Beer suggested we make a suds stop. Yep, this was going to work out just fine. We hunkered down for a taste of Pils. Then, we headed off for lunch, and another beer. Uh huh. The Prague Beer Tour was officially on.
Yes, I’ll have another
We drank Pils. A lot of Pils. The light beer is the drink of choice for most in the Czech Republic.
Czech it Out!
Pilsner Urquell: The country’s most favored brew comes from the town of Plzeň. The original Pils set the standard for golden beers all over the world. As if you needed more reason to love Praha.
We were tickled to see a familiar name, Budweiser. So, we had to drink that, too.
Czech it out! The country’s most exported beer is Budvar; Budweiser in German. Nope, no relation to the Budweiser across the pond. Apparently, the doppelgangers have been in a legal duel over the name for decades.
Our favorite beer joints were: The Prague Beer Museum, Kolonial, and Valašská Pivnic. Let’s review.
The Prague Beer Museum
Address: Dlouhá 46, Praha
Phone: +420 732 330 912
Email: info@praguebeermuseum.cz
Hat tip to the marketing genius who came up with this gimmick: slap “museum” in the name and people feel all cultured and stuff.
An interactive museum experience.
The Prague Beer Museum features 30 beers on tap. The website explains that many area bars and restaurants are locked into primarily foreign-owned contracts with big boy brewers, which limits availability (read: consumption) of the fun beers produced by smaller Czech brewers.
Yep, they offer up the typical Pils and darker lagers, but you can also find IPAs, English pale ales, wheat beers, stouts, and much more. We liked it so much we went there twice.
We tried a grapefruit beer, an amber, a honey beer, a chocolate stout – the list goes on and on. The group favorite was Matuska, a rotating tap that is made by Martin Matuska, a living Czech beer legend. Mr. M and his son Adam brew beer that is considered one of the best in the country. Poppa Beer proclaimed it the best beer he’d ever tasted. Winning.
Kolonial
Address: Kolonial, Široká 25/6, 110 00 Praha
Phone: 224 818 322
Email: info@kolonialpub.cz
We found this place on our tour of the Jewish Quarter. The bicycle bar immediately grabbed our attention with its ode to beer.
Okay, okay – so the beer choices were your typical light and dark, but it was a really cool place. And, they had some great fries. I mean, they were no Lowry Beer Garden (Denver) french fries, but they make a mighty fine substitute. The menu is packed with traditional food as well as a full wine and cocktail list.
How to Order Beer in Prague:
Male Pivo: Small Beer (.3l) Pivo: Big beer (0.5l). We opted for the latter.
Valašská Pivnic
Address:v Úvoz 159/26, 118 00 Praha
Phone: 420 576 501 131
Out and about in a touristy area, we came upon a cute little sign that beckoned us down into the gallows. The little kitchen pretty much consisted of a hotpot on a bunsen burner.
Oh, what a great lunch, paired with another good beer. Cheese, pickles, bread, and a super rich, savory cabbage and sausage soup. Yum.
They serve Wallachian Beer, a yeast or wheat beer made of water, malt, hops and yeast. Unpasteurized and unfiltered, these beers have no added chemicals or substitutes. Wallachia is a historic region of Romania. We gave it two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
Get your beer on
Our Prague Beer Tour was self-guided. But, there are plenty of options for a guided adventure.
Prague Brewery Tours: They promise a visit to three microbreweries, 12 beers to taste, demos, and more. Cost: 1,200 kc.
Prague Speciality Tours: They promise visits to local microbrews and pubs. Eat, drink and be merry. Cost: 500 kc.
Prague Beer and Czech Tapas Tour: They offer numerous options from a full day to half day. Beer, food, and fun. Cost: Varies.
Beer in Prague. It’s the way forward.
Let there be beer! V-dawg OUT.
